Creamfields

CREAMFIELDS

A staple of the UK dance scene, Creamfields out did itself this year. Overseeing the daily roster of 200 DJs was Creamfields veteran Ian Greenway. This year the PM and the LarMac LIVE team battled varying weather conditions to pull off the impossible, presenting a musical feast.

“We’ve really seen it all this year,” commented Greenway, sitting back on his chair in his production office recounting extreme rain, mud, high winds and scorching heat. “Everything other than snow,” he laughed. During the site build, the conditions affected the load-in timetable. “Usually when the suppliers roll-up, we only have a standby structures team on site, rather than the 120 crew this year that were still putting everything together. It was the wettest year any of us could remember and the tow trucks got more than a fair bit of use.” With the site hitting the high 20s, Greenway was quick to thank all the crew from Acorn Event Structures that, despite the challenges, made it happen. “Creamfields is tricky as we have a lot of stages that are close together, many of which are custom builds,” stated Greenway. “Acorn are vital to the backbone of the festival having been involved every stage.”

Britannia Row Productions, Adlib, Capital Sound, Colour Sound Experiment, Showforce, PRG, Christie Lites and BPM SFX made up the supplier roster. “It’s been said so often it’s almost a cliché, but it’s true that everyone might have the kit but not necessarily the crew,” stated Greenway. “The last thing I would want to do is spread our suppliers too thin. We want to make sure we are not only getting the equipment but a decent team of people to come and operate it. Especially when we are working such long hours. You have to have strong people to know you are in safe hands which is why we spread a selection of suppliers so no one company is overstretched.”

BRITANNIA ROW PRODUCTIONS Creamfields has become known for its awe-inspiring visual productions. However, it was the audio to took centre-stage in this year’s production meetings. “It has to be said that audio doesn’t always win with massive video screens and visual displays,” he explained. “There are only a finite number of places to hang PA.” However, one the main goals of this year’s production was to focus on fine tuning the audio set up.

“We’ve never had any real audio ‘issue’ but for 2019 we made a very conscious effort to lessen the effect the audio had on local environment,” said Greenway. “This meant that every single stage’s sub array has been revamped.” To achieve this reduced off-site effect, LarMac Live invited all of the audio suppliers to join forces to find the ideal solution. “We brought three of the best audio suppliers in the UK together. At the end of the day, they are the ones with the expertise, what I call the ‘audio magic’.”

Providing three unique L-Acoustics arrays on CF01, CF02 and the Steel Yard, was Britannia Row Productions. Overseeing the project was Account Handler, David Compton with the onsite activity being handled by Audio Crew Chief, Alex Hore. This was somewhat a homecoming for Hore who, despite having worked almost seven Creamfields alongside Compton in various capacities, had not worked on the event for a number of years. “Earlier in the year we had a round table meeting with Creamfields, the audio contractors - which included environmental and noise management consultants Vanguardia - and festival promotor, Live Nation,” reminisced Compton. “On our side, we had a few changes to sub configurations on all stages which is generally the problem area. The whole event has been a real collaborative effort between all audio suppliers,” stated Hore. “The whole team has worked hard to improve the audience experience and reduce

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CREAMFIELDS

the off-site noise. It’s always a tricky balancing act and, as we discussed with Vanguardia, it’s not an exact science as you never know what way the wind will blow or what the humidity will be doing that day. Creamfields itself is also quite a tricky audio environment as we are geographically quite high up and exposed.”

Hore went on to explain that the audio on the CF01, CF02 and Steel Yard stages was designed by of Josh Lloyd. All three of the stages saw the deployment of an L-Acoustics K1 system. On CF01 the main speaker array comprised 32 K1s, 28 K2s for ground out fills and delays, 32 KS28 ground subs, six ARCS II ground delays and 18 KARA front fills. For CF02, 28 K1 were utilised along with 24 K2 for ground out fills and delays, 32 KS28s ground subs, six ARCS IIs ground delay and 18 KARA front fills.

CF01 control came via two SSL L300, one for FOH and the other for monitors while CFO2 had a pair of Midas PRO2C at FOH and on stage. “We have a new design for Steel Yard this year,” commented Compton – referring to the gargantuan steel structure which has become a favoured fixture at Creamfields. “In summary, we have more flown sub and delays than previous years,” outlined Compton, which he was pleased to report, “worked very well.”

The rig for this stage consisted of 60 L-Acoustics K2 Enclosures with 16 K1SBs flown subs with a further 28 - both flown and arranged on the ground. Also present were six SB18s for delays, eight ARCS IIs and 18 KARAs, with 12 for delays and eight as front fill.

Hore oversaw 16 crew and five trucks in total. “When it comes to a show like this, especially in this heat, it’s important to ensure that everyone stays hydrated and takes decent breaks when they can,” asserted Hore. “It all comes down to keeping organised.”

PROUD TO PRODUCE CREAMFIELDS FOR THE TENTH YEAR!

THANKS TO ALL OUR SUPPLIERS AND PARTNERS FOR MAKING IT A SHOW TO REMEMBER

larmaclive.com

CREAMFIELDS MUSIC FESTIVAL (UK)

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