Boomtown Fair: 11th Chapter

BOOMTOWN FAIR

were controlled by an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size and Lite consoles, complete with PRG Super Node infrastructure. The lighting was designed by Adam Power and manned by Crew Chief, Bradley Stokes; assisted by Tom Harris, Steve Smyth, Alex Griffths and Harvey Fitzpatrick. Onstage screens boasted ROE Visual MC18 LED panels, while the entrance screen was made up of ROE Visual MC7 screen. PRG Account Handler Paul ‘Macca’ McCauley explained: “The video screens provided were a key feature to enhancing the overall live experience for both the audience and for the artists performing on stage.”

Rigging Crew Chief Jay Call and Marcus Brown, assisted by Phil Tickle and Mike Rungen deployed a range of 2-tonne, 1-tonne and 500kg EXE Rise Hoists. Video Technicians Matt Canter, Mike Kane, Shane Slinger and Richie Cummings made up the team.

Watson summed up: “Thanks to all the crew on a very challenging show on both stages and look forward to what next year brings,” he went on to thank Graham MacVoy, Paul Rose, Abi Baker and David ‘Pev’ Peverly for their assistance during PRG’s first year at Boomtown. “We found this first year very challenging, but the end result of both stages was very rewarding. We look forward to what next year brings!”

METROPOLIS Boomtown introduced the flashing lights of futuristic Metropolis with Pagoda Plaza as the new main stage for house lovers this year. Funktion- One has always held a strong relationship with Boomtown, key to its delivery was Audio Feed, a Funktion-One partner for over a decade.

“We cherish our relationship with Funktion-One because it’s one we don’t get with any other speaker manufacturer,” Audio Feed’s Oz Jefferies beamed. “They take a real passion and commitment to all of their innovations, projects and partners. Funktion-One care about how their speakers are deployed, to ensure they’re being used to their full potential - which is great, and it makes our job a lot easier.”

Launched at Prolight+Sound, the very same eight Funktion-One Vero VX speakers were deployed to the Boomtown site. “For Tony [Andrews, Funktion-One founder], it’s a pursuit of excellence,” Jefferies explained. “He’s always on site to check if all is going well and he won’t stop at anything to make it right.”

Funktion-One has a reputation for being an ideal solution for electronic dance music but there’s more to it than that, said Jefferies: “A good loudspeaker performs well in any environment and the Vero VX is particularly good for live music. The vocal range is amazing.”

Aimed at the live touring market, Vero VX have been designed to adapt to dynamic and ever-evolving backdrop of live touring. “This model is equipped for touring applications. For example, the cabinets are simple to push onto dollies, pick up and hang. It’s a plug and play system essentially, which makes our job easier. You can push it off a van, plug it in and you’re good to go.”

Jefferies explained that some engineers were initially reticent about working on the new system. “I’ve received emails claiming Vero VX is one of the best systems they’ve ever worked on - so it’s been a satisfying process having been involved closely in the R&D and demo process.”

This year’s main sonic challenges faced by the team included the weather, waterproofing and high winds. “It’s been windy, and we’ve been getting quite a lot of sway on the hangs. Despite being perfectly safe, we had to shut the stage for a few hours during the day as a precaution for the stage roof structure. The festival doesn’t want to take any risks, which is great.”

Reporting good levels over the weekend, Jefferies said the main reason for this, he said, was because the stage was located in the middle of the site in a bowl. “One of the reasons our company has been so successful is that we believe it’s our job to protect the license and work with the festival and noise control officers to make sure a balance is found. Noise control officers have been coming over and saying it’s the best sounding system on site.”

CHAPTER 11 Offering more music, experiences, theatre and dazzling set design than ever before. Walking through the mind-blowing stages, intricate winding streets and intimate immersive venues of Boomtown Fair. Davies festival defining words rang true. “This entire festival is based on the relationships with people and the environment,” he reflected. “It’s not just about presenting music to people, it’s about inclusion and bringing people into a festival environment to express themselves and be who they want to be without fear of judgement.” TPi Photos: Rob Watson, Oz Jefferies and Avolites www.boomtownfair.co.uk www.prg.com www.lgfx.co.uk www.aardvarkfx.com www.aflive.co.uk www.audio-feed.co.uk www.coreworks.nl www.phixion.be www.nitelites.co.uk www.videoillusions.net www.bcsaudio.com

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