Olivia Dean

OLIVIA DEAN

Sinclair / Wilkinson design a unique production to keep singer-songwriter Olivia Dean on the road; adapting an old van into a touring stage, as TPi discovers...

Within the pages of TPi over the past few months, we have scrawled endlessly about the need for innovation during these uncertain times, to keep music alive. However, the latest venture by singer-songwriter Olivia Dean and her team is a solution that harks back to the true roots of touring – staying out on the road and performing music to as many people as possible. Instead of typical tour trucks and busses, this innovative solution came in the shape of an old van transformed into a certified touring stage, providing the artist with the ability to park up and start performing to audiences throughout the UK.

One of the masterminds behind the idea was Rob Sinclair. TPi is more used to bumping into Sinclair on the site of an arena, having designed sets for the likes of David Byrne, LCD Soundsystem, Kylie Minogue and Vampire Weekend. Speaking via Zoom before the truck set out on its maiden drive, he explained how he and Tour Director, Andrew Wilkinson – known collectively as Sinclair / Wilkinson – entered this project.

“The origin of this show came off the back of a call with Olivia’s management in May,” Sinclair recalled. “We decided that as no one could go and see her play, she could go and play for the people. The concept of turning a van into a mobile stage was under the premise that we wouldn’t attract huge crowds, but partake in a very ad-hoc style of touring to intimate audiences. The van build was amazing,” Sinclair continued, praising Matt Snowball, who played a huge role in the renovation.

Familiar with designing sets for arenas, the designer admitted that this post was quite a “weird” task. “I worked closely with Design Associate, Luke Rolls to devise a few options as to how to turn this relatively small space into a stage,” he said.

This back and forth went from the micro to macro detail – not least how to open the back of the truck to reveal the stage. As a result, the design team opted for a barn door-style design, which gave the best and most effective sightlines. “It’s really quite an elegant solution,” mused Sinclair.

“We are able to fit the whole band at a safe distance in the back.” Prior to hitting the road, Dean and her band rehearsed at Production Park’s The Mill, London – taping out a small rectangle of the studio floor in preparation of the small confines of the truck.

As suming the role of Tour Manager – among other things – Wilkinson discussed the logistics of this particular venture. “In many ways, this project with Olivia is a bit like old-school tour managing,” he chuckled, referring to the “Wacky Racer” schedule they had come up with. “In the initial stages, we are getting in touch with private landowners – such as the owners of the fields which, in any normal year, would host Boardmasters Festival.”

Although analogue in its nature, the project has embraced the digital world in coming up with a list of locations they wanted to visit. “We’ve actually been using data from Spotify to create a list of hot spots where we know she has a few fans due to the number of streams,” stated Wilkinson.

The touring party is a very tight crew comprising eight people including: the band and FOH Engineer; Dean’s Manager, who handled merchandise; and finally, a Social Media Manager, who documented the journey through the UK.

“Past the first few weekends, we are not sure where the van will end up,” Sinclair laughed, adding that this lack of a plan meant they could be incredibly flexible and able to change course if temporary lockdowns were put in place in certain areas.

“I n these uncertain times, projects like this are really worth celebrating,” he concluded. “It’s been a lot of work and time and we don’t really know where it is going but, frankly, it’s exciting to be doing something.” TPi Photos: Sinclair / Wilkinson www.oliviadeano.com www.sinclairwilkinson.com www.mattsnowball.com