Jodrell Bank: Ready For Transmission

What do get if you mix the third largest radio telescope on planet Earth, some of the finest alternative bands around and a production team full of experience and creative minds? You get the first in a series of live events that fall under the banner ‘Live From Jodrell Bank’.
We got Transmission 001.
   
Along with the crew behind Kendal Calling Festival and The Warehouse Project (TWP), Ear to the Ground (ETTG) were part of a production industry collective known as Spaceside Creatives, which jointly made the idea of doing Transmission 001 into a history making rock gig.
Production Manager, Jon Drape, Ear To The Ground’s Director since 2003 (previously a joint Producer of the Liverpool Capital of Culture opening ceremonies, BBC Proms AND Manchester Pride), started out in the production industry as an LD over 20 years ago. His skills and vast experience led his ETTG team to develop the event that would set the summer off in admirable style.
   
Drape explained the collaboration: “Ben Robinson and Andy Smith from Kendal Calling came up with the idea and then got us and the WHP on board. It’s a great partnership and we all play to our strengths.” This year, ETTG have also taken on the site and event management for Kendal Calling festival.
   
Transmission 001 had a weighty line-up, including British Sea Power, Ok Go and of course, the psychedelic rock of The Flaming Lips. A formidable collective, but there was also a very distinct part of this event, which influenced how the rest of the production would work; Jodrell Bank’s Lovell Telescope - which was used as a huge projection canvas.

THE SCENE
Drape started with The Flaming Lips’ technical rider. The half moon screen that the band toured with demanded a particular clearance level, as he explained: “We wanted to use an Orbit style stage so the curves married with the curves of the telescope, but a standard 15 metre orbit didn’t have the clearance. Carl Ryder at Orbit suggested we use his 15.6 metre steel orbit roof, which is extra high. “This decision also went down well with The Flaming Lips’ Rigger and Monitor Engineer Sam Cole, who said: “European festival stages can be quite a challenge as far as rigging is concerned, since there’s often a lot of beams, but only a few load bearing ones. This structure both looked cool and had steel exactly where I wanted to hang.”
   
When he addressed the telescope, Drape’s initial approach looked at projection, though he would later turn his attention to an audio element for the structure. Bluman Associates handled the visual infrastructure. Drape explained: “I’ve known Pod Bluman (of Bluman Associates) for some time, but I’ve never had the right show for him to supply. It was a pleasure working with him and everyone was delighted with the projection.
   
“Likewise, we knew we wanted to commission our own video content and Digital Insanity were the ideal studio for the job. We try and use local suppliers where possible because it works in a number of ways: less environmental impact, cheaper trucking and reduced crew hotel bills. I’ve used dbn Lighting for 20 years since I used to work there.”
   
Another relationship that has grown from the Hacienda era is Drape’s with the Audile crew. Said Drape: “Since Rob Ashworth and Bob Leach invested in the [d&b audiotechnik] J-Series, they are our first choice for PA. They have some great crew and nothing is too much trouble. And Audile is one of the very few J-Series rental houses.”
   
Though the huge production crew faced no noise restrictions as such, Drape took the decision to employ Vanguardia in order to monitor noise levels, giving useful data for future events that may occur on the site. As it turned out, there were no complaints from residents post gig. Charlie Canavan, a new member of the ETTG team, looked after the production and site on Drape’s behalf, as he couldn’t attend personally, and John Adams managed the stage.
   
The Flaming Lips’ Tour Manager Mick Brown has been in the live touring industry for 30 years, working with The Flaming Lips since April 2006. He recalled: “I wasn’t prepared for my first show with the ‘Lips, and I’m still learning. Wayne Coyne (lead vocals) drives a lot of what the band does; you cannot second-guess him! I have had great support from our suppliers, and particularly, Ian Turner our LD and the GLS boss, as he has worked with the band for a long time and was able to let me know what they may want.
   
“My role with the band is TM, but I would say I’m more of a Production Manager. Between myself and Ian, I like to think we helped to introduce the band to LED screens, and replaced their traditional projectors.”
   
The band toured with FOH and monitor control, lighting, floor and screen packages and carried its own Stealth LED screen built into a custom-made truss arch. Southampton based GLS Lighting then added sun strips and strobes to the arch, along with LED fixtures dotted around the stage. The band also used SKAN PA for many of their requirements, while Rock-It Cargo was brought in for freighting kit from America.
   
Perhaps a difficult challenge for Brown on this occasion was the fact that he, too, couldn’t attend the event himself. Instead he was on the road with Portishead. He continued: “Not being at the shows you advance is a big worry. Thankfully, in Jane Deady (acting Euro TM), I had someone who seamlessly took the reigns from me.” It was the job of Jon Drape and Charlie Canavan, however, to fully appreciate what the ‘Lips show is all about. “I had to make sure they did read the rider word for word,“ said Brown. “The band was very happy. In truth, the show was hard work to put together, but all these things are judged on the outcome and it was a great success.”

SCIENTIFIC SOUNDS
Both the visual elements and sound had to be near perfect for this first time venture to reach its potential. Audile’s Paul ‘Stev’ Stevart was chiefing sound and teching the J-Series with Aaron Boothe manning the house Midas H3000 at FOH, and Audile’s Ben Emissah on house monitors using a Yamaha PM5D-RH - the system of choice for Audile’s festival shows. The Audile crew was completed by Stage Technician Chris Donovan. As System Technician and Project Manager, Stev commented: “Most touring engineers will have files for this console and we connect a laptop and use Studio Manager to put visiting engineer files on and off the desk and do all the soft patching of outputs. They’re very stable; I’ve never seen one fail, which is right at the top of our priorities when choosing a desk.” The Flaming Lips, however, brought in their own monitor desk - a Midas H3000 analogue board operated by Sam Cole.

As Touring Monitor Engineer for The Flaming Lips, Cole started out with the band following a somewhat odd phone call asking if he wanted to blow up balloons and shoot confetti for a week. That was in March 2009, and after three gigs doing stage props, he landed the job on monitors. At the start of this year, the band decided Cole was also the person they wanted for any rigging needs. He said: “I didn’t have much experience in that area, but I jumped at the chance to learn some new skills and confront new challenges.”
   
On the subject of going analogue, Cole explained: “We’ve tried some of the digital desks but it just wasn’t working out sonically. Doing one-offs on analogue desks, I noticed that the ‘Lips preferred the sound of the Midas, so we went back to that. I’m not at all one of those analogue purists, but this desk is definitely the right choice for this band: they love the warm, analogue sound and the accessibility of analogue and the Midas’ responsive, powerful EQ.”
   
Discussing wedges, sidefills and IEM for the very specific requests of The Flaming Lips, Cole added: “They play at a crushing stage volume and unfortunately for me, they also hate stage clutter, so I try to spec the smallest, loudest wedges I can find. In the States, it’s EAW Microwedge 15s through RAT. In the UK this time, we had seven d&b M2s for wedges, with an L-Acoustics dVSub behind the video screen for drums. Sidefills were three per side hang of L’Acoustics dV-DOSC, with two SB28s per side for subs.”

To read the entire article, please see TPi's current issue.

Photography: Bart Pettman, Tom Martin, Hannah Cordingley, Kate Perring & Kelly Murray.

www.jodrellbanklive.co.uk