Public Service Broadcasting’s crew have a well-earned reputation for staging immersive live performances. From Jodrell Bank to working men’s clubs across the UK, the collective never shies from delivering stellar production values in some of the tightest rooms and festival stages on the circuit. To celebrate 11 years since the release of The Race for Space, the band enlisted longstanding creative and technical teams to transform Alexandra Palace into a mission control centre, complete with a reengineered flying Sputnik, a roving brass section, roller skaters, and dancing astronauts.
“I fell into the role by being here the longest,” James Campbell, Production Manager and FOH Engineer said modestly, having spent the past decade in a range of guises. “The band is renowned for fitting a lot of production in a small space, so it’s great to finally be in a room where we can fit everything they want.”
As usual, the band invested heavily in production. “This is a huge step up, so we were careful to deliver the creative vision within the budget,” Campbell remarked.
To this end, the PM enlisted the support of TANCK (production design), Adlib (audio), Colour Sound Experiment (automation, lighting, rigging and video), ER Productions (special effects), Crossland (buses), SCENIQ (scenic). “All of the suppliers have been supportive,” Campbell said. “Adlib has always supported the band – we were looked after by them so well during a support tour – as has Colour Sound Experiment, who deliver the bulk of the production. Our new foray into special effects came courtesy of Stage Manager, Colin Rogers, who recommended ER Productions.”
In the build-up to the show, the band spent time at Music Room London working on arrangements, with the show’s foundations realised during two days in Studio 5 at Production Park, near Wakefield. “After months of hard work, it was great to see it as a proof of concept… I had a lot of anxiety dreams of the Sputnik 2.0 being this tiny, Spinal Tap-like prop, but SCENIQ did an excellent job of bringing it to life in collaboration with Mr. B. and TANCK,” Campbell added. “The hotels we booked eight months ago were unfortunately released overnight, so Crossland stepped in and sorted us out with a great price for a couple of busses to collect us from Production Park to Ally Pally.”
Balancing dual roles, Campbell was supported by Stage Manager, Colin Rogers and Tour Manager, Elisa Lucrezia; Production Rigger, Sam Webb; Guitar/MIDI Technician, Jack Bonney and Drum Technician, Dane Earl. “Colin has been incredible with his time and knowledge; Elisa has been helpful with the artist side of management, while John [Duckett] on monitors helped patch the stage.”
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Words: Jacob Waite
Photos: Fran Parry and TPi
