In the same week that saw the return of London’s PLASA Show, in High Wycombe, Martin Audio opened its doors to the industry to give an overview of its entire production line – most notably TORUS, the brand’s recent constant curvature array. This was an ideal chance to catch up with the team and celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary. Welcoming guests was Martin Audio Managing Director, Dom Harter. Prior to entering the venue, each attendee took a lateral flow test, with COVID-19 protocols continuing on entry. “Previously on these open days we used to take guests on a factory tour,”…
Author: Jacob Waite
Known by many in the live events industry as the person responsible for creating the aesthetic for Robbie Williams’ live performances in the ’90s and ’00s, Liz Berry has straddled the line between the creative and technical throughout her career. As well as designing shows, she was one of the first Vari-Lite technicians when the company was established in the UK, when the ‘moving light fixture’ was seen very much as its own department on a live show. Now, of course, when you see any staging plot, the moving light has simply been absorbed into the general lighting rig. In…
As the live events industry begins to emerge from the catastrophic effects of COVID-19, we at TPi believe that it is the ideal time to give our beloved magazine a bit of a facelift. The more observant of you will have already noticed that as well as a slick new design, this issue is marked ‘September/October’. No, this is not a misprint… we are taking TPi bimonthly. This decision has been taken for a multitude of reasons. However, the first and most important thing to note is that each issue moving forward will essentially be a double edition, so there…
Measuring 15m in height and width, TOGETHER, is a spectacular new touring structure by LUCID CREATES. Designed in reaction to the isolation of lockdown, the AV installation – constructed out of three giant metal rings lined with video and light suspended between four towering steel pillars – became the centrepiece of the Leeds Festival’s new late night dance arena, LS23. “Festival Republic’s Melvin Benn approached us early this summer explaining that he was looking to create a new late-night dance arena to replace the hugely loved Relentless Stage,” LUCID Director Helen Swan began, referencing the enormity of the task at…
Reading and Leeds Festivals returned simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, signalling the reemergence of the UK summer festival scene after a lengthy, COVID-19 induced exile. Among the big name acts on the bill was pop star Sigrid, who captivated an in-person and TV audience with a creative show plan devised by Tourlite Design. Having embarked on several livestreams and video shoots during lockdown, Tourlite Design’s understanding of the way a camera can be used to engage an audience has developed, leading the creative outfit to pose the question of why the camera…
As an insurance firm that represents several large rental houses in the entertainment industry, US-based Take1 Insurance, like many others in the industry, has taken a sizeable hit since March 2020. However, with signs pointing to a return to live events, Take1 Insurance Vice President, Scott Carroll spoke to TPi about some issues he is pointing out to his customers in response to changes COVID-19 has already brought to the sector. “From an insurance point of view, my biggest concern is that there needs to be enough time to ‘shake the rust off’ as we currently have a workforces that…
The Tour Production Group (TPG) was formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the goal to return to post-pandemic touring in a more educated mindset. Our initial goal was to create COVID-safe working guidance, and we were the first touring industry association to do so. The goal since has been for the concert touring industry to learn best practice, survive and ultimately thrive in a more realistic and sustainable way. I fear that unless we keep delivering a clear message on the issues we face – from lack of diversity to ill mental health and our carbon footprint –…
Starting in 2017, the Heavy Music Awards was founded on the principle of recognising musicians, producers, and creatives working across the entire heavy music landscape. During the event’s fourth year in 2020, due to the state of the world, the awards opted to move the show to a completely online format, with live performances being captured at Subfrantic Studios, overseen by the team at AfterLive Music. With this greater attention on the online version, the Heavy Music Awards (HMAs) saw a sizeable uptick of interest from the global alternative community, with a record-breaking number of votes being cast and 177,000…
Celebrating two decades since the release of their self-titled debut album, Gorillaz, the world’s most successful virtual band made history yet again this August, embarking on two monumental homecoming shows at London’s O2 arena, as well as a pop-up show for friends and family at the indigo. The first arena show, on 10 August, was performed to NHS key workers and their families, with a sold-out capacity show for Gorillaz faithful the following night – each boasting a stellar line-up of guest artists, talented tour crew and technical suppliers, firmly setting a benchmark for post-pandemic arena shows. Following proof of…
Festival Republic has made a major effort to get outdoor events up and running in 2021. With each of its shows, from its Sefton Park test event to the Download Pilot, the production values have increased. This trend continued into Latitude weekend, with a no-holds-barred headline performance from The Chemical Brothers. Complete with a massive LED screen, complex automated lighting moves and brand-new visual content, the duo’s return to the stage was a well and truly triumphant one. With their set finished, both band and crew already had their eyes set on two more performances at Creamfields and TRNSMT Festival, but…
After over a year in oblivion with no in-person audiences, O2 Brixton Academy finally flung open its doors in August to welcome a talented but equally beleaguered troupe of technical production crew and raucous fans during the final stop of Circa Waves’ sold-out UK tour. Initially devised in support of their fourth album, Sad Happy – which was released in two parts in January and March 2020 – Circa Waves, like all touring acts, found their forthcoming stage offering shelved, postponed and ultimately, cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a year later, the Liverpudlian indie rockers were…
“It’s the perfect storm,” began Audiotonix Group Operations Director, Tony Williams, describing the issues facing manufacturing in 2021 during a Zoom call with TPi. The original agenda of the call was to discuss how the global shortage of microchips was affecting the companies under the Audiotonix umbrella. However, it quickly become clear that there are several other issues having a serious knock-on effect for all manufacturers. “It is of vital importance that our industry knows of some of these issues,” said Audiotonix CEO, James Gordon, who was also on the call. “Productions over the years have got used to manufacturers being…
Filmed at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, US, Rainbow Brain The Movie was an immersive, theatrical livestream performance that transported viewers into four on-screen universes, changing in colour and theme to reflect the narrative of GRiZ’s seventh studio album, Rainbow Brain. A nod to the renaissance of bass music and dubstep’s golden age, the production featured striking visuals, special guests, and a combination of bespoke production and virtual elements. “It’s an imagination of the place I would escape to while working on the album – the place where these songs lived visually in my brain,” GRiZ informed TPi, explaining the…
At the risk of stating the obvious, we at TPi are obsessed with the technology behind event production. From moving lights to complex video screens and cutting-edge developments in audio, we’re always keen to cover the latest innovation in the sector. It is for this reason that opera – an acoustic art form by its very nature – is rarely featured in our pages. PA boxes and mics are a rare sight anywhere near such a production. So, when we heard that Nevill Holt Opera had joined forces with Southby Productions and Sound Designer, Mark Rogers to create an outdoor…
Black in the Boardroom was our first report that looked at racial disparity across trade bodies and associations in the UK event industry. Our research discovered that of the 15 organisations we looked at, none had a Black person on their boards. The trade bodies and associations mentioned in our report, in general, have made positive moves and actions in response to the report. Many companies and associations have reached out to us to see how they can support and have been helping connect the dots on several future opportunities that support our initiatives and we will be engaging with…
The UK’s live music sector has today launched a sweeping industry campaign to deliver climate action, as it sets out its commitment to reach net zero emissions by the year 2030. The campaign, fronted by LIVE Green – the sustainability arm of live music umbrella trade body LIVE, builds on significant efforts across the sector to boost sustainability, ranging from the end of single use plastic at festivals to sector wide efforts to reduce the environmental impact of touring. The group will identify and signpost how live music businesses can accelerate their transition to a low carbon future, setting out a…
zactrack International becomes master distributor for zactrack, in partnership with Lightpower Group. Based in Paderborn, Germany, zactrack International is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lightpower Group Paderborn and will be responsible for sales, marketing, support, and service of zactrack tracking solutions in the areas of lighting, audio, video and camera. This includes the already known zactrack PRO and SMART systems as well as future zactrack developments for these market segments. zactrack Lighting Technologies Vienna, Austria will continue to be responsible for product research and development as well as to produce new zactrack solutions. zactrack International Managing Director, Stephan Saremba sees a great…
Vectorworks latest 2022 release includes Vectorworks Architect, Landmark, Spotlight, Fundamentals, Braceworks, ConnectCAD and Vision. In addition, Vectorworks reveals its comprehensive solution for designers working within multiple industries has been renamed to accurately reflect its full range of design and BIM capabilities. Vectorworks Design Suite, formerly Vectorworks Designer, offers all the up-to-date features of Vectorworks Fundamentals, Architect, Landmark and Spotlight, providing the entire suite of technology in one interface. “Vectorworks 2022 is an invitation to embrace the exceptional flexibility and interoperability that is expected of our purpose-built, design-focused products,” said Vectorworks CEO, Dr. Biplab Sarkar. “When you dive into all the advances…
