What inspired you to pursue a career in live events and touring?
“I’ve wanted to work in live audio since I was 14 years old. My mum took me to me to my first ever concert, One Direction, and I had the time of my life. I went into school the next day and told my music teacher about how cool I thought it all was, and she opened my eyes to the fact there was a whole career path around live audio. She inspired me to believe that it was a job I could achieve and helped point an excited teenager in the right direction.”
When did you start your Britannia Row Productions Apprenticeship?
“I started the Live Audio Technician Apprenticeship in July 2023 after working in the warehouse as a full-time Prep Technician for a year. It’s a two-year course split into a curriculum of Live Sound Fundamentals (LSF) and Live Sound intermediate (LSI). Over the two years, you get trained through practical work in the warehouse rotating your time across the multiple departments, such as speakers and rigging, cables, mics and RF. In rotating work through the warehouse departments, you get to gain knowledge of how the equipment works, and more importantly, how to notice when it’s broken and how it can be fixed. The other side of the apprenticeship is lessons discussing subjects such as the physics of sound or electronics which gives you the deeper knowledge to how it all works.”
How has this apprenticeship experience benefitted your career?
“The practical training opportunities, like practicing flying PA or RF training sessions as well as gaining on-site gig experience is invaluable. Apprentices are sent out on jobs after completing a series of exams to learn from experienced technicians about how a gig works on site. The further networking opportunities and relationships you form with industry specialists are equally important and easily accessible.”
Where can we expect to see you on the road?
“I’m currently on my first tour with Robbie Williams. A highlight for me was the first show in Edinburgh, when Angels started playing and I could hear 50,000 people singing along. I thought back to every concert I had been to for the past decade, pointing at the speakers or FOH and explaining to my friends how one day I wanted to work on something like this. To realise I was there felt like such an unachievable dream for so long and yet somehow, I was there doing it.”
What advice would you offer to those looking to follow in your footsteps?
“Get as much experience as possible, any experience is valid no matter how small and will provide you with a new piece of knowledge that can help build your skills up. It’s also important to pick yourself back up if you make a mistake, it’s not the end of the world if you take accountability and importantly learn from these things. It’s not all plain sailing, sometimes you are put in stressful and irritating situations but it’s important to keep your cool and remain polite to people as everyone you are working with will be going through the same thing.”
Photo: TPi
