How did you fall into the world of live touring?
“Touring came after around a five-year real-world apprenticeship of pushing boxes, patching and fixing cables, plugging-in speakers and generally hoofing around the pubs and working men’s clubs in the North of England. I spent years working with a Nottingham-based PA company, MerlinPA, starting at the bottom of the audio rental ladder, and worked hard until we got onto the corporate ball circuit. That’s also when I got the chance to mix my first big artists, including Liberty X, Hear’Say and S Club 7.”
You’ve worked as both a live sound engineer and a tour manager. How do you balance both roles?
“Some people only know me for TM’ing and have never seen me behind an audio console. Recently, I have been Tour Managing for Nicole Scherzinger, which is non-stop. She demands 100% from everyone as she’s such a focussed person. It’s a demanding job, but I enjoy the random requests. From the 11th-hour bookings for helicopters, to diverting private jets to pick us up, after-show parties and meeting royalty… it’s all in a day’s work.”
Does that take away from your love of audio?
“My passion will always be in audio. Since I started out, things have got way more complicated and way simpler at the same time. Consoles are now so complex, show files can be incredibly complicated if you so desire.”
What are some of your career highlights so far?
“You’d probably think that mixing Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston or Beyoncé would be the highlights for me. However, while each of them were amazing gigs, the reality is, I didn’t grow up listening to these artists. My early career highlight was actually mixing FOH for a much smaller UK band from the ’80s and ’90s called The Christians. My dad used to listen to this band in the car all the time, so when I got the chance to mix them, I couldn’t say no. I already knew every song like the back of my hand. I felt relaxed and completely in control of the mix, even though I’d never met them.”
What advice would you give to women hoping to follow in your footsteps?
“I try to encourage as many ‘shadow opportunities’ as possible for women looking get into the industry. We try to have at least one female newcomer looking to enter the industry on every tour date. Typically, these shadows might be girls who are already in the industry, but they want to experience a big gig, to see what it’s like on an average day. I wish I had something as accessible when I was starting out. I would recommend shadowing to anyone genuinely interested in moving into this industry professionally.”
For more information visit: www.facebook.com/groups/ShadowMeWomen
