Fontaines D.C.’s sound is ever evolving and the band has proven this with their biggest touring campaign to date, outgrowing the club venues they cut their teeth in. Supporting their live sound as it moves into a more full-bodied direction is Patchwork London, which has been by the band and crew’s side since the post-punk outfit began touring with an audio package, as TPi finds out behind the scenes at Manchester’s Aviva Studios.
“The production has really stepped up,” commented Monitor Engineer, Mathew Acreman, who has been with the band for five years. “We’re now mixing in arena-sized venues, and their sound is evolving constantly.”
The band is touring with a full audio control package from Patchwork London. The FOH rig features a Yamaha CS-R5 RIVAGE PM5 console with a DSP-RX DSP Engine. HY256-TL TWINLANe digital I/O cards connect the RPio622 I/O Rack Stage Box with RY16-ML-SILK input cards, and an RY16-DA output cards. A HY144-D-SRC audio interface Dante card provides connectivity for virtual sound checks, while outboard processing comes via two Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressors.
“Coming into this camp, I knew I needed a desk that was a step up. I don’t feel like I need anything else when working from this console,” FOH Engineer, Rich Burt commented. “I am very familiar with the workflow of this console – so it was a no-brainer.”
Prioritising clarity in his mix as the band moves from academy shows to arenas, the tour adopted a d&b audiotechnik KSL PA system, which Burt favoured because of its scalability.
“It’s great in any room. On this tour, the size of rooms vary so it makes sense to use this system because of how reliable and expandable it is,” Burt explained. “[System Engineer] Richie Gough has nailed the coverage every day. A lot of these rooms are known as ‘sound graveyards’, but with him by my side, he’s been able to eliminate any issues.”
On monitors, Acreman mixes using an Allen & Heath dLive S5000 console. “When we got the option of bringing in some production back in 2020, I chose the dLive because I have always been a fan of the workflow and the way it sounds in the IEMs; it just suits what the band are doing. I’ve mixed nearly 500 shows with Fontaines D.C. on this desk,” Acreman commented.
The engineer utilises every component he needs for the show through the Allen & Heath desk apart from one personally owned piece of outboard gear: an AudioScape 76A Limiting Amplifier, which he uses on lead singer, Grian Chatten’s vocal. “I snuck it into Grian’s setup to see if he would notice and now, he never has to ask me for more vocal because it adds that sparkle,” Acreman explained.
The tour saw the addition of Allen & Heath’s v2.0 software and RackUltraFX Card. “We implemented it very recently; it’s something the company has been working on for quite some time, it’s really incredible,” noted Acreman.
“I’m using the new reverbs on vocals and drums, which sound pretty next level. I have utilised the new ‘Actions’ feature, which allows me to do multiple things with the push of one softkey. I’m really loving the Director Preview mode, which allows me to run the dLive director software on my laptop and make changes to different scenes to the one that is open on my desk; it’s really handy when the band are jamming in soundcheck and someone suddenly remembers that they need a change on a specific song for the show later that night. It means that I can make these changes without disturbing what the band are currently doing.”
In addition to mixing monitors, Acreman runs The Rescue Hotel – a volunteer-run charity in partnership with Cardiff Dogs Home. During the tour, Fontaines D.C.’s merchandise team provided gig-goers a chance to get their hands on collaborative T-shirts at each show with profits donated directly to the charity.
Audio Technician, Aoife O’Connor supported the wider sound crew on tour. “I’ve been here for six months, and we’re in a position where the systems and our setup are flowing,” commented O’Connor. “The band have lots of good ideas, so I make sure I always have various spare inputs around the stage in case they want to add stuff.”
Working in a freelance capacity for Patchwork London, O’Connor was approached by James Kerr, Senior Project Manager at Patchwork London, to see if she’d be available to join the tour.
“It’s been great, everyone is really lovely, and I had already known Mat Acreman from a couple of years ago when I was a house engineer in Brighton,” O’Connor commented.
“When we first met about 10 years ago, Aoife solved an absolute disaster for me – we went into a venue and nothing really worked as it should, but Aoife was all over it, she just fixed everything so when I saw her name on this, I was thrilled,” added Acreman.
As the crew are wrapping up a successful calendar year of touring, the sound team say they look forward to an array of worldwide shows next year – including some of the band’s biggest ever scheduled.
“I signed up to do three shows, five years ago – I’ve never left,” Acreman concluded, reflecting on his whirlwind journey with the camp. “It has grown organically over time and is a fantastic achievement for the band.”
Photos: TPi
Words: Alicia Pollitt
www.fontainesdc.com
www.patchworklondon.co.uk
