With 42 open-air shows programmed taking place between June to August, the stunning surroundings of The Piece Hall in Halifax have become a familiar backdrop for gig-goers over the summer period with the likes of CMAT, David Byrne and Turnstile’s respective touring production teams descending on the Grade One-listed site in recent weeks, firmly putting Yorkshire on the live music map.
“Our capacity is just 6,000, and we’ve had performing artists that regularly fill football stadium sized venues perform at The Piece Hall, which is a testament to the atmosphere that we have created,” Production Manager, Martin Hudson proudly said, speaking to TPi on a balmy day in July ahead of CMAT’s headline performance, supported by Katy J Pearson. “I was given the freedom to put my own stamp on the operational side of things from a technical-production standpoint.”
In doing so, The Piece Hall production team have made the stage a metre higher, moved the FOH tent to a more sonically pleasing location and removed an imposing followspot tower. “This year, we enlisted the support of a new audio company,” Hudson reported, reflecting on the changes made during his three-year tenure in the role.
Hudson brought Isophase Audio onboard after Hudson asked Pete Sharman to create an entirely new sound design for the venue – the result featured a d&b audiotechnik KSL Series system with XSL Series as fills. “The older system used to hang quite high to cover the balcony, which subsequently made the sound bounce from the balcony, so we wanted to stop that,” Hudson reported. “We lowered the PA and added in delay towers for the balcony so that the coverage was better for the entire audience, instead of trying to cover every area with the main PA.”
Sharman created dedicated towers for certain sections of the delays, which could target the balcony directly, he explained: “The adapters for the towers are all built in house, they are able to be rotated so we can maximise the sound coverage of the delays and the pigeons love them,” he said, laughing.
“It’s brilliant to be involved, especially as a supplier from just down the road in Pontefract,” Sharman added. “It’s a nice place to do a series of gigs and it always results in a great atmosphere. This d&b system has been great – we’ve tried a lot of different systems, and this is the best.”
The Isophase team and Sharman decided that it would be better treating The Piece Hall events as individual concerts, as opposed to a festival. “We tried to treat the boundaries as if it was a reverberant space, rather than a big open greenfield area, where there are no boundaries,” he said. “We’ve kept that in mind and really addressed these shows in a more delicate manner, in an attempt to make it better for everyone, wherever you are in the crowd.”
Compatibility with everyday Halifax life is of equal consideration with the site, bar areas are open to visitors who want to visit the vendors in the building ahead of the show. Creating this culture, the PM says, is helping “spark interest” in how modern-day events are put together and the amount of work required to do so.
“We have different people, from different walks of life, watching the shows come together before the audience gets here and they just want to ask questions and of course we’re more than happy to oblige,” Hudson smiled, going on to tell TPi that the introduction to new people in the industry doesn’t stop there – with the team welcoming in a local school for a tour, as well as local college students for work experience. “It’s nice that the education sector is finally taking the live touring industry seriously, and it is definitely the right time to start welcoming younger people.”
Hudson shouted out the wider technical teams involved, including Lights Control Rigging (LCR), who provided a lighting package for the stage and the tower. “The service from LCR has been great, and the inclusion of the tower has made the entire venue look great,” Hudson said. “We also have Acorn, who are also a Yorkshire company, so it is special to have them involved as well as our power supplier FTS Event Power.”
With The Piece Hall a staple in the Halifax summer calendar, as well as a Northern destination for music, Hudson looks forward to the remaining dates at The Piece Hall this summer and is proud of the shows that have already taken place. “We consistently get praise from touring productions about how efficient our crew are, which is a real testament to the team,” Hudson concluded. “I have put a lot of effort into my role here at The Piece Hall and I am so happy to see it paying off. I can see myself taking part in this summer series for some time.”
Words: Alicia Pollitt
Photo: TPi
