STEREOPHONICS Eschewing the fun-filled effects of previous outings, Stereophonics’ latest tour draws on over 20 years of musical success, delivering a show that growls with crowd-pleasing rock ‘n’ roll confidence. PRODUCTION PROFILE STEREOPHONICS

Maybe it’s the approach of rock statesmen-hood or perhaps the well- a variety of catwalks, some stretching all the way to FOH. Though more earned gravitas of their quarter-century music career, but as production modest in length, the thrust created here by LS-Live did feature a 8ft x 8ft manager ‘Disco’ Dave Nelson noted, this 2018 tour has seen a shift in hydraulic lift at its tip, allowing the band to be more playful with the onstage focus for Stereophonics. While past tours may have popped with SFX, this space. At its simplest, the lift raises a mic stand for lead singer Kelly Jones time round it’s all about bringing the band out from behind the confetti to walk towards at the start of the set, but later in the night is when it really and flames and allowing them to forge a more direct connection with comes in to its own. At the show’s midpoint, a full backline of bass guitar, their eager fans. “That came specifically from the boys,” Nelson told keyboard, drums and vocal mic appear, along with lava lamps and standard TPi when we caught up with the tour on the 11th night of a 15-date UK / lamps – an intimate Handbags and Gladrags aesthetic that harks back to Ireland run. “We haven’t got any FX or pyrotechnics - all that’s been put the band’s earliest gigs, packed into tiny pub venues. In stark contrast, away. This time it’s more about the performance.” the night ends with drummer Jamie Morrison rising up mid-song (having What this show lacks in pyro, however, it makes up for in fresh additions slipped offstage and along the inside of the thrust), blasting out a blazing to the stage design - new elements introduced to aid this re-emphasis on drum solo on a second, Perspex kit. audience connection. For the first time, the band is using a 10m centre LS-Live was also responsible for creating a Perspex on-stage drum thrust – an idea first seeded back in 2015 when the boys were playing riser, bespoke Perspex drum shields (more on that later) and the ego support on a series of European festivals and got the chance to experience wings that flanked the stage. Instead of the 8 x 4 wings used in the past, for

62 STEREOPHONICS

Above: PM, Dave Nelson; LD, Brent Clark; Audio Tech, Sam Cunningham; Toby Donovan, MLA Tech, and Finlay Watt, PA Tech; Video Crew Chief, Connie Glover.

this tour they extend further outwards. With arena shows selling out well the screen and take the pressure off the king pin on the top of the touring beyond 180-degrees on the downstage line, up to almost 250-degrees in frame. Thus, when tilted, all of the pressure is at the back of the screen not some venues, this extra space allowed the band to really interact with the in the hanging bracket. audience sitting in what would otherwise have been restricted-view seats. Given that the screen hovers directly above the band for much of the Indeed, in tight venues like Wembley Arena, these side seats become some show, ensuring everything is set up correctly is obviously essential. of the best in the house. “It’s a crazy and exciting challenge,” commented Glover. “It weighs a lot, For those in the rest of the arena, 3 horizontal ROE MC-7 IMAG screens and the process of rigging it has been an evolving process throughout the were flown in a scoreboard configuration directly above the end of the tour; getting it in every day, and having it working ready for sound check thrust. This had the effect of putting video on the front foot. Rather than definitely gave me and the whole team a sense of achievement. It’s one being simply a stage-side add-on, the trio of screens pushed the band’s thing building big LED walls - its another when there is a truss structure to presence out into the arena, bringing them closer than ever to those packed accompany it.” Thankfully the whole crew have helped ensure the process into the upper tiers. runs as smoothly as possible - not least the LD himself. “Working with Brent All video kit was provided by Ogle Hog. Feeds for the IMAGs and the is amazing; he’s very patient and tolerant of the process that we have to go media server came from 3 Sony HSC-100’s (a long lens at FOH and 2 pit through. Plus, what fun would it be if it wasn’t a challenge?” Glover added. cameras) along with 3 Camera Corps Q3 Robo Cams (1 shooting up at the singer at the end of the thrust and 1 each on the keyboard and drums). The FULL TILT Robo Cams have a number of presets that are locked in before each sound Often when the aspirations of a show design meet the logistical and check to allow for variations between venues. All this is mixed together by financial constraints of cold reality, it’s the more ambitious elements Video Director, Paul ‘Eggy’ Eggerton, on a Grass Valley switcher. that will require a real champion if they’re to make the final cut. For Brent Perhaps the biggest challenge for the video team came in the form of Clark, the inclusion of the onstage garage door screen was something a giant moving screen onstage, dubbed the ‘garage door’ in reference to worth holding on to, as much for the purity of aesthetics as the diversity of the way it can tilt into a completely raised horizontal position and remain thematic options it would provide. “Personally, when a screen’s not on I still hidden when not in use. Though the brainchild of Lighting Designer, see it - it’s always there. So to make it be able to disappear... that for me was Brent Clark, it was left to Video Crew Chief, Connie Glover, from Ogle Hog just perfect,” remarked Clark. - working with Stuart Young of Creative Technology and Julian Lavender This ability to tuck the screen completely away as the audience enter at lighting supplier Neg Earth - to translate the idea into a reality. Together the arena helps provide added impact to the opening number. As the singer they created a system that could safely and securely hold the screen at slowly makes his way down the thrust, illuminated only by 6 pairs of Light any angle between vertical to horizontal and so open up a whole new Initiative IntelliWands (lightsaber-like columns) on either side, the screen is range of options for Clark to play with. The screen comprises 3 tonnes of discretely lowered into position, bursting magically to life as the song hits Creative Technology’s InfiLED 5.9mm panels, with a further 3 tonnes of truss its stride. structure locked on to its back to give it the required rigidity. One of Neg Content for the screen - designed by Judy Jacob, in consultation Earth’s engineer welders built a series of custom brackets that sit on top of with both Clark and Jones - comes from 2 Green Hippo Boreal+ servers

64 STEREOPHONICS

(maintained by Media Server Engineer Matt Villis) and is controlled by an instrumentalist. The new Shure Axient Digital was used to run the sax and MA Lighting grandMA2 at FOH. Clark also has the option of mixing a live trumpets, as well as being used for scanning. “It’s fucking awesome. I really feed from the switcher onto the main stage, just as the video team have like the new Shure stuff,” noted Cunningham. the option of incorporating some effects from the Hippo to blend into the Neumann KSM105’s were the mics of choice for Jones’ distinctive scoreboard IMAG. vocals, with one used centre stage and one at the end of the thrust. The A pair of Kinesys trusses loaded with Claypaky Scenius Unicos and latter sat in the throw of the PA downfill - a challenge that has been neatly Ayrton MagicBlades are positioned one apiece in front and behind the overcome thanks to a Neve 5045 outboard that FOH Engineer Dave Roden garage door. When the screen is in use, these trusses sit horizontally uses to supress feedback and deliver an extra 6dB of headroom. “To put a along its upper and lower edges, but when it’s tucked away completely condenser microphone like that Neumann in front of a big old PA and be they reconfigure into chaotic angles that slash through the visual void left able to get a show level out of it is pretty cool,” said Cunningham. behind. Back on the main stage, another elegant solution has been adopted to This pleasing interplay of angles is echoed in the 4 inward-leaning prevent spill from the drums being caught by the singer’s mic directly below. side trusses (2 per side, 12 Robe Spikies on each), as well as the distorted Instead of a clumsy big screen, the PM commissioned LS-Live to produce perspective of the rectangular screen as it is half-raised into a tilted roof a series of bespoke Perspex shields that sit around the high hats. Balcony above the band. In addition to giving the stage a sense of depth when window glass clamps fix these to standard Natal drum clamps, making it viewed from the front, it also frames the performers perfectly for some easy for drum tech Stephen ‘Stilly’ Papworth to pack them away at the end striking IMAG shots. of the night. Along the back of the stage were 9 rolling, pre-rigged towers that The drums themselves feature an interesting collection of mics, having included Solaris Flares, molefays and Robe Spikies, as well as Starbeam diversified from a straight Sennheiser set-up. So while an e901 and e904 are lasers (supplied by BPM SFX) at their base. In front of that is a line of still used for kick in and toms respectively, elsewhere there’s: a new AKG floor-mounted Martin by Harman MAC Vipers. Two of these sat under the D112 VR on kick out (“Really nice - it’s got several little pre-sets built in to it, drum riser and fired through its Plexiglas top, accompanied by chases on it’s like a combination dynamic condenser microphone,” said Cunningham); 4 Chroma-Q Colour Force II 72 LED bars. More Colour Force bars, this time Sonotronics DM-1’s specially tuned for the top and snare (“They’re the same 3 48Fs, were placed above each of the album-cover-art drapes that hung chassis but different microphones, which we love, they’re great”); and SE either side of the stage. Electronics Voodoo ribbon mics for the overheads and SE condenser on the A total of 6 octagonal Chroma-Q Space Forces on Kinesys - including hats. 2 in the scoreboard truss above the end of the catwalk - descended at With a second drum kit appearing at the end of the thrust, the team various points to close down the space for more intimate moments, such were faced with sourcing a complete duplicate set of mics to go with it. Here as the acoustic sections of the show. Also in the scoreboard truss were London-based DPA distributor Sound Networks stepped in to help out, more moles and 6 Robe BMFL Spots. Used in conjunction with a Follow- offering a full set of DPA d:vote 4099 mics for the duration of the tour. “And Me system, these tracked 4 targets that changed during the evening, for they’re cracking; they sound great,” commented Cunningham, explaining example when the guest saxophonist is on stage, or when the drummer that these are essentially the same mics - albeit with slightly different SPL strolls back from his solo stint out on the thrust. tolerances - as those being used on the sax and the trumpet. “You can put According to Clark, support from Neg Earth has been faultless. “Julian at that mic on the sax and you can put it on a snare or a tom or an overhead Neg really takes care of me and the band,” he commented. “The kit’s been and it sounds brilliant everywhere. The 4099 has proved to be a very useful really great.” and versatile tool on this tour,” Cunningham continued. Each guitar amp on stage is fitted with a reflector shield that houses a STEREOPHONIC SOUND Beyerdynamic M201 and a Royer ribbon mic, which can be simply lifted out As Monitor Engineer, Harm Schopman, finished his final checks, Audio at the end of the night. Tech, Sam Cunningham, took TPi on a tour of the audio kit, starting with With monitors switching to a DiGiCo SD10, it made sense for FOH to the DiGiCo SD10 running monitors - chosen for its compact size. A pair of follow suit and move to an SD5. By gain sharing, the stage rack footprint has SD racks were used for the stage inputs, with a third rack on the optical been significantly reduced, while also introducing the facility to include a network, shared with FOH. B-stage rack as well as an outboard rack at FOH on the same Optocore ring. As the band gradually transitions to in-ears, Cunningham and Though gain control is largely the result of a dialogue between monitors Schopman have reduced wedges down to a minimum, with just one and FOH, Roden was keen to retain control over certain key channels, downstage and one upstage mix for Jones, run in active d&b audiotechnik such as lead vocal, lead guitars, kick drum, toms and snare. To enable this, M4 pairs by a single D80 amp. The singer uses Ultimate Ears 18A moulds, Cunningham got 16 channels of the new DiGiCo 32-bit input cards, put them with the rest of the band on UE-11’s. In terms of wireless, Sennheiser in to one of the racks and locked monitors out. This gives Roden his own 2050 was used for most of the performers, with the exception of 2 dedicated gain to play with, without affecting what Schopman is doing channels of Shure PSM1000 for the bass player (his preference) and brass stageside.

66 STEREOPHONICS

Roden decided against using Waves on the DiGiCo, instead plumping for worked with Stereophonics in 1998 when we supplied the sound for their a rack of analogue outboard. He explained: “Audio plugins obviously have show at Cardiff Castle - it was a Martin Audio system, as it is to this day.” In their place and work extremely well in many applications, but I felt that now the 2 decades since then, the band’s relationship with Capital Sound has was a good time to have a rethink of what I really needed and I’ve actually remained strong. “Over the years it’s been fantastic; they know what they ended up with a similar setup to the one I had with the D5 in the mid-2000’s, want and hopefully our 20-year history proves we have supplied exactly except that with the welcome addition since then of the onboard dynamic that.” EQ’s and multi band compression, I’m now using those instead of the rack or two of inserts I had back then.” GOTTA GO THERE TO COME BACK “Part of the evaluation of what I needed to replace the Profile and it’s Backstage and on the road, catering for the tour is provided by Popcorn array of plugins, was which effects were essential to the show,” Roden Catering, while bussing duties are split between Phoenix Bussing and continued. In addition to the aforementioned Neve 5045, the analogue rack CSUK, to suit the preferences of crew and management respectively. Trucks comprises a dbx 120A, SPL Transient Designer, Eventide Eclipse, Bricasti M7 - a 45ft Mega on the European leg, and seven 45ft Megas for the UK / Ireland and Yamaha SPX2000. “I decided upon the M7 as the best reverb option, arena tour – were supplied by KB Events, as they have been for every UK the Eclipse for some special vocal effects and the SPX for the gated reverb and European tour or festival over the last 20 years, a point of particular that I’ve been using on drums since 1986. The SPL is to replace the Sonnox pride for KB’s MD, Stuart McPherson. “We have built up a great relationship plugin I previously used and is the one thing I now can’t mix without. The with management and the band, and focus on giving them exactly what DBX 120A is also an alternative to one of the Waves sub harmonic plugins, they’ve asked for; working to high standards, but in an efficient and cost which I like just to give the kick drum and floor toms a bit of an earthquake effective way,” he commented. “Over the last 21 years we have planned, quality at times. The Neve unit is probably the one that has had the biggest delivered, advised and provided a consistent and reliable service for them.” impact on this tour, though.” It was in the clubs and theatres of Europe at the start of 2018 that many A Mac Mini running Waves Tracks Live is connected to the board via a of the ideas for this most recent run took hold. A week of rehearsals in LH2 DiGiGrid MGB coaxial MADI interface - multitracking all inputs on stage for Studios and a tech day before the first show in Aberdeen meant the crew future virtual soundchecking. were well and truly prepared. While the tour has proved relatively straight As Roden was quick to point out, delivering a great sounding show forward, there have been the usual adjustments to accommodate. The each night has been aided massively by the help and cooperation of scoreboard IMAG has been one variable - reverting to standard stage side Cunningham and Schopman. “We’re a very tight-knit group and it’s a real positions where trim height has been a problem. The moving garage door pleasure to work with them both,” he said. “I’d also like to thank PM ‘Disco’ was another, adapted due to weight restriction in Brighton and space Dave Nelson, Capital Sound Hire and their Crew Chief Ross Anderson, constraints in Bournemouth. According to the PM, however, all of these MLA Tech Toby Donovan and PA Techs Finbarr Neenan and Finlay Watt for have been handled with ease thanks to the expertise of the crew. “They’ve helping to make my job much easier again.” been stunning,” said Nelson. “90% of them did the 2016 tour - and beyond In terms of PA, Martin Audio MLA is used for the main hangs - up to 15 - so they all know what they’re doing. They’re all great lads and lasses - MLA plus 2 MLD downfill cabinets for extra vertical and horizontal coverage. without a doubt a very good crew.” Sidehangs are MLAC, with up to 16 per side available for the largest arenas. Having completed the UK / Ireland run, gear and crew will travel on to Subs are comprised of 2 centre hangs at 40-degree angles, 6 MLX each Australia at the end of April for a two weeks tour, before coming back home in cardioid configuration, then 3 MLX cardioid on the ground (L-R) to (via Singapore and Dubai) for a string of stadium shows this summer. cover the areas close to the stage. All the processing is onboard the MLA TPi series products, with 3 Lake LM44 processors used for system matrixing, Photos: Andrew Benge, http://www.andybenge.com & TPi alignment and most equalisation. www.stereophonics.com “The Stereophonics have toured this PA since it came out, and Dave at www.capital-sound.co.uk FOH was a Martin Audio user before that with the older systems,” noted www.negearth.com MLA Tech Donovan. “It is performing very reliably and well, we achieve www.oglehog.com nice and even coverage with plenty of headroom. The onboard processing www. bpm-sfx.com makes us able to have a nice quiet stage, which is a particular requirement www.ls-live.com for this artist.” www.kbevent.com As noted by Martin Connolly, Senior Project Manager at audio supplier www.phoenix-bussing.co.uk Capital Sound, the Martin Audio connection goes back a long way: “We first www.csuk.coach www.popcorncatering.com

68