Stereophonics
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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.