SZIGET FESTIVAL TURNS 25

Sziget Festival returned to ’s ‘Island of Freedom’ from 9-16 August, celebrating its 25th anniversary with its customarily expansive music line-up, film screenings, e-sports, chess, dance, theatre, sports, chill out areas, yoga, fashion shows, a beach, and much more... TPi’s Kel Murray braved the heat, the rain & the sand to become a 2017 islander.

Earlier in the year, Sziget CEO, Tamás Kádár, talked about the new for more than 12 years now. I used to live in the UK, I was a kid actually, when additions to the Sziget site in 2017: “Most people expect a special line-up or my family moved there. It was just after the fall of the communism here in something related to our headliners but we will mostly use this anniversary , so I went to kindergarten and preschool in London and then when to celebrate the values Sziget has always stood for: freedom, unity and I came home after 4 years, I already had this western-type of thinking of how diversity, which make Sziget a real Island of Freedom. This beautiful city a society should work, how we should talk to each-other, how we should turns Sziget into a real special holiday, which is an outstanding asset to tolerate each-other, and coming home was very depressing for a young have in the festival market. But, as our visitors tend to say, to understand kid because I saw that in Hungary - at this time - this was not a common why Sziget is so special, one has to cross the iconic bridge to the island...” thing. When my sister told me “we should go out to Sziget because that’s an environment where you feel like you can be open and where everybody is there to ISLAND CITIZENS be happy and get along”, I’ve been in love with Sziget. This is really my world. Fastforward to August 2017, and the beautifully lit hospitality area where “I’m very proud of where this little youth gathering has come from, and Zsuzsa Kövér, International Communications at Sziget, revealed her story on now we’re a very well-known festival. We try to emphasise this also in the how this festival is so special to her - so much so that she’s built her career Hungarian media that this is something that grew out of nothing. Now, around promoting the event through the media. “I think I was 12 years old wherever you go in the world, you say ‘Sziget’ and they know what it is. So I when I came to my first Sziget. I came with my sister, and I’ve been a ‘citizen’ think this year we tried to make the people understand and believe that this is

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something big, this is something that is happening and this is some kind of festivals operated in . life changing experience. “We have an amazing time working here, which is why we want to keep “It’s amazing to be among the staff and working for Sziget. It’s so much coming back and learning. Our main jobs are to be able to deliver what the bigger than us; we have around 50 people working for a company, but the artists want when they get here. I deal with the main stage acts, which is 4 brand is so much bigger. It’s not a typical where you go just per day, for 7 days. Obviously we get some big headlines acts here so that’s to enjoy music. It’s about living in a way that you should allow yourself always fun. There is pressure but it’s a good pressure. We’ve had some great to live. To be free, to be open, to talk to people from different cultures, I acts play this year like P!nk, and .” think. We’re now, after these 25 years, very sure of what our statement is Paillard added: “I look after the bands at A38, and there are 7 artists and it really stands for today what we believe in, such as freedom, love, per day performing there. You just need to be very organised and able to tolerance, accepting each-other and this is a very important message in the coordinate a lot of things at once!” A38 enjoyed performances from The world today. We have to stand strong. Get our citizens together as one big Courteeners, and . And, although there are community, like the world should be.” hundreds of crew and artists passing though Sziget each day, one thing which has stood out to many of the visiting productions is the amount of ARTISTIC INTEGRITY women working on the Sziget production. Paillard continued: “Once, Linkin Emma-Lotta Juutilainen and Chloe Paillard are the ladies in charge of Park’s Production Manager [Jim Digby] came to find us and tell us that he’d coordinating all of the artist needs at the main stage and the OTP Bank had a great experience working with the Sziget team, and that he was so Stage (presented by and often referred to simply as A38), the next largest proud that there were so many young women helping to run the show in music venue which is situated in a big top. important roles.” Juutilainen, part of the artist coordinator team at Sziget, is one of the many international faces at the festival. Her colleague, Paillard, is French, PRODUCTION PERFECTION yet the pair are drawn to Budapest for 4 months of the year to work on Sziget’s Technical Department is headed up by a team of trusted and various festivals for the organisation. experienced crew: Daniel Benis – Head of Production, Tibor Horváth – Zsolt Juutilainen began: “I worked on a festival back in Finland, where I’m Szicsó Technical prod. Managers, Tamás Majó, Dávid Kiss, Tamás Kenesei, from, so that I could get experience of working with festivals and bands. Zsolt Balogh – Technical Managers, Ivett Páros, Cintia Sáry, Melinda Zsivkov Then, I came over to Hungary in 2014 to gain further experience of how – Technical Assistants, all of whom work closely with various assistants, Photo Credit: Rockstar Photographers Rockstar Credit: Photo

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crew chiefs and localised stage managers. charge of stage managing the festival’s biggest and busiest stage. The Finn TPi spoke with Horváth about the tasks he faces in his prominent role. told TPi: “I started my Sziget career when I came here as an intern, to learn “I’m essentially responsible for all of the stages’ technical equipment, more about the festival was run and to work with the promoters. Then Zsolt and making sure it’s all correct, of course!” he said. “By the time we get to Szicsó paid a visit to Finland, and I met up with him. He asked if I’d like to the build, I’m the person overseeing where the items should be placed or come back to Hungary and help out again, and the rest is history; I love it positioning it. I decide how the stage should look, and also down to things here! like how many dressing rooms we need for the production offices so that “Being a part of this crew has really helped me to develop the way people can do their jobs comfortably. I work. I’ve changed a lot over the last 4 years. When I first came here I “On an average festival day, I’m close to looking after 300 people, knew almost nothing about stage-managing, because I was a new stage however, I only stay in touch with the chief of each group for each stage, assistant, not a manager. I was really ambitious but I didn’t really know which is about 20 people to help manage. Like any big festival, there is a lot about handling the stage. I’d even say I was afraid of it! But now, it’s my going on at Sziget; we’ve got musical venues and non-musical venues. The second home. I’m looking after over 80 crew daily coming in and out of here, kind of entertainment we offer here that have technical productions include however, I’m still very much learning...” she smiled. a street theatre, movie theatres, and all kinds of weird and wonderful things happening in various places. The number of musical venues we now build INFASTRUCTURE is 18 in total, but there are lots other activities around the site which still Tamás Kenesei, a Technical Manager for the infrastructure part of the require sound and lighting,” he explained. technical department joined the conversation: “My role within the technical Like many of the people who come to work for this organisation, department is to be responsible for the complete background information Horváth is now part of the furniture. “I started my Sziget career in 2009 as sign off and the infrastructure of the festival site, so a big part of our job is stage manager for the main stage, it’s funny to think that’s almost 10 years doing the work that is not visible to the visitors. We are responsible for the ago. It’s gone very quickly but the production has improved year on year. sewage, electricity, power, a lot of tents, various installations, setting up the It’s great that they’re celebrating 25 years because I’m only 29 yet I’ve spent buildings, cleaning, waste removal, and gaining permissions from the local most of my working life knowing this festival!” authorities that are involved in putting on the event. Márk Bóna, Production Assistant & right hand man to Horvath, added: “It’s also our job to maintain the site, as it’s pretty large: 70 acres in fact. “I help to take care of the main stage, the A38 stage, and the Europe stage, It really is a 24-hour job, so we work in shifts which are split between 10 so it’s a very busy job! I specifically look after the technical specifications people. Everybody we work with, every assistant, has a very important job and need of these stages - discussing details of what the artists can bring in who help to make Sziget the success that it is.” for their performances, and what will be provided when they arrive on site. Together, we make sure everybody has what they need in order to be happy A SOUND SOLUTION with their show.” Martin Audio PA systems were once again all over the massive 7-day Pepei Lotta Arrimo, the festival’s Main Stage Manager has spent the last festival. The final leg of a 3-event tour of the country, which included Volt 4 years working her way up to the position she currently holds: the lady in and . Capital Sound supplied two trucks of equipment,

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1965-MA WPseries advert TPI.indd 1 18/04/2017 13:53 SZIGET

Head of Production, Daniel Benis; Mojo Barriers’ Rik Beulin and Stanley Jilsen; International Communications at Sziget Zsuzsa Kövér; Part of the production team: Tibor Horváth & Zsolt Szicsó.

including the bulk of the MLA, MLD, MLX and MLA Compact enclosures, with four WS218X subs operating in an end-fire configuration further while Martin Audio’s Polish partners, Musnicki, provided the remainder of warming up the sound for the audience at the rear of the site. Martin Audio’s flagship PA for the 25th edition of this landmark event. The PA optimisations were carefully set to avoid sound spillage to the In addition to main stage, Martin Audio premier PA systems once numerous other stages. “The second stage is massive and runs all night, again featured on the Colosseum and Europe stages, courtesy of the which is why the sub design was so important,” Timmins emphasised. manufacturer’s Hungarian partner, BG Event. Capital Sound has worked The pedigree of Capital’s crew matched that of the PA, with Kevin Smith the event almost continuously for 12 years and MLA has featured for the as crew boss, Toby Donovan system teching and Marty Beath assistant PA past three. Capital’s Operations and Development Director, Paul Timmins, tech, assisted by Hungarian technical crew, headed by Marco Mezi. said that the recent creation of a state-of-the-art loading dock backstage, This provided the perfect soundscape for an all-star line-up, including impacting on the coverage area, required different optimisations to be , P!nk, alt-J, Tim Odell, and many more. “MLA has now become programmed into the proprietary DISPLAY software. “We tweak the system highly respected for its capabilities at outdoor festivals,” stated Paul year on year as there’s always improvements that can be made,” he said. Timmins. “The Sziget organisation was happy with the technical production “The beauty of Sziget is that they always want to provide the best when it and most visiting sound engineers by now are familiar with MLA, and comes to sound systems.” everyone knows that if Capital is providing the PA then they will have a Thus Capital made minor modifications to the tried and tested formula. good show.” He added that having BG Event on site was a further benefit: This largely affected the MLX subwoofer design, with 48 MLX arranged “Because they are local, if we suddenly find we need extra kit they will be this time in a spaced cardioid array, comprising 16 evenly spaced stacks able to find it.” of 3 enclosures. This provided LF extension to a system that comprised 2 Capital also provided 2 Avid Profile consoles at the main stage FOH and 17-element MLA drops and an MLD Downfill at the base. 2 Yamaha CL5’s for the monitor position on as a flip-flop system. There were 2 side hangs of 9 MLA and an MLD Downfill, while 16 W8LC Meanwhile, BG Event equipped the Colosseum stage with 22 MLA Compact Line Array elements were spaced either along the front of the Compact cabinets, 8 WS218X subwoofers and 2 XD12 cabinets for infill. As stage and on top of the subs to boost nearfield coverage. this was mainly a DJ domain they also provided 4 Martin Audio LE1500 and Capital again fielded four MLA delays in different MLA/MLX a pair of WS218X enclosures for DJ monitoring. Over on the Europe stage combinations, 80m back from the stage. They also provided 2 MLA the company fielded a Martin Audio W8L Longbow system, deploying 10 Compact hangs alongside the relay screens behind the main FOH tower, cabinets and 8 W8LS subwoofers. Onstage were 8 Martin Audio LE2100 floor

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1965-MA XEseries advert TPI.indd 1 18/04/2017 14:04 SZIGET

Audio Crew Chief, Marci Mezei; Capital Sound’s Paul Timmins; Main Stage Manager, Pepei Lotta Arrimo; Artist Liasion Officers Chloe Paillard & Emma-Lotta Juutilainen; The live video department.

wedges, with a WS18X and LE1500 for drum monitoring. 48’s and an abundance of generic molefays. For control an MA Lighting Donovan stated: “The Sziget production team are brilliant; they are grandMA2 Full Size and grandMA2 Light are set up at FOH. always keen to do whatever it takes to make this festival the absolute best The live video department, headed up by Szabolcs TV and Multicam it can be. We prepped in the UK for a few days in advance then we had Director, and Lars Lupige, TV Technical Director, looked after the main stage 3 build days on site here for the 7 show days. In terms of the system, the video content, which is cut from live feeds and screened on a classic L-R infrastructure of the MLA rig is pretty modular so in terms of drive racks and IMAG system with an upstage video wall. Gyöngyösi said: “We film every distribution, it’s very much the same as some of the other big events we’ve on the main stage, and if we have the permission of the band, we done this year back in the UK such as the BST shows in Hyde Park.” also live stream it to Facebook or other media channels. For some of the Donovan stated: “They’ve got it sussed here; there’s so many different , we even obtain the rights to record their performance and use it elements I enjoy. Firstly, all of the techs who work together are two thirds for a coverage on a local Hungarian TV show.” local Hungarian crew, and we only see them once or twice a year. It’s so The video hardware is rented from Aquarium, a local club in Budapest. nice to work with a whole different team of people. It presents challenges He continued: “We provide the camera team, but we use the equipment of course, but it’s really nice for us to see those challenges accomplished from the club. We install it at the festival and after the shows have finished, together, plus, technically speaking, they are absolutely spot on.” we de-rig and it goes back into their equipment room. They have some And for Capital Sound, it was a case of drawing on 12 years’ experience good kit because they get some big names going int to play there. at this site. Summing up the event overall, Paul Timmins declared that, “Sziget is a big operation; we have 5 camera operators, various video “once again the event was a complete success.” technicians and our TV sound engineer.” For video switcher duties, it’s a Black Magic 2 ME, a model Gyöngyösi VISUAL VIBRANCY highly praises: “It’s good for sound cameras. It has 20 inputs so we can Mark Kontra, Head of Lighting at the main stage, as well as the area’s attach 20 videos in 1, we can switch it to multiple outputs, with 5 camera lighting and rigging designer, who also advances the rigging plots for the operators.” Stageco roof team, stopped by the backstage area for a chat. Now in his 7th year working with Sziget, he explained how his rental company Colossal, BARRICADE BRAINS manages the ever-changing, weeklong lighting needs for the performers. “I For the 3rd consecutive year, Mojo Barriers’ Rik Beulin and Stanley Jilesen split my crew into two parts - one that works with the headliner act during oversaw the build and contract management for Sziget’s barricade the overnight load-in and the other that is here for the daytime to look after requirements. Primarily, the design remained the same, changing only with everyone else. Kontra also advances the rigging plots for the Stageco roof headline acts’ bespoke staging needs. team. “Our design changed a bit when P!nk played because she had an extra The fixtures chosen were Vari-Lite VL3500 Washes, Robe BMFL Spots, b-stage put in place, which meant there had to be more crowd barriers too. Robe Pointes, Robe Robin LEDWash 600’s, Robe ColorStrobes, CitySkape Then, after she had played, on the Thursday morning I did a little rebuild to

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make it the normal festival setup again. our international supplier network and involving more knowledge and We built the main stage in just over a one-day, but it was tough - experience to make Sziget a very unique experience in the festival market. 40-degree heat isn’t easy to work in! But, it’s all worth it; the production He concluded by giving his thoughts on the the future of Sziget. “For here is just amazing. The teams are very direct but very relaxed, so it’s very 2018, we’ve got plenty of new ideas on the agenda, but the most challenging easy to get your job done.” will be the re-design of our Main Stage and a real reduction in our carbon- Just over 400m of barricade, 50m of High Fence and 20 line-up gates footprint with the green initiatives we have coming. We want to host a were utilised. As well as stage barrier within the main stage arena and line- truly green festival in every way possible. We want Sziget to become a up gates throughout the festival site, Mojo also supplied its high fence to sustainable festival on a very professional level; that will be our common the main stage FOH in order to enhance security and improve the aesthetics goal over the next few years.” of the structure. Beulink installs the elements with a team of 12 local crew. The familiar barrier design - which sees a crowd breaker installed at the A PERFORMER PERSPECTIVE main stage area - allows the pressure to be kept off the people towards the One of the performance highlights of 2017 had to be from Mancunian front of the stage, fulfilling the Mojo motto of “safer is always better.” electro duo, Hurts. Not only was their production one of the stand-out Last year, Jilsen told TPI: “It’s great to work on such a progressive designs of the week, but offstage, the band were very pleased to be festival, one which has such a brilliant team and which is constantly returning to the island venue. Frontman Theo Huthcraft said: “We compare evolving, and we look forward to building on our relationship in the future.” this festival to Glastonbury. It’s in the same league, and I think more people This year, Mojo renewed its contract as Sziget’s preferred barrier supplier. should come and visit it to realise that. We play festivals every week during the summer & the attention to detail here is second to none, for artists & THE FUTURE OF PRODUCTION production. We get treated really well and that’s why it’s a pleasure to play Head of Production, Daniel Benis said: “I’m really proud of my magnificent at Sziget.” crew and the marvellous subcontractors I work with - not only do these TPi people work to a very professional standard, but they are also really Show photos: Rockstar Photographers, Crew photos: TPi passionate in the way they deliver. Our common thinking is just perfect; http://sziget.hu/fesztiva we have a good team, and combined, we create great productions. I www.capital-sound.co.uk am pushing my team to acquire my ‘production trinity’ way of thinking www.colossal.hu which is health & safety / production professionalism / cost effective www.stageco.com implementation. Then we can proceed for the next 25 years by expanding www.mojobarriers.com www.jthomaseng.com

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