36 l June 2014
www.psneurope.com SOUNDBITES live UNITED KINGDOM
Mackie has announced that it is now shipping its new Thump series of 1000W loudspeakers. “Building an extremely high-output Mackie system that delivers the professional sound you want has never been more affordable,” says Mackie product manager Greg Young. “With the massive increase in power and bass response, plus the all-new subwoofer, you can Thump more than ever.”
www.mackie.com
Renkus-Heinz has appointed Benum Nordic as its distributor in Sweden. The Benum Group is one of the largest pro audio and MI distributors in Scandinavia. Rik Kirby, VP of sales and marketing for Renkus-Heinz, comments: “Benum has long represented Renkus-Heinz in Scandinavia, and their familiarity with [us] and reputation in Sweden is second to none.”
www.renkus-heinz.com
Sony has partnered with Big Earth Productions to provide production equipment for Joss Stone’s ongoing Total World Tour. In the most comprehensive tour ever attempted by a musician, the British soul singer will be performing in every single country on Earth, with a two-man production team using Sony audio equipment – including UWP-D and ECM mics and a PCM-D100 audio recorder – to capture her journey.
www.pro.sony.eu
Escaping to the coast
Dave Robinson catches up with production manager Jon Crawley as he reveals how Brighton’s Great Escape festival has evolved since 2012
HALF-WALKING, half- running through Brighton’s back streets, Jon Crawley dodges tourists, music fans and the occasional performer as he heads to the Dr Martens shoe store. “I want to check out the queue management,” he says. Pulled Apart by Horses are doing a turn in the ‘pop-up’ venue, and Crawley is concerned as “we’re expecting a lot of kids there, and we didn’t do a road closure. They are a big act to get into a 30-capacity shop…” When we arrive outside, there’s nothing to worry about. Both the stewards and the fans not lucky enough to squeeze onto the premises are perfectly at ease. The band will perform again later, in the Corn Exchange, so not to worry... and, anyway, The Great Escape offers more than enough alternative entertainment on this Friday night.
It was two years ago when PSNEurope met technical
Yes Sunshine at the Fiddlers Elbow (part of the ‘fringe’): “Awesome, like early Oasis,” says the photographer
manager Jon Crawley during the annual TGE music conference and festival. For the 2014 edition, he has a lot more to manage: with the fringe acts, the number of bands appearing over TGE’s three days has increased to around the 400 mark, while the number of venues across Brighton has swollen too, supposedly increasing audience capacity by around 1,000. “We’ve 27 core venues – five ‘alternative’ Escape venues,
which we’re now managing as though they are core – plus one- off pop-ups like the Spiegeltent.” This is a marquee, stage and bar constructed on a grassy public space not far from the famous pier. It’s proved to be a popular spot with the festival’s delegates, and adds an Oktoberfest-like vibe to proceedings. “That’s been really positive – like having a greenfield site in the middle of the town,” says Crawley.
Reflecting on his vision of two years ago – when he talked about setting up a mini-trade show of sorts for the pro-audio business alongside the festival – Crawley says: “In the end, the policy of the festival is to focus on the music, so we had to look at that and focus on promoting the festival and the artists to the industry. We still have a relationship with the pro-audio brands, but it’s not as we discussed it might become.” The profile of TGE, run by the MAMA Group, has grown internationally, he explains. More agents want their acts on the bill, and that has required a slicker operation. “We have a core team that fly over from [US music showcase] SXSW, and the two festivals are managed in a similar style, especially on the ground: everything’s been tightened up – modelling of flashpoints, roaming teams, an updated noise management plan, so that’s a lot more robust…” Have the rules on noise become tougher?
“I think [the authorities] have a better idea of what is classed as a ‘nuisance’…” In Brighton,
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400+
Number of bands appearing at TGE
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