NEWS FOCUS: Lake of Stars Festival Below: Mangochi in Malawi provided a heavenly setting for the award-winning international arts festival; the dedicated and enthusiastic team of volunteers at the heart of the three-day event.
a high-quality signal path was realised with a Midas Venice for the live acts, a Formula Sound FF6000 was used by DJs with XTA control and MC2 amplification powering the Resolution loudspeakers. A third area known as the Star Bar enjoyed a pair of self-powered F1 Resolution 2 loudspeakers for DJ sets throughout the festival. Upon return from his first trip to Africa,
Funktion One’s Newsham commented: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to work on Lake of Stars as part of such a dedicated and enthusiastic team of people. The atmosphere out there was one of professionalism and great spirit, which never faltered. I am truly proud to have been a part of such a tremendous wave of initiative, innovation and teamwork.” Audile’s Paul ‘Stev’ Stevard has known
Jameson since his days as a sound engineer at the Liverpool Barfly when the Chibuku Shake Shake club night was in full swing. Stev’s involvement with the event has
helped shape its audio spec into what it is today. “I first went out to the festival in 2008 when things were a lot smaller - Audile provided mics and desks but we used local PA. After my involvement in 2008, I put Will Jameson in touch with Funktion One, both of us persuading them to bring out a system in 2009.” Their plea to the Funktion One owners paid
off. “I went out in 2009 with Tony and Ann Andrews [Funktion One] to run the show, since 2010 Craig Williams has run the actual show - I just help with organisation from the UK. This year I organised the audio equipment that Audile sent out to the festival and coordinated with Funktion One to make sure all necessary
kit / cables went to LOS and that all carnets were present and correct.” “Audile have been a part of the event
from the start, and are a key reason for the festival’s success. Due to Will’s existing working relationship with them back when he was a promoter, they were approached for the first year, and have continued to provide nothing but a brilliant service,” said FitzPatrick. “Funktion One was part of our dream to
bring the best equipment to a country (and a region) which has incredibly poor audio equipment, and do the talent we have justice. In keeping with us trying to continually improve our systems, Midas came on board this year to bring a new desk for our Main Stage,” said FitzPatrick.
festival-goers also brings a large number of local traders to sell food and other goods to the site. “Initially, this could raise security issues - especially with our bamboo fences - but our G4S security team are managed impeccably by representatives from Vespasian Security, who’ve worked on Lake of Stars for three years now and are fantastic,” said FitzPatrick. As well as the challenges presented by the
large size and openess of the site, the secondary issues that have been raised were of food safety and hygiene, fire safety - as the structures are straw and sticks - and ensuring local traders are not pushed out by those from the larger, surrounding cities. Explained FitzPatrick: “This area is a key part of the festival’s economic footprint in terms of input to the local
“You’ve got to remember that you’re doing it for the music, for the culture and for people’s integration and enjoyment.”
STAR OF THE SCENE In 2011, the traffic management system and certain access routes were adapted, but otherwise the focus was on beautifying the site more. “This was especially true in our Festival Village, where we drew all the vendor sites closer towards the stage and created a more intimate feel in the space,” explained FitzPatrick. As part of the festival organisers’
understanding with the local Chipoka Village, the villagers have access through the car park to gain access to the lake, which inevitably means the area is open to all. This access to
economy, so each year we work with the Chief, representatives from the village and the traders to keep the area safe and fair.” Jameson and co are still in the early
planning stages for 2012’s Lake of Stars, but will be exploring ways in which to share well- crafted skills and experience from the British AV networks with more Malawian locals to generate knowledge in various areas of live event production. TPi
www.lakeofstars.org Photos by David Harrison TPi NOVEMBER 2011 • 15
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