CPL gets festive for OVO 2017
- Details
The event, now in its third year and a big hit with OVO’s staff, families and friends, was again staged at Mojo Active, Almondsbury near Bristol. CPL and Bright are regular collaborators and there is a great synergy between the two companies in their respective roles and end-goal of ensuring that event environments are smooth, entertaining, memorable and fun for all guests.
CPL’s project manager Mike Radford commented: “We were delighted to be involved again, and enjoyed working closely with Bright’s team led by their PM Mike Matthews. The brief was to bring all the production values of a premium festival to this event and ensure the best possible guest experience”.
The one-day event featured a main band stage and a large bar / catering and second stage area located in nine large conjoined Tepees, plus an open area featuring a heterogeneity of attractions like vintage fairground rides, archery, falconry, rounders and other field games and there was also a Children’s Tent. All were geared towards providing a fun-fuelled day for all ages and tastes.
The full site build started a week ahead of the event and CPL did their lighting and sound get-in the day before.
The main stage / roof was supplied by Bristol based BES Systems and a flown d&b Y8 audio system was specified, complete with ground stacked V-SUBS, all powered by D20 amplifiers. A Yamaha CL5 console was positioned side stage – to keep the side-lines clear and uncluttered by a FOH platform in front.
All these were networked and the FOH levels could be conveniently tweaked and other adjustments made wirelessly, using Yamaha’s CL StageMix app running on an iPad.
Wedges were supplied for stage monitors by the backline company and this system was also controlled using the same App.
Headliners Mad Apple Circus – brought their colourful and distinctive mix of horn-fuelled styles, built on Ska / Hip-Hop / Jazz and Latin grooves and others on the line-up included the Imprints.
The 1000 guests also enjoyed acoustic sets from three singer / songwriters and a banging DJ experience from Danny Mac …. All the bands and music artists had a link to OVO either directly or via an employee, bringing a nice personal touch!
CPL augmented the stage mics-and-stands package from the backline company with Shure SM57 and 58 mics, a selection of DI boxes and other infrastructure.
This year the MD wanted to be able to roam the entire site with a radio mic, for which they used extra Shure UA870 antennas with switchable gain control and an antenna combiner which worked very efficiently, together with Shure UR4D receivers and UR2 hand-held mics.
The lighting rig was bigger than last year and while many artists played in daylight, everyone felt the benefits of having more lighting onstage, even if they had an early slot.
ARRI L5-C fresnels hung overhead on the stage structure were used for general stage wash, supported Martin MAC Auras on the side trusses, with Claypaky sharpies, also on the side trusses, adding gobo and effect work. All were hung off the stage structure and controlled by an Avolites Quartz console.
The Bar Stage in the tepee hosted some DJ sets in the evening, and was also configured as the Plan B stage in case of inclement weather – an essential backup plan for unpredictable English summers!
The PA was another d&b system, this time comprising Y7P speakers with B4 subs and E8s for monitors, all powered by D20s, hooked up to a Yamaha QL1 console.
Lighting - ETC ColorSouce PARs - were rigged off a dead-hung truss, with Sharpies on the deck. In one of the tepees a 1m DMX controlled glitter ball was suspended to add glamour and glitz, lit highly effectively by four Martin PAR Zooms. Lighting control was another Avo Quartz.
(Jim Evans)
