UK - The Human League’s Generations arena tour kicked off its UK leg in December 2024. By the band’s third show they’d already elicited a five-star review from the Guardian, who described the show as “An evening of immaculate electro pop, delivered with grace, precision, and elation”.
Behind the scenes, seasoned production manager Sarah Hollis was at the helm. Hollis has been production managing tours since the late 90s and has worked with The Human League since their 2008, Steel City tour. “I was also the stage manager on that tour,” she explained, “which was a mixture of arenas, theatres and a couple of academies (and not in the order you’d like!) so let’s say it kept me on my toes, and I’ve been working with the band ever since.”
Emmy Award winning designer, Rob Sinclair, was asked by the band’s manager to produce a couple of different designs he could show the band in early 2024. A design was approved in late April, but after some initial R&D, the band decided to go with the alternative design.
In terms of production design, the band had explored a lot of advanced techniques with projection mapping on previous tours which Sinclair, and the band, felt may be difficult to top this time around – however, distinctive, bespoke visuals have always been a core part of The Human League’s live performances, and the band didn’t want to lose that visual impact. As a result, this tour features an 18m × 9m ROE CB5 5.7 mm rear LED wall to deliver that same level of striking, immersive imagery in a fresh way.
In late summer ‘24, Hollis began sourcing supplier quotes based on Sinclair’s production design, incorporating the initial lighting design from LD Chris Steel and the preliminary audio specification provided by FOH engineer Kevin Pruce.
Solotech was then confirmed to take care of audio, supplying a d&b KSL line array system for arenas, control for both UK and European legs along with a full support package. A DiGiCo Quantum 338 console was spec’d for front of house and a DiGiCo SD10 Surface Console at monitors.
“We did a test build of the automated lighting and artist platform at our long-term suppliers Colour Sound – who we also confirmed to supply all rigging, video and automation, along with set company, Upset Solutions, who were supplying the platform decking and hard fixings,” Hollis recalled. Zack (Wade, tour rigger) started the rigging advance in early November.
“Our first couple of shows were in the smaller arenas,” Hollis explained. “So we had to take into account their low clearance and roof capacity, particularly in relation to flying the artist and the hanging of the heavy rear video wall. Zack and I worked closely to ensure we had accurate rigging plots for every venue, ahead of the first show, as the tour period was so short, and we knew we’d hit the ground running straight out of rehearsals”.
Upset Solutions worked with Sinclair's stage design to nail the decking and fascias needed for the all-white set (a Human League tradition), along with the all-white Marley floor covering.
Really Creative Media (RCM) once produced all screen content, along with supplying the servers.
“The show started with multiple kabuki drops revealing the three principle band members flown 7m above stage level on a central 3m x 3m platform, made up of QH40 truss topped with litedeck and fully automated using four Kinesys Apex hoists. It was flanked by two further automated lighting pods, all sub hung off the main mother grid,” Hollis said.
The band’s manager, Simon Watson, chose not to use side screens, feeling they would distract from the stage and the performance. Instead, the visual team mixed live relay and effects into the main show content using Resolume media servers, which created a unique visual experience on the rear video wall each night. This was delivered expertly by video director Dylan Etherington, video engineer Albert Crick, and server technician Iain Harvey.
Hollis’ production team included Michael ‘Shivers’ McGuire (stage manager) and Sophie Kemp (production coordinator) who she says “went above and beyond as usual”.
It’s clear that working with The Human League remains a real highlight for the crew. Many of the core team have been with them for years, and it feels more like one big unit than a traditional artist-crew divide. That kind of collaborative atmosphere and mutual respect has always been part of their approach.
“This was without a doubt the biggest, most complex and most challenging tour we have ever done, and the results speak for themselves. Because it was also the best attended, best reviewed and best received (by the fans),” Watson commented. “None of this would have been possible without all the hardworking and dedicated professionals who put it together for us every day, a lot of whom were brought onboard by Sarah, who did another fantastic job for us as always.”
The Human League continues their live momentum with a packed run of summer shows across the UK and Europe in 2025, including headline slots at festivals and venues such as Kew Gardens, Cardiff Castle, and Valencia’s Jardines de Viveros.
