One of the most active has been Lyon-based rental company, Audio Technique, who have been very busy since they joined the Uniline Solution network with the purchase of their system in May this year. Two of their most prestigious festivals featuring Uniline this summer have been the FΩtes Escales in Venissieux near Lyon - a six-day festival that saw audiences of over 6000 every night for an eclectic music programme ranging from the Opera de Lyon to the urban rap sounds of Zebda and everything in between - and the Nuits de la Guitare festival held in the spectacular setting of Patrimonio in Corsica.
Held over eight days, this festival of international renown featured performances this year from the Alan Parsons Live Project, Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Shaka Ponk and many more. An unconventional venue to say the least, Audio Technique put together an original sound design that made full use of the exceptional modularity of the Uniline system in order to overcome the constraints imposed by the venue.
Meanwhile, Parisien rental company Silence ! also got off to a strong start with their new system on the M6 Music Live festival in Issy-Les-Moulineaux near Paris. This year the event hosted artists such as Charlie Winston, Yannick Noah and Nelly Furtado who performed live on stage in front of 10,000 people.
Not to be left out, Plus 4 Audio, the first UK rental company to join the Uniline Solution, had an equally prestigious first outing for their new system against the beautiful backdrop of Waddeson Manor in Buckinghamshire. Renowned tenor Russell Watson performed a special Jubilee classical crossover concert in the best British tradition of the Last Night of the Proms.
June also saw the fourth annual metal-heads festival, Les Metalurgicales in Denain in northern France. This fast-growing event featured world class acts such as Anthrax who made a stop at the festival before kicking off their north American tour. The rental company, ACS, supplied Uniline systems for both stages, one inside and one outside. "It was loud and it rocked," was the verdict of ACS director Christophe Sireuil.
July was marked by the 15th annual Fetes de Cognac festival (in Cognac, bien sur) with a great line-up featuring the diminutive Ayo and The Stranglers amongst others, and an extra stage to boot. Sound reinforcement was handled by rental company Alpha Audio who raised the bar yet again providing an even bigger Uniline system for the main stage than last year.
Swinging into August, Uniline is top of the bill at the 33rd annual Jazz a Vannes festival where jazz fans will be treated to a line-up featuring Marcus Miller, Yuri Buenaventura, the Kyle Eastwood Band and Ibrahaim Maalouf. The rental company Studio Sextan will be providing both FoH and monitor systems, using Uniline for the main PA and DX12 and DX15s on stage.
September sees the spectacular Nuits de Sologne. Now in its ninth year and even more colossal than last year's event, Les Nuits de Sologne in 2012 will be the biggest pyrotechnic sound and light show in the central region of France. Due to its immense popularity, audience capacity has been boosted by an extra 4000 up to 16,000 people. In order to accommodate this, an additional line array tower has been added by rental company Audio Centre. Audio Centre were supported by an independent sound design specialist for this event as it will be the largest Uniline configuration since the launch of the system.
(Jim Evans)
