Absolute Radio had signed a high profile deal with smart to promote the new smart fortwo campaign. This saw Absolute Radio run a promotion on the Geoff Lloyd Hometime show which culminated in the station staging the silent gig and one lucky listener winning a smart car.
Wanting a funky central London location with a special vibe, the venue - a charismatic stripped-out Victorian warehouse space peeled back to its raw RSJs and original brickwork - was chosen. There was one major logistical challenge - they needed to stage the show without violating the noise restrictions for what is also a residential area.
LarMac Live's Jo MacKay and Ian Greenway pooled their experience of festival production management and lateral thinking, coming up with the idea of staging the gig 'silent' style - band onstage, no PA, minimal noise, guests able to enjoy the show via radio headsets, resulting in happy clients and residents.
The events team at Absolute Radio, with whom LarMac LIVE has worked on several previous projects including production managing and designing their VIP hospitality areas at the Isle of Wight Festival, were inspired and gave it the green light. Although silent discos and dance events have been happening for a few years, applying the concept to a live band is still relatively rare, adding another dimension of atmosphere and innovation to the whole occasion.
LarMac LIVE's Jo MacKay developed a production design for the space, and they brought in regular technical suppliers including - Britannia Row (sound), Colour Sound Experiment (lighting), Blackout (drapes and dressing) and Show Force (crewing). Their team was headed up on site by Jenny Stogdon.
The design involved the transformation of the bare room in its raw condition into an inviting party environment which had to be achieved in the space of 10 hours.
The first thing to happen was the installation of a pipe-and-drape system around all the walls and the central pillars, after which all wallspace was clad in black bolton material, which was overlaid with 80sq.m of Chroma-Q ColorWeb 250 LED mesh.
MacKay collaborated closely with Haydn Cruickshank from Colour Sound on the lighting design. One of the special effects she specifically wanted was some classic psychedelic kinetics undulating around on the ceiling and floor, which was achieved with a collection of six Solar 250 effects projectors..
Cruickshank's general lighting scheme for the room and the stage utilised a selection of different LED fixtures - GLP Impression RZ 120 moving wash lights, Chroma-Q Color Force 72 battens and i-Pix Satellite 'bricks', over 30 of which were dotted around the room illuminating the seating areas, dancefloor and bar. There was also a set of Sunstrips at the back of the stage. Lighting was programmed and controlled via a Chamsys MagicQ console.
In charge of sonic transmission and noise control was Britannia Row's Bob Lopez - also the first time the company had provided a silent system for a band. Two PM5D audio consoles were supplied to mix monitors and FOH, with a left and right feed from the FOH desk going into the radio system that beamed the signal to all the headsets. These came complete with individual volume control and integrated aerials, allowing the 150 guests - all Absolute Radio listeners - to enjoy the full loudness, clarity and dynamic range of Scouting For Girls' jaunty pop - just as if they'd been in a concert hall.
A Sennheiser G2 in-ear monitor system was provided for the band.
(Jim Evans)
