Running from Jan. 9-31, the Summer Sounds Festival was a four-week outdoor concert series offering the joy of live sound to 2,100-capacity audiences in South Australia’s capital city of Adelaide. Prior to Covid-19, the festival site, Bonython Park/Tulya Wodli, had been used for crowds of up to 30,000.
Some 18 shows ran the month of January, with festival goers enjoying live music and the mild southern hemisphere summer weather, while safely and comfortably spaced in “Party Pods” that accommodated four to six people each. The festival celebrated Australian artists such as Bernard Fanning, Spiderbait and Hayden James. Music fans could choose from VIP, gold, silver or bronze seating packages. VIP pods occupied the first five rows and boasted an exclusive toilet block, faster drink service and a choice of premium drinks. Pods in the far rear of the festival area were on slightly raised (about a foot tall) platforms for improved sightlines.
Enter Novatech
Through the collaboration of Five Four Entertainment, Groove Events, and Secret Sounds, the festival promoters looked to Adelaide-based L-Acoustics rental network partner Novatech Creative Event Technology to provide the dynamic sound that live music fans have been craving.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, Novatech is one of Australia’s leading and most respected audio-visual production companies. Driven by a passion and commitment to staging exceptional events, the company offers a world-class team, cutting edge technology and in-depth experience across a wide range of venues.
Despite taking place in the largest of Adelaide’s named city parks, encompassing an area of 42 acres, the Bonython Park/Tulya Wodli hosts a range of community events. Yet even within that large area, concerts must comply with the Adelaide City Council’s strict Noise Mitigation Standard, so the ability to control audio spillover was a key factor for Novatech.
The Sound System
At the same time, with fans restricted to their pods, the challenge of providing consistent, clear coverage to the whole audience area was crucial, so the Novatech team approached this festival with a precise and careful sound design. Each side of main P.A. hangs consisted of 12 L-Acoustics K2 line array elements and four Kara for front fill — hidden behind scrims on either side of the stage.
Besides concealing the main P.A., those same scrims also framed the 12-by-20-foot LED I-Mag screens (made up of ROE Visual CB5 5.77mm pitch panels), making for a professional and clean stage look. The 27-by-41-foot upstage LED wall was made up of the same panels. In addition to audio and video, Novatech also provided all of the lighting with instruments from Martin, GLP, Claypaky, Prolights and Hungaroflash, all controlled from a MA Lighting grandMA2.
Low-profile L-Acoustics Kara line array enclosures also were employed, positioned horizontally along the stage lip, to provide center fill for patrons in the close-in VIP pods without restricting sightlines. LF reinforcement was handled by eight L-Acoustics double-18 SB28 subs per side, in a cardioid array.
For delay, Novatech turned to its L-Acoustics Syva colinear line source speakers, cleverly rigged to the rear of the party pods, with Syva Sub tucked below. The slender but powerful Syva provided ample coverage for the pods in the back rows while ensuring clear views of the stage. The sound coverage for festival attendees was matched by the Novatech’s monitor deployment, supplying onstage musicians with 10 L-Acoustics X15 HiQ as foldback wedges, accompanied by two L-Acoustics SB18 subs to shake the bottom end.
Reactions
Novatech managing director Leko Novakovic was overwhelmed by the success of this new way of experiencing live music. “While some people were apprehensive about being ‘penned in,’ all doubts were removed after the first weekend. About 80% of the feedback we’ve heard is that this is the way all festivals should be staged from now on, Covid or not. Most people want comfort and luxury, and to be able to sit down,” he explains. “The VIP and Gold sections are really nice, with their white picket fencing and vines, and everyone had tables and chairs, while the Silver and Bronze pods were farther back were on raised decks, offering good sightlines for everyone. Audiences need to experience this system for the first time to appreciate how great it is.”
Novakovic adds that the festival was made possible thanks to the support of the South Australia authorities, especially by the territory’s Health and Chief Public Health Office professor Nicola Spurrier, which in turn got the nod of approval by South Australia’s premier Steven Marshall.
The success of the Summer Sounds Festival demonstrates that close collaboration between promoters, providers, local authorities and artists allows for innovative and sustainable ways to experience live music during the pandemic.
Epilogue
Following the overwhelmingly positive public reaction to the Summer Sounds Festival in Adelaide, promoter Secret Sounds moved ahead with a follow-up event in Melbourne. Running from Feb. 25 through March 4, 2021, the Summer Sounds Festival Melbourne brought the popular pod-seating concept to the iconic Sidney Myer Music Bowl (an outdoor bandshell-style shed venue) with a large lawn seating area. Here again, the festival promoters rolled out their Covid-safe good times concept with patrons booking private areas in groups of two, four or six in three different ticket categories — private decks, stall tables and balcony seats.
Summer Sounds Festival Adelaide
SOUND CREW
- Sound Company: Novatech
- Project Manager/System Design: Matthew Ruggiero
- FOH Engineers (Novatech): John McCartney, James Anderson, Daniel Lade
- FOH Engineers (bands): Antho Mathews (Jungle Giants/Ball Park Music); Shaun Fuller (All Day/Mallrat); Bernard Fanning (Hugh Webb); Roly Elias (Genesis Owusu); Paul Martin (Spiderbait); Jason Brown (Jebediah); Nikita Miltiadou (Running Touch); Adam Haynes (Lime Cordiale); Toby Brandon (Baker Boy); Lachlan Sheehan (George Alice); Danny Olesh (Bjorn Again/Queen Forever); Callum Howell (Ocean Alley); Jeremy Beste (Spacey Jane); Al O’Neil (The Chats)
- Artist Production Liaison: Tim Peterson (Secret Sounds)
- Monitor Engineers: Peter Wing, Keith Jabinsky, Harlie Taladucon
- Stage Techs: Matt Kelly, Kevin Farrant
FOH GEAR
- FOH Console: Avid S6L-32D
- Main P.A.: (24) L-Acoustics K2 (12/side)
- Subwoofers: (16) SB28
- Front Fill: (8) L-Acoustics Kara (4/side)
- Stage Lip Fill: (2) L-Acoustics Kara
- Delays: L-Acoustics Syva and Syva Subs
MON GEAR
- Monitor Console: Avid Profile
- Monitors: (10) L-Acoustics X15 HIQ wedges
- Stage Subs: (2) L-Acoustics SB18
