LONDON – Absolute Radio and smart car wanted to stage an event featuring the pop band Scouting for Girls on the third floor of The Bargehouse exhibition venue at London's Oxo Tower. To bypass noise restrictions, the gig, production-managed by LarMac Live Production, was staged "silently" – each of the 150 guests had headsets and the band members and crew were on IEMs.
Britannia Row's Bob Lopez oversaw in-ear sound production, providing two PM5D audio consoles 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. A Sennheiser G2 in-ear monitor system was provided for the band, and the only speakers in the house were those with their generic backline.
Aside for the need for the audio to be focused within everyone's ear canals, the gig's challenges included six flights of steep, narrow stairs; a single 3-phase 63A power supply, which had to be run up from the first floor and shared for lighting and sound; a low ceiling; a 10-hour load-in; rigging limitations; and, for the superstitious, the fact that it was held on Friday the 13th.
For more information, please visit www.larmaclive.com