Location UK & Ireland Arenas Client SJM Concerts
Axiom were tasked with delivering production management, lighting and video for Culture Clubs most ambitious tour to date, playing to full Arena's across December. Thanks to Jacob from TPi Magazine for such a great feature in their latest article, extracts from which are featured in this article, you can read the full TPI article in the link.
Words by Jacob Waite from TPi Magazine, read the full article HERE
Celebrating over four decades since the release of their first two albums, 1982s Kissing to be Clever and 1983s Colour By Numbers, Culture Club toured arenas across the UK and Ireland with special guests Tony Hadley and Heaven 17. Considered by many as British music icons who captured the zeitgeist of the ’80s, they were accompanied by exceptional production values and a modernised sound, supplemented by impressive session musicians on stage, and supported by a dedicated, almost completely Northern touring crew behind the scenes.
Advance Production Manager, Joe Stenhouse of SJM Concerts and Touring Production Manager, Peter Shorten of Axiom Events were the integral cogs between production and artist camps, charged with delivering an “impactful” and “memorable” show, which saw everything from a kabuki drop through to a multitiered riser package, several video surfaces including “blow through” LED panels, an 11ft telephone box on multiple lifts and further custom set elements.
“They are one of the best crews I’ve toured with in a long time,” “All you need are the people passionate enough about their job to unite and overcome challenges to create a spectacle on a budget. I had a fantastic time with an incredible group of people that cared about the show and put the time and effort into making this special.”
SJM Concerts promoted and produced the show. In addition to production management, Axiom Events provided lights, rigging, and video infrastructure; Solotech, who share a longstanding relationship with the band’s engineers, supplied audio; Hull-based Ox Event House created custom set pieces and lifts; Fly By Nite transported the tour’s equipment and handled carnets; Phoenix Bussing transported the artists, musicians and crew; John Henry’s provided backline; and Saucery Catering kept everyone well fed. Before hitting the road, the production was assembled and rehearsed at Essex’s Backstage Centre. “Our suppliers are known quantities and were entrusted to meet the brief, despite asking a lot from them in a tight timeframe,” Shorten said.
“Pete and I share a great working relationship and were able to meet the dynamic creative vision for this show within the budget,” Stenhouse added, further praising the support of the touring crew and technical suppliers. “It was great to get out on the road, working alongside the local promoters and crew, to deliver an extravagant show.”
Shorten also enjoyed the process of producing a show that was engaging and fresh for the multigenerational crowd. “We upscaled the production values, and there were some nice individual moments within the show like Victims, where Boy George is lifted during a beautiful, modernised arrangement of the original track. It was a ‘more is more’ moment – fading to dark, the screens glimmering with stars and an epic Phil Collins-style drum riff with a choral entrance. Seeing the reaction of the crowd every night is special!”
Tour Manager, Ian Faddie has been with Culture Club since 2000 and believes this is by far the most complex production to date. “The entire production team were a pleasure to work with. The end look achieved was visually stunning and a fitting tribute,” he said. “George, Roy and Mikey worked tirelessly to recreate these first two albums and many of the tracks had never been played live for over 40 years! It was a very successful tour for the fans and everyone behind the scenes.”
‘THE UNITY OF PASSIONATE PEOPLE’
Lighting Designer, Nick Whitehouse of Live Redesigned, collaborated closely with the creative and production teams to assemble a rig within the budget, moving around the lighting plot and fixture counts over the course of 10 iterations before landing on the final design. “We wanted to it to feel ‘clubby’ with a dance party vibe, which could drop to intimate moments at other sections of the show. There was a mixture of archival content like the Blitz sign and phone box.”
Live Redesigned’s typical workflow transports the lighting design stages from Vectorworks into Carbon for Unreal Engine to create renders, which are dropped into Photoshop for refinement before previsualisation using Syncronorm Depence software. This process, he assures, is akin to seeing the real thing and a vital tool for artists and support teams to preview the show before any flight cases are tipped.
“William Baker outlined the feel and the colour palette for each song, which I took as a base to programme the lighting. We have collaborated a lot in the past – he’s a creative genius,” Whitehouse said, recalling the design process.
When it came to fixture choice, with “so many great products on the market”, Whitehouse prides himself on selecting the “right tools” for the job. Axiom Events provided a mixture of moving heads in Ayrton Rivales – a relatively new investment by the company – along with staple classics like Martin MAC Viper Profiles and Claypaky Mythos 2, as well as newly invested ACME Lighting PIXEL LINE IPs, which have seemingly taken the lighting world by storm.
“They are a great and well-built lighting fixture, and everybody is using them,” Shorten said of the PIXEL LINE IPs. “We air freighted them from China specifically for this show. ACME Lighting are doing great work, providing additional free parts and spares free of charge.”
Despite hailing from Leeds, this project was the first time Whitehouse – now based in the US – has collaborated with Axiom Events Dimmer Technician and HOD, Robbie Baxter as well as Lighting Technicians, Josh Hunwick, Ryan Currah, Ash Heritage and Chris McMillan. “They are one of the best crews I’ve toured with in a long time,” he remarked, further praising the influence of Live Redesigned Associate Lighting Designers, Brian Vaughan and Clay Joiner, who helped Whitehouse build the model, tech, renders, and pre vis.