Photo Credit: Andy Darby
Who is the most valuable person working at a music concert? – and it’s not one of the performers!
The sound engineer is often considered to be an extra member of the band and the bigger groups will always have one as a dedicated, integral part of their team. Major theatres and halls will also employ professionals in the role. But what about the less well known artists and the smaller venues? They too need skilled and passionate technicians to bring their shows to life. The sound mix and balance between the musical instruments and the amount of echo when the vocalist is singing or talking will greatly affect the quality of the experience for the audience – and the reputation of the performers.
Jen and Westley Bone’s ShireFolk, based in Bridgnorth, brings some of the UK’s finest emerging talent of the folk scene to the Marches region. Each month, they tour an artist for three days to exciting venues in Leominster, Bewdley and Bridgnorth, reaching audiences limited by being in rural areas away from the big cities, and every show needs technical expertise to enhance it.
The Crew Futures Project, supported by Vibrant Shropshire through funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund, enabled five local residents to take part in two days of practical training to learn the essential skills needed to work on live events — from setting up stages and handling equipment to basic sound engineering. This was followed by three days of real-world experience as part of the technical team at the Bridgnorth Music and Arts Festival, a popular grassroots event celebrating local talent and creativity.
The sound technician needs a range of intellectual and social skills from planning, problem solving, often under the pressures of time and an anxious audience, to liaising with nervous or pumped up performers. In the smaller halls, it is probable that they would be managing the lighting and ventilation as well.
At the Bridgnorth Music and Arts Festival, performances were held across multiple locations, halls, churches, pubs and outdoor sites in the High Street, in the Castle grounds and at the Quayside, each with its own unique sound issues, acoustics, wind and traffic noises. Every band was allocated a forty five minute slot, with never more than fifteen minutes between each act for the technical team to dismantle the outgoing and set up the incoming performers. Pressure? What pressure?
As Jen explained, “The project was about more than just training. It was about supporting the future of live music. By developing new talent behind the scenes, we’re helping to build a stronger, more sustainable local music scene.” Westley went on, “Technology and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the music industry but regarding how sound and lighting are controlled in a venue, this will never replace the human interaction with the performers, particularly when things don’t go to plan.” As he advises his students at Kidderminster College, “These are transferable skills that any employer would want.”
This Crew Futures Project simultaneously develops people, the arts and the economy.
