August Bank Holiday Weekend 2020

Mote Park - Maidstone

The warehouse is spick and span, the accounts are in order, that drawer full of miscellaneous nuts and bolts is organised, so what’s left to be done but a gig? This August, RASE were commissioned to provide production for a full bank holiday weekend of socially distanced fun, and the team were ready and waiting to pounce on the task at hand.

With everyone being cooped up for months on end, punters were keen to return to a weekend of quality live entertainment, including Rock the Mote, Revival, and The Social, of which all have a reputation of leaving guests with an experience they will never forget.

To really make an impact, and to give performers an ample amount of space to do what they do best, RASE’s new 12 x 10 Eurotruss structure was deployed. Boasting a frontage of up to 23m and a performance platform of up to 1280 ft², it’s the perfect structure for keeping talents happy and making a lasting impression on guests. The structure was erected by our team of experts efficiently and safely. Even on the challenging, uneven ground within Mote Park, the stage was raised to a perfectly even level. The 32x40ft Proliyte Litedeck platform was also erected and levelled to give performers a solid stage to entertain from.

Thanks to the 1 ton side-wing weight loading, 18 elements of our GAE Waveline System were raised in the wings to provide clear, even coverage of audio for the audience. To really bolster the bottom end, 10 of our double 18” GAE subwoofers, along with four TW Audio S33’s were supplied to provide that all-important low-end impact.

Due to the extra space needed for social distancing, coverage of audio was required much further to the back of the site. To ensure all audience members received the same quality of audio, delay towers were setup comprising of 6 elements of Waveline PT, 3 GAE 15” subwoofers, and two GAE System 12’s. This provided the perfect accompaniment to bolster the main system and reinforce low-end further to the back of the audience area.

Right at the heart of the audio system were the Powersoft X4 amplifiers. Six of these 20,000-Watt amplifiers provided the power required to deliver impeccable audio to each and every audience member. All controlled via Armonia over ethernet, the system was tweaked to deliver the perfect sonic experience. The site and surrounding areas were also patrolled by our noise monitoring specialist to survey and record noise levels to comply with local council restrictions. Our specialised noise monitoring equipment ensures restrictions are adhered to and provides noise data recording within 0.2 dB accuracy for archival.

What would a live event be without an immersive lighting experience? To really spice things up, the team at RASE rigged two spans of Proliyte H30V truss within the 12 x 10 Eurotruss structure and hung an array of moving heads, and static LED fixtures. This included Prolight Jades, Chavet Roge 2’s, Studio Cob pars and Luxibel blinders. This provided our lighting operator with an endless pallet of lighting aesthetics to play with throughout the weekend’s variety of events, from energetic colour pallets for Rock the Mote, to intense, sleek beams for the orchestral set at Revival. For Saturday’s festivities, our friends at ER Productions installed an array of special effects including lasers, smoke & pyro, such as the Galaxiys G-Flame and the Phaenon OPSL laser system. This made for the perfect complement of lighting and special effects to leave guests speechless.

Image
Image

To ensure every audience member had an immersive experience, two Sony PXW professional camcorders were used to give guests a VIP view of the action from wherever they were standing. Our camera operator was able to shoot intimate close-ups of performers from stage, whilst our front of house camera produced picture-perfect panoramic shots. Additionally, a drone was taken to the skies to produce stunning overhead shots of the festival site. These crisp images, along with artist graphics were displayed on an IP65 rated 4mm pitch LED wall provided by our friends at ORP.

Needless to say, the culmination of sensational performances and professionally executed production made for a stunning bank holiday weekend of events, which received numerous astounding reviews. The experience had by guests is sure to bring them back for more on the next socially distanced event, expecting to be wowed yet again.