TUBE-SHAPED ANARCHY, 1982
If ‘Ready Steady Go!’ and ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ defined British music television in the 1960s and ’70s, then ‘The Tube’ – with its irreverent style – was the perfect counterpart for the shoulder-padded ’80s. Launched on the brand-new Channel Four on Friday 5th November 1982, ‘The Tube’ turned mainstay anchors Jools Holland and Paula Yates into overnight TV stars and introduced UK viewers to Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Madonna and R.E.M., while raising the profile of ascending bands such as U2.
Based at Tyne Tees Studios in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, ‘The Tube’ mixed live music with interviews, exotic location reports and new generation comedy from the likes of Vic Reeves, French & Saunders and Rik Mayall. Riding the tide of televisual anarchy was Entec, whose on-set presence as live sound supplier for the three live stages in Studio 5 is fondly remembered by many who worked on the show, not least John ‘Bruno’ Wayte who had been on Entec’s payroll since 1976.
“Entec’s Maurice Haylett and John Denby set it all up with Tyne Tees,” says Bruno. “Maurice did a deal with Harman and we used JBL 4612A compact cabinets [from JBL’s Cabaret series] for the PA, leaving them there permanently. The monitor systems were shipped up by the crew on a weekly basis. Tyne Tees went out of their way to make the whole thing as authentic as possible, treating each show as a proper gig. Even the adjoining pub, the Egypt Cottage, was used as both a green room and part of the set, and known unofficially as ‘Studio 6’.”
Chris Trimby’s career in live TV began with ‘The Tube’. During his four years at Entec, he progressed quickly from warehouse technician to being recommended as a sound engineer for the show. “I welcomed it with open arms and realised that it would benefit me in years to come,” said Chris in 2006. “In January and February, when other freelancers aren’t working, I am. I’m still doing the same job – TV, festivals in the summer, and some touring.”
Chris later took complete control of the live audio production. His partner on many episodes was Gary Bradshaw, who comments: “I was one of a handful of engineers who worked with Chris. John Roden, Steve ‘Bunty’ King, Nigel Fogg and Steve Phillips were among others who stepped in whenever they were off the road. The sound was always a two-man job and an intense one because we didn’t have the luxury of local crew. Chris and I would travel up on a Wednesday to load-in and the bands would arrive for soundchecks the next day. I was coming from Bournemouth and didn’t relish the long drives to and from Newcastle Quayside, but the pros outweighed the cons because the range of acts was fantastic.”
SYSTEMS
Sharing monitor mixing duties with Chris and working with stage manager Colin Rowell, Gary recalls that the consoles chosen for the show varied between a Midas Pro 4, a Soundcraft 800B and a DDA. He adds: “We were using Entec’s then-standard Martin LE200 wedges, and for both sidefill and drum fill, we had the curious ‘Entbrahe’ cabinets – the large, full range boxes modelled on the Tycobrahe cabs that had toured with the Stones.”
Those who recall the “organised disarray” include Wayne Hussey of The Mission, who remarks: “We had already established an early relationship with Entec by the time we appeared on ‘The Tube’, so just the sight of their logo on flight cases made us feel comfortable. We always knew we’d be in safe hands.”
After 121 episodes, the curtain finally fell in 1987. It was no longer the wild and often controversial show it had once been. During its run, the cultural impact of ‘The Tube’ encouraged a new style of programming that directly influenced future shows including ‘The Word’, ‘TFI Friday’, ‘Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush’ and ‘Wired’, all of which shared the common element of Entec’s vital technical contributions.
