ISLAND GETAWAY, 2005
When Entec accepted the challenge of building a top class production infrastructure for a nine-day festival on Koh Samui, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, it was the start of one of the company’s most bizarre and memorable projects.
Staged at Chaweng Beach from September 23rd to October 2nd 2005, the Koh Samui Music Festival (KSMF) was the brainchild of British entrepreneur Alan Sadd, who had established set up an empire of businesses on the island, including the popular CoCo Blues Bar from which this ambitious festival project emerged.
It was through a connection with Kevin Mathews, a former client from the rave scene, that Entec and LD Derek Watson became involved with the KSMF, and in early September, Entec’s Dick Collins arrived on-site with a crew that included production manager Gordon ‘Gungi’ Patterson, co-site manager Dave Hall and lighting crew chief Dave Black, who organised electricity supply and distribution for the stage, backline, backstage and across the site, as the team faced the gruelling task of creating a festival site from scratch in 90% humidity.
“There was no point in turning up and expecting all the facilities of a Western festival. But there were plenty of pleasant surprises as well,” said Dick Collins.
VETERANS
Boasting an eclectic line-up, from Jerry Lee Lewis, Ike Turner and Woodstock veterans Big Brother & The Holding Company and Canned Heat, to Jools Holland’s Big Band with Sam Brown, blues guitarist Snowy White and reggae greats UB40 and The Wailers, the KSMF’s lighting was operated at FOH by Andy Emmerson and Adam Copland.
Andy mainly took care of the Vari*Lite and Martin moving lights on a WholeHog II while Adam dealt with the generics using an Avolites Sapphire 2004 console. An Avo Pearl 2004 and another Hog were made available for visiting Lds. The lighting team was completed by Simon ‘Boff’ Howarth and Urko Arruzo, and rigger Danny Spratt.
The rig consisted of a 10-legged, 140m x 60m ground support system with two tonne masts, newly purchased for the event. This covered the stage and the first section of audience area. It was trimmed at 25ft off the ground and the stage was then built underneath, reducing over-stage headroom slightly. This was a deliberate decision to keep it low as the coastal location was prone to high winds appearing without warning.
LINE ARRAY
A trimmed version of the d&b line array system used by Entec at Guilfest 2005 was deployed for the KSMF in partnership with Singapore vendor Showtec, while Stefano Serpagli headed the sound crew.
The main PA hang consisted of eight Q1s per side and due to the presence of the large box truss covering the stage and seated audience area, and extending out to the FOH mix position, the crew installed eight AQ1s as delays to keep the sound as contained as possible. For front fill, one Q7 cabinet was bracketed to each of the left and right front-of-stage truss legs, while sub-low was provided by three B2s and six Q1s in cardioid mode.
Yamaha PM5D consoles controlled the mixes at both FOH and on stage, and the system was powered by d&b D12 amps. Only one major system change was necessary during the festival, when the stage was completely stripped to make way for UB40’s own monitor system.
INFLUENCE
Phil McDonnell at Horizon Entertainment Cargo organised freight, including Entec’s ground support, lighting and audio control systems, and rented backline from Music Bank. Local co-ordinator Jorge Bernal was a saviour during some of the more challenging periods of the project, Janet Collins applied her magic as she ran the dressing rooms, and Noreen O’Riordan was a constant calming influence on the hot and bothered crew, ensuring they never lost their sense of humour.
For the musicians coming to perform, the island vibe offered something unique, as UB40’s Ali Campbell said: “Samui is beautiful. An added bonus is that we get to play on the bill with The Wailers for the first time, and doing it here, well, it’s like the perfect holiday!”
