GBQ & THE GREEN SCENE, 2011
On November 10th 2011, ‘supergroup’ The Good, The Bad and The Queen (GBQ) – Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen – made quite a splash in the Thames when they launched Greenpeace’s new, state-of-the-art Rainbow Warrior III vessel with an understated early evening set, enhanced by Entec sound system and low-powered, high-impact LED lighting.
A purpose-built sailing yacht, Rainbow Warrior III was making her maiden voyage across the English channel from its German origin and up the River Thames in London for a special 40th anniversary celebration of Greenpeace, which was graced by the presence of high profile supporter Michael Eavis.
Entec has been involved with GBQ as their technical supplier since the band first evolved in 2006. Two days before the event, Dick Hayes and Noreen O’Riordan conducted a site visit to ensure that all would go smoothly. Dick realised that the ship’s crane was ideally positioned for flying a hang of d&b J8 speakers.
In the meantime, Noreen consulted with lighting designer Andy Keightley and production manager Craig Duffy, deciding that in keeping with the whole spirit of environmental consciousness, there should be a completely ‘green’ LED rig. With the final specification decided, the equipment was transported from Northolt and loaded onboard, before Rainbow Warrior III sailed up the Thames to a mid-river mooring opposite the South Bank.
Performing under a large stretched fabric, gazebo-style roof, GBQ used the Rainbow Warrior III’s helipad deck as a stage, which was populated with M4 wedges along with two Q-Subs for the drummer. As well as the J8 array, which needed to be raised due to the ebbing tide, two d&b J-SUBs were stacked on the deck and two E12s were used as fills for all the guests aboard the ship.
The performance was mixed somewhat unorthodoxly via a Yamaha M7CL console by Dave Guerin stationed on the vessel, while Matt Butcher stood on the river bank’s public viewing area, directing the mix via radio.
ATMOSPHERICS
Andy Keightley’s lighting brief included requests from bassist Paul Simonon regarding the overall scene-setting atmospherics, which needed to resemble the oscillations of gas lighting and flickering candles, moody shadows, silhouettes and hazy claustrophobia of historic London. Apart from wishing to be ecologically friendly, LED light sources also made sense as there was just a single 16A supply available for all the lighting.
Being moored mid-river, Andy also was keen to ensure the lighting came off the ship and lifted the space around it, so the amassed public could gain a sense of scale and spectacle. All the equipment was either on stands, scaffolding poles, tank-traps or floor mounted. To create an epic searchlight feel with lots of light and energy emanating from the yacht, Andy used six i-Pix BB4s running along the back of the stage, and six BB7s were used for footlights and uplighters at the front of stage.
Eight JTE PixelLine battens were attached to tank and scaff devices, as were six GLP Impression LED wash moving lights, positioned around the stage action. Eight i-Pix Satellite ‘brick’ lights were attached to the tent posts, highlighting the architecture and shape of the roof structure.
The control position was in a storage area adjacent to the helipad, and the LD programmed and operated the show from an Avolites Pearl Expert console, with Entec’s Sudip Shrestha assisting as technician.
