Sound evolution
“He’d been working non-stop to make the sound work for this astonishing The next decade saw Brit Row not only conevent, which was being broadcast live on tinue with the huge events which had beItalian television.” come their trademark, but also begin workThat, Warnock emphasises, was just one ing with another wave of younger artistes, example among dozens of the dedication including Oasis, Manic Street Preachers and that set Brit Row apart from the pack. Inspiral Carpets, while simultaneously movMickey Curbishley In 1991, Britannia Row finally outing into the burgeoning festivals field. grew their original premises and moved “That was another development from to a considerably larger building in what I’d been doing with Turbosound,” reWandsworth, south London flects Lowe. “They went back a long way Another major step forward for the comwith [Glastonbury founder] Michael Eavis, so pany had its seeds in Russia, at Moscow’s I brought Glasto over to Britannia Row. That Red Square on 4 July 1992, when Kate carried on for quite a few years and we endWright, a production assistant of just 10 ed up touring the European festival circuit days experience, first encountered Grant. every summer. “I’d just started working with Mick “That lasted until local companies grew Neil Warnock up in all those countries and they didn’t need to Kluczynski who was then a freelance production director,” remembers Wright. “He’d been asked to unbring in a British company,” he says. Neil Warnock, CEO worldwide of The Agency dertake this job called Red Square Invites, with Jose Group, has been Pink Floyd’s agent since the Carreras singing. Brit Row were doing the sound.” Just two years later, Kluczynski and Wright started early ‘70s, so has observed Brit Row’s evolution at their own company, MJK Productions, which soon close hand. “Over the years there’s never been anything Brit took over production of the UK’s BRITs TV show. Row couldn’t handle,” he declares, “One mammoth “Mick felt from the start that Brit Row was the right undertaking was when we had Pink Floyd playing company to do sound for the show,” she reveals, “but on a massive barge on the canal beside St Mark’s it took a couple of years to get them in there. The Square in Venice [15 July 1989]. I can remember after rest is history.” Freelance events and production manager Maggie the show, Robbie Williams, a big guy at six foot four inches [1.5m], came back to the hotel and literally Mouzakitis adds, “I’ve worked with them since I was collapsed from exhaustion – he went down like a 19 on acts like Depeche Mode and Oasis, but now it’s primarily events like the BRITs and MTV’s European house of cards.
What associates say… Stuart Down, L-Acoustics, France and UK “Britannia Row has been deploying L-Acoustics systems for more than 13 years and with continued growth. The level at which they work is top of the game in both expertise and event profile. From the early days with Pink Floyd to Live 8, the London Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee, they never compromise on the quality of the sound for the show.” Andy Lilywhite, Sennheiser UK “We have worked with Brit Row on a vast number of projects over the years including every BRIT Award show since 2002, MTV’s European Music Awards and various Robbie Williams’ tours. They approach each and every production with professionalism and humour, both of which are vitally important in such a high-pressure environment. Forty years of supplying sound to the industry is a huge achievement.”
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audience • Issue 187 • August 2015