British breakout band Bastille burst onto the American scene less than a year ago, and has grown from a band with one hit single to a certified concert headliner, with Thunder Audio (Livonia, MI and Nashville) an integral part of the production since before it even touched down on U.S. soil.
Playing venues ranging from sports arenas to more intimate theaters, the touring sound company specified a portion of its newly acquired L-Acoustics K1 complement – including 24 K1 and 30 KARA enclosures, plus a dozen SB28 subwoofers.
Front of house engineer Paul Cooper, who’s been with Bastille for more than two years, states, “As soon as the band was at the point where we were ready to start carrying our own gear, we called Thunder. They were strongly recommended by our gear contacts in the UK, and as soon as we met with them we knew we’d all get on well.”
Bastille systems engineer Jonny Winkler says the essential element that makes Thunder Audio a great touring partner is a commitment by company principals Tony Villarreal and Paul Owen to always reach for the next level of technology.
“Paul and Tony are audio engineers themselves, and that’s so key for us,” he says. “They are completely committed to keeping up with the constantly changing technology, and the L-Acoustics K system is a great example of the best technology available to live sound engineers right now.”
Winkler adds that the system is the “easiest to load in and out ever,” and that the consistent results that it delivers not only makes his job easier, but helps him to build a rapport and level of trust with the FOH engineers by allowing him to deliver the same quality night after night.
Thunder Audio has the remainder of K system inventory out on Slipknot’s current tour, which falls on the heels of San Bernardino’s recent Knotfest, also featuring Danzig, Anthrax, Five Finger Death Punch and many other hard rock and metal heavyweights.
According to Thunder Audio’s Paul Owen, “Slipknot’s touring system is identical to the one we just deployed for Knotfest, which utilized 24 K1 and 24 K2 enclosures plus 16 K1-SB and 28 SB28 subs. The amazing thing is that we didn’t have to add to the touring system for Knotfest; the same setup that is currently touring arenas around North America is the very one we used for an outdoor festival attended by 30,000 people, and it never broke a sweat.
“The K system is such a versatile rig – further proved by the fact that we now have our entire inventory simultaneously touring on two completely disparate acts: Bastille and Slipknot. It’s a magic box, mate.”
