The HSL site crew consisted of 15 lighting and sound technicians, crew chiefed by Ian Stevens. The event was production and site managed by Lee Charteris and Jo MacKay for Loud Music. Bestival 2005 was headlined by Magic Numbers, Mylo, Royksopp, Soulwax, Howard Marks and the Super Furry Animals.
"The 15m wide Orbit main stage was extremely tight for space", said HSL, "so every inch had to be used thoughtfully and integrally by the lighting design which was created by Steven Abbiss".
The moving lights were 14 Robe ColorSpot 1200 ATs and 12 ColorWash 1200 ATs, and these formed the workhorses of the rig, which also featured 10 Martin Atomic strobes, six Molefeys and an assortment of Pars.
For control, HSL offered any visiting lighting designers the options of an Avolites Pearl 2004 or a Hog II, set up so all the lights could be swapped between both desks. It was a challenging site to work, with a difficult terrain and steeply downhill get-in.
FOH sound was babysat by Mark 'Scooby' Widdowson, using a Yamaha PM4000 console with BSS Omnidrive control, TLA valve compressors, dbx compressors, Drawmer gates and six FX channels returning in stereo, plus an outboard effects rack containing all the hits and more.
Onstage the monitor system was run by Gary Silvester, using a Midas XL3 console with a stretch and an ML Executives wedge system. The main flown stage speakers were Community Air Force - nine a side, complete with nine ground-stacked Community VLF 218 subs a side. Labgruppen amps were used site wide to power all the sound systems. For sound, HSL supplied engineer Dave McKenzie to baby-sit the FOH of two Community RS 880s a side and 3 VLF 218 subs, a Crest X8 mixer FOH and another Crest X8M desk for monitors, run by Alex Linney. Lighting consisted of six Martin MAC 500s, 8 Robe ColorWash 1200 ATs and a quantity of 6-way Par bars, all controlled by an Avolites Sapphire.
(Lee Baldock)
