The main music event is the weekend-long Unleashed which takes place above the beautiful Watergate Bay. This year's event hosted BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles for a special one-off afternoon show. Local PA company, Impact Sound & Light, managed the sound requirements, selecting an Allen & Heath iLive-112 digital system for the live show and broadcast feed. The Zutons were special guests on the live show, performing an acoustic set to the assembled crowd, in addition to the usual Moyles show elements, such as the mash up sessions, involving a live DJ contest between the presenters.
"First of all, load in and set up is very simple with iLive as the system runs on Cat 5 cable, which connects the stage rack to the control surface at FOH, so there is no hassle installing a multicore. The iLive-112 surface is very light and compact, which makes it ideal for transporting around and space-saving in the FOH area, which can often be 'cosy' in a festival situation," says Impact's MD, John Burbridge. "More important than the logistical aspects, iLive sounds stunning - it's crystal clear - I am astonished by the sonic quality."
The main focus of the Rip Curl Boardmasters festival is on the famous Fistral Beach, which hosts the 5 Star Rip Curl Pro Men's World Qualifying Series (WQS) surfing competition, featuring some of the world's best surfers competing for a $100,000 prize purse. Europe's biggest skate competition, the Vans Summer Session, runs alongside it.
UK pop-punk newcomers, Elliot Minor, opened the festivities with an hour long set held in the beach side Fosters Beach Bar. AV requirements were managed by SPS Systems, who selected an iLive-144 system at FOH, with an identical system on monitors. SPS took the opportunity to use the newly released v1.3 of the iLive software, which includes new features for monitor engineering, such as IEM stereo fader.
(Jim Evans)
