Peak Hire News

Cheltenham Town Hall New Year's Eve Celebrations

2009-01-12T15:05:00.006Z

For the third successive year, New Year's Eve has meant just one thing - the Cheltenham Town Hall New Year's Eve Party. This year we provided the lighting system for the event, ably controlled by LD Andy Bartlett.
We used 6 Mac700 washes, 4 Mac700 profiles, 4 Mac500 profiles and 4 Studio Due CS4 moving head lights, complemented by ETC profiles, Martin Atomics and Studio Due Archileds, mounted on a re-designed stage truss system and flown trusses. This year entertainment was provided by Firefly and a good time was had by all.

Gloucester Christmas Lights

2008-12-02T10:11:00.004Z

We were delighted to once again be working with Severn Sound and Gloucester City Council down at Gloucester Docks. Last time we were here, our sound team were supporting the Gloucester Pirates! Weekend, but for the Gloucester Lights switch on we provided complete lighting, power, sound and trailer stage solutions.

The build for the event went very well and despite the cold and rain we were ready for the first acts to sound check right on time. The event saw the culmination of the parade through the centre of Gloucester, which saw Father Christmas, the Mayor of Gloucester and I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins.

Peak Hire provided all of the technical infrastructure to make the event a success and with thousands of people in attendance, everything went according to plan.

Cheltenham Literature Festival

2008-12-02T09:58:00.001Z

Peak Hire was delighted to continue our close relationship with the Cheltenham Literature Festival as once again we provided production lighting, site power and site lighting for this internationally recognised event. Our team installed lighting and power into temporary and permanent venues, and worked closely with the organisers to ensure that the right equipment was in the right place at the right time. The 2008 event was again a success and we look forward to working with the team in 2009.

Too Many Critics

2008-11-15T19:16:00.003Z

Peak Hire were very proud recently to provide all tech support to a fundraising evening organised by Action Against Hunger. This included 2 cameras, 6 plasma screens, radiomics and sound systems, and the beautiful venue, Londons' Royal Exchange, was lit with City Colours, Archileds and Mac500 heads. The event was called Too Many Critics and featured top food critics preparing dishes for top chefs, in an entertaining role reversal. A charity auction followed and the event was a great success.

Lighting Equipment Investment

2008-09-18T08:37:00.026Z

Following a very busy summer, Peak Hire headed to London and the PLASA show. With heavy investments in our sound stocks over the last 18 months, it finally came the chance for the lighting department to open the chequebook - the result was five figure investment in new lighting equipment, ready for winter 2008, including Avolites Pearl 2008, Avolites Art2000 dimmer racks and eight Studio Due Archileds.

Lambeth Conference 2008

2008-09-18T08:37:00.024Z

We are really pleased to have just finished work on the 2008 Lambeth Conference - the worldwide conference which brings together Anglican Ministers from all over the globe and which only takes place every ten years.

Peak were originally asked to provide event power supplies and event site distribution for the three week conference at the University of Kent at Canterbury, but with just a few weeks to go we were delighted to be awarded the contract for conference sound in both main venues as well.

The main plenary sessions took place in a custom designed temporary structure, within which we flew our EAW line array PA speakers from our Litec FlyinTowers. Front of house sound control came from our Soundcraft MH3 and monitors were driven by a A&H ML4000.

The EAW KF730 line arrays are a delight to deploy, and despite some last minute changes to the layout of the venue, we were able to quickly adapt allowing for even coverage throughout the 1600 seat auditorium. The new EAW UX8800 processors sound fantastic!

In the Spouses' Venue, we installed a Mach system to support both speeches and musical acts. The diversity of stage activity meant the system needed to be at its most flexible. The system was controlled by a Yamaha M7CL desk.

In total, four generators were deployed as two pairs of sync'd sets - and for added peace of mind they were remote monitored to ensure that if there were any problems, engineers could be on site as soon as possible.

After three weeks of being on site, we are pleased to report that there were no problems with the system set up or solution we installed. The event received much high profile news coverage, including the BBC, Sky and other worldwide news organisations.

You can also see more photos on the official event Flickr site.

Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage 2008

2008-09-18T08:37:00.023Z

Despite being out on the road since the beginning of July, our back-to-back season of events still hasn't finished. Our team concluded the Lambeth Conference de-rig and moved straight to Walsingham in Norfolk for the second year at the Walsingham Youth Pilgrimage.

As last year, the event takes place on a totally Greenfield site, so we provided event power supplies, generators and power distribution, as well as lighting and sound solutions for the venues.

Our team of technicians worked closely with the organisers to ensure that the shows ran as smoothly as possible. We utilised our Mach sound system, new Soundcraft MH2 desk, and Martin Mac 500, 600 and 700 moving heads with Pearl control desk.

The event was a great success and we look forward to working with the team again on the 2009 event.

Two Thousand Trees Festival 2008

2008-09-17T15:57:00.007Z

We were just back from Subway's Picnic Rocks, when we were straight back out the door to prepare for two more festival events. The 2000 Trees Festival is now in its second year and, having supported the event from the very start we are pleased to once again be providing sound and light solutions to the event.

Although the event is only two years old, all the tickets sold in advance of the event, and the festival was the proud recipient of a Greener Festival award for their work on making the event as low impact as possible.

We used our EAW line array sound system on the Treehouse (main stage), supported by an EAW JFX system in the Leaf Lounge. Lighting came from our stocks of Martin moving heads, ETC Source Four pars and Studio Due CS2's with strobes and blinders, controlled using our Avo Pearl.

Subway Picnic Rocks 2008

2008-09-17T15:41:00.007Z

When Affinity Events were appointed event managers for the first ever Subway Picnic Rocks event, their first thought for technical support was Peak Hire. Having worked extensively with Peak over the last few years, the event management team were confident that we could provide the level of equipment and service to suit the event budget.

"We turned to Peak because of the challenges of the event - a short get in time, difficult access and a number of bands to turn around quickly, we needed a team we could trust" - Alan Wallace, Managing Director, Affinity Events Limited.

With a newly refurbished (and very expensive!) bandstand as the venue, we carefully designed our sound and lighting system to give near 360 degree coverage, without impacting on the stage area we had to work with.

Using our EAW line array speaker system (comprising KF730's and Sb730's), Soundcraft MH3/48 for front of house control, various Martin Mac moving heads and our Avo Pearl we put together a show that would support all of the artistes and allow the audience to see and hear everything that was happening.

We also provided all event electrical site power systems, supplies and distribution. Running from two 100kVA generators with automatic mains failure panel we provided power for all stage activities, stalls and caterers.

MAYC Breakout 2008

2008-09-17T08:37:00.000Z

As a company we enjoy working closely with our clients on the events that they are planning - and this is especially true when working with MAYC (the youth division of the Methodist Church) on their bi-annual event 'Breakout'.

We've worked with MAYC since 2004 and have completed events for them at both the Winter Gardens in Blackpool (Breakout 2004 & 2006) and also their birthday celebrations at Cliff College in Derbyshire in 2005.

For the Breakout event this year we returned to Cliff College where, working with the event management team from Affinity Events we provided full lighting, sound and power provision for all of the venues and campsite areas. This included our Mach sound system for the main Big Top venue, as well as Mac500, Mac600 and Mac700 moving head lights.

With bands such as YFriday, FourKornerz and Sounds of Salvation in the main venue, and a selection of bands and workshops in the second venue, the event was attended by about 1200 young people from around the UK.

The event falls between Picnic Rocks and the Lambeth Conference, and the same weekend as the 2000 Trees festival, so no time to relax, we're straight off to Canterbury...

KCM Victory Campaign 2008 - Basel

2008-05-09T08:46:00.008Z

Following the success of our event last week in Bournemouth - it is once again time for the Peak Hire team to provide sound services for the KCM conference. Utlising our superb EAW line array system and Yamaha M7CL48 digital sound desk the client was really happy with the sound solution we provided. Being an international conference with delegates of many nationalities getting the sound right was of great importance - the live sound was fed to the audience of 1500 with sound feeds being sent to the recording and translation teams to be made into CDs, DVDs and to be translated to French and Italian.

Despite the inevitable language barriers, the event went well and our kit successfully survived the 1300 mile round trip.

KCM Victory Campaign 2008 - Bournemouth

2008-05-09T08:42:00.002Z

Its been a busy week for the team here at Peak Hire - as well as the normal events and dry hire clients we usually work with at this time of year, our sound department have just spent a week working with international charity KCM on the UK leg of their conference. The Bournemouth International Centre saw a range of sound equipment, from our EAW line array for front of house and monitors, as well as the latest in digital sound desks and radio mics. Although the client provided their own engineering staff, Peak Hire left system technicians in place to ensure the smooth running of the event.

Once the event was completed, all of the equipment was carefully checked and then loaded up to be trucked out to Switzerland for the European leg of the event. We'll see it again next week when we get to Basel...

Peak Hire Invests in Mac 700s

2008-04-02T17:37:00.005Z

Here at Peak Hire we are pleased to continue our long standing relationship with Martin Professional with our recent investment in a range of Martin MAC700 moving head lights which are now available for hire.

The new stock joins our extensive range of intelligent lighting, including Mac 250s, 500s and 600s - all of which are available from our warehouse in Cheltenham. The new Mac 700s have full CMY colour mixing.

All lighting is available for dry hire, delivery or as part of a complete production. The new lights are being prepared for a busy summer seasons of conferences and outdoor events. For more information, pricing and availability please call our office on 01242 528444.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T17:34:00.000Z

Once again we've just finished our annual contract for Cheltenham Borough Council for lighting their New Year's Eve party at Cheltenham Town Hall. The event, which as usual sold out well in advance, saw a range of generic and moving head lights provided by Peak.

Cheltenham Christmas Lights Switch On

2007-12-01T00:02:00.002Z

Here's another picture of the event build - all the guys in the blue are the Peak Sound and Light team in their high visibility jackets. This picture shows pit barrier in place and our line array up and in place on the giraffes (the other one is just off shot on the right).

And here is the final result - a fantastic night enjoyed by thousands of residents of Cheltenham and beyond.

"I'd like to say a HUGE thank you to all of you for your involvement in the
Christmas Lights Switch-On event on Saturday."
Cheltenham Borough Council

Cheltenham Christmas Lights Switch On

2007-11-30T23:51:00.000Z

It's been a few years since Peak have provided technical support for the Cheltenham Lights switch on - but being our home town we were as keen as ever to win back the event in 2007 - and that's just what we did. In preparation we undertook a bit of an overhaul on the Black Stage to get it ready for the event and for the 2008 season. You can now hire this stage from us and bookings are already coming in thick and fast for this year.

These two photos show the team from Peak Sound and Light rigging the event early in the morning on the day of the event - but with a stage build time of about an hour it didn't take too long to get things sorted.

We'll post some photos of the event itself shortly

Speaking in the Spa

2007-10-15T21:13:00.000Z

Home to the world's largest celebration of the humble book (according to the BBC) - is the 2007 Cheltenham Literature Festival. For this year's event, Peak are providing site lighting and power for all of the outdoor venues, as well as lighting and rigging in the main theatre tent and Cheltenham Town Hall.

This year's event sees talks from Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond and James May as well as Helen Mirren, Alistair Campbell and William Hague.

With over 75,000 tickets pre-sold (a record for the festival) we are very proud to continue our relationship with the event. You can see more about the event on the BBC website or on the Cheltenham Festivals' website.

Christian Aid Cut the Carbon

2007-09-10T21:02:00.000Z

Following the success of the Making our Mark event, Affinity Events returned to Peak once again for support on a series of events for Christian Aid. Peak were employed to provide outdoor festival power distribution and onstage sound support for the series of events which took in Edinburgh, Birmingham and Cardiff.

The system was tailored to each of the specific events, and saw artists such as Amy McDonald (Edinburgh), Lemar (Birmingham) and Rhythms of the City (Cardiff) take to the stage.

More information and photos can be found on the Christian Aid Cut the Carbon website: http://www.christianaid.org.uk/stoppoverty/climatechange/march/index.aspx

Walsingham

2007-08-11T21:12:00.000Z

When it's festival power, lighting and sound you need - look no further than Peak! That's just what happened when Father Philip North (from Our Lady of the Shrine in Walsingham Norfolk) was looking for assistance with his youth festival.

We provided full event site power and campsite lighting, with three generators providing power to the big top, catering and other venues and the rest of the site.

In addition, we provided the full lighting and sound solution to the stage show in the big top utilising a 7k front of house system, Soundcraft MH3 front of house desk and numerous Martin Mac moving lights controlled by a Pearl lighting desk.

Two Thousand Trees Festival 2007

2007-07-17T10:23:00.000Z

Another partly wet weekend in July brought us to the beautiful Upcote Farm in Gloucestershire for the very first Two Thousand Trees Festival. The weather did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm and friendly atmosphere and we had a fabulous time providing sound and lighting to the main stage and acoustic marquee. Many thanks to the organisers who looked after us and worked so incredibly hard to make this event happen.
www.twothousandtreesfestival.co.uk

EAW Training

2007-04-30T07:41:00.000Z

EAW have been on the road - and we've been to see them.

Having recently bought our new EAW Line Array we were invited to the EAW B4 Roadshow at Bray Studios, which is currently working its way across Europe. We learnt all about the new products that are coming out, and were lucky enough to meet some of the people who make EAW what it is. The photo shows Peak Sound and Light MD Karl Ashman, sound engineers Dan Keating and Dave Cleaves, with EAW's Steve Badham, Moray McMillin, Kenton Forsythe, Jeffrey Cox, Bernie Broderick, Ferrit, Jamie Anderson and Sean Martin.

AOG Conference 2007 Blackpool Winter Gardens

2007-04-07T21:15:00.000Z

We were very pleased to once again provide sound and light technical support for this year's Assemblies of God conference in Blackpool. We deployed our new EAW line array speakers and flew 40ft of Litec QL52 truss, carrying Martin Mac600 and Mac700 moving heads, in the Empress Ballroom.
www.aog.org.uk
www.affinityevents.co.uk

Making Our Mark - Walk of Witness London 2007

2007-03-25T07:23:00.000Z

Working with event management agency Affinity Events we've just come back from a weekend in London - where we have been providing sound support for the Making Our Mark event.

The event took place to commemorate 200 years since the abolition of slavery and combined a march through central London, stopping off at Lambeth Bridge (where we provided a small sound system) followed by a stage based event at Kennington Park. We made use of our brand new EAW line array system and were very pleased with the result.

The LED Screen/Stage combo provided by Bradford based BigTV was excellent, and the event was attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

EAW is in the Building

2007-03-23T07:33:00.000Z

Just a quick post to let you know that our new SLAM (Small Line Array Module) EAW sound system has arrived in the warehouse.

Our system comprises 16 KF730 tops and 8 SB730 subs, powered by Lab Gruppen FP+10000Q and FP+7000 amplifiers.

There's no time to post a picture because they're going straight to London for an event in Kennington Park. If you want to hire them as part of a production package, to dry hire or cross hire, call us on 0870 333 1701 - and check out our new page here - EAW Line Array Hire

This now means that we are part of ELAN (EAW Line Array Network) - so all of our equipment is available for cross hire to production companies coming in from Europe or the States - call us on 00 44 870 333 1701 for international enquiries.

New Years Eve 2006

2007-01-03T21:40:00.000Z

Litec truss, Lodestar motors, 20 Martin moving heads, Studio Due CS4's, 24kw par rig and ETC profiles all controlled by Avolites Pearl 2004.