The Savage Report

Behind The Scenes At MFM 02

or

Sir Cameron Macintosh, you don't know you're born!

A true story by Steve Savage aged 14,297 days (roughly)

It was early on the Thursday after the Mountbatten Festival of Music (MFM) 2002, when Captain Henderson, the Editor of the Blue Band, entered HQ Band Service. He approached me and asked if I was going to write an article for this edition. I apologised profusely and I said that I was.

Having just finished the MFM, I suggested that maybe I take a look at what went on 'behind the scenes' of this year's show given the huge operation which took place before even the first note was blown. He agreed, and here I am at half past seven on a Friday evening, sitting at home at my computer, typing like mad in order to create another literary masterpiece about life in the Band Service, oh, and to make the deadline! Well it was either this or nip down the pub for a couple of pints… no contest then.

It's a well known fact Central Music Library collates and supplies all the music for MFM, however, you'd be staggered at the work actually involved, particularly in gaining copyright clearance. This aspect is always time dependant and this year permission for the final item was given at 1200 on the day of the first show. How's that for tight deadlines?

Despite the fact that I produced MFM 01, my predecessor, the now civilianised Bob Metcalf MBE, did much of the background work. MFM 02 would be my first 'cradle to grave' MFM. I thought that having been involved in the previous year this year's MFM would be a doddle. How can anyone be so wrong!

The first hurdle we had to overcome were the Health and Safety implications of the Portsmouth Bandroom. Having been deemed unsafe for Massed Bands to rehearse due to excessive noise levels, we booked the Portsmouth Guildhall for Monday and Tuesday's rehearsals. Thankfully, there was plenty of room in the auditorium for the Band, the RMSM choir and the Fanfare Team, and there was oodles of room on the stage for the percussion and the Corps of Drums. There was also a smaller side room which the choir utilised while the Band were rehearsing their bits. Musically, everyone was impressed as nobody was deafened and each Director of Music had more time to work on their pieces than in previous years. All this, coupled with the fact that it was only a twenty-yard walk to Wetherspoon's, meant that the Guildhall was ideal for all concerned! In fact, it was so successful that we hope to continue to use the Guildhall for rehearsals in the future.

As with all MFMs, time is of the essence and last year we were fortunate to have the Tuesday of MFM week to get into the Albert Hall and set up. This allowed the lighting rigs, the sound desks and the mics - plus the associated cabling and leads - to be set in place without getting in the way of the military security teams or impinging on the rehearsal schedule. This allowed the Wednesday to be both a technical and a musical 'dress' rehearsal. The technical side of things - lighting, sound and stage management - was rehearsed during the Wednesday morning and afternoon, with a full run through of the show in the evening. This allowed for a 'fudge factor' - a period of final readjustment and musical rehearsal - to take place on the Thursday afternoon prior to the first show, if required.

This year we were not so lucky. Bernie Ecclestone and the world of Formula 1 Racing had their annual bash on the Tuesday so we immediately lost out on the 'get in' day. Also, having to extract Formula 1 Racing cars suspended from the Albert Hall ceiling impacted considerably on our 'get in' time on the Wednesday. It meant that the security teams could not get in until later than we had hoped, and the lighting rigs and sound desks etc could not get in until 0900. As you can imagine, compared to last year this gave us no room for error and therefore every second was precious. Fortunately, I had worked out the rehearsal schedule based on the above times and despite the fact that we were nowhere near as comfortable time wise as we were last year, I predicted that with a strictly monitored rehearsal everything should be OK if it all went as planned. Surprise, surprise, it didn't.

Through no fault of anyone, the lighting rig was 'flown' - the technical term for raising it skyward - three hours later than expected. This meant that we were immediately three hours behind schedule as no one could rig the stage until the lighting rig was up and secured, for obvious Health and Safety reasons.

I had arranged for an advance party, comprising featured instrumentalists, the Corps of Drums, percussionists, stage crew and rhythm section, to come up as early as possible. This was to set the stage, gain sound levels on those instrumentalists using mics, and to allow the Corps of Drums to practise entering the auditorium, loading the steps, and picking up their marks on the stage thus creating as much concurrent activity as possible. By the time the advance party pitched up, the tiered staging had only just started being bolted together. Obviously, this still meant that no stands, chairs, mics or musical equipment could be put into place and no sound levels could be achieved, so my concurrent activity plan was shot to pieces. The Corps of Drums did manage to go through their bit so at least something was achieved.
When the main body of the Bands arrived, the stage still hadn't been completed and so unfortunately the Bands just had to wait around until we could start rehearsals. This was not only frustrating for the Bands but also for me as the 'advance party' plan should have alleviated any waiting around, making life as 'user friendly' as possible for the Bands. With time being so tight, as soon as the tiers were completed, the stage crew began to load it with chairs and stands in order to claw back as much time as possible. Eventually, the stage was completed and rehearsals could commence despite still being hours behind. As I mentioned earlier in the article, Wednesday traditionally starts with a technical rehearsal and this year was to be no different. The trouble was, that it was no use going into a full run through without sorting out the stage management or setting the sound levels first, so like being caught in a very small lift with a lady of large proportions, we were really up against it.

The lighting design team - Mr Mark Jones and Musn Karl Westlake - had already been given the majority of the music on CD and had spent the week prior to MFM going through the scores, highlighting the dynamic and mood changes and designing the lighting plan accordingly. All in all, over 540 separate lighting cues were programmed into the lighting desk - 350 of which would be activated by Karl saying "Go!" on the cue. How 'high-tech' is that! Although not ideal by any means, it meant that we didn't have to worry about them too much. However, constant tweaks to the lighting rig had to be made and blown bulbs needed replacing. I have to say that watching the black-clad Karl Westlake running frantically around the RAH looking like a bespectacled, Action Man SAS Trooper, tied around the middle with a Batman-like 'utility belt', dripping with torches, caribinas and various tools of the trade will be one image of MFM which will always stick in my mind, despite all my efforts to eradicate it!

As far as the 'front of house' sound was concerned - BSgt Gordon Carter and Mr Phil Wright from Sound by Design - well, that was a different story. They needed to set levels and balances at certain points in the music in order to produce the finest quality of sound for the audience. Using a 'Voice of God' microphone, I highlighted the areas in each score that needed to be covered and the DOMs went over those areas in each piece. As soon as 'front of house' were happy with the balance, we moved on to the next section. It was fast and furious but it worked, and eventually over 100 separate levels were programmed into the sound desk. It was during this part of the proceedings that I could sense a little frustration setting in. Not surprising really, as it must have been difficult for the Bands to comprehend that starting and stopping in that manner actually achieved anything at all, but there is no question that it is on these technical rehearsals that the show is built.

We had to stop at 1800 for supper and I think everyone was pleasantly surprised as a 35 man field kitchen - a trailer fully rigged with blazing hobs - was set up in the new loading bay directly underneath the RAH. The food was extremely good, and miraculously, the field kitchen didn't violate any Health and Safety regulations or set off the sprinkler system! The thought of the sprinklers going off as everyone was tucking into their scran just doesn't bear thinking about!

At 1900 the technical rehearsals continued with more starting and stopping. We had caught up a bit of time at this point due to the fact that the sound guys were using the minimum of time to maximum effect. However, we still had to work through the planned tea break and were only in a position to start the run through with the comperes, Kate Adie and Desmond Carrington, at about 2115. This meant that some pieces would only be a 'top and tail' run through.

By the end of rehearsals at 2250, everyone had worked extremely hard and we ended up only twenty minutes behind the original schedule. However, for the first time in ages there had been no 'real-time' run through which meant that CSgt Ken Peers had one less recording from which to produce the CD, so there was a bit of extra pressure on him. It also meant that the lighting team would be going in cold on Thursday's show on a number of pieces as the only way for them to see the overall effect was to run each piece of music from start to finish which, of course, could not happen.

On the recording side of things, Ken pulled off a bit of a coup. While talking to one of his contacts in the recording world, he happened to mention that he was being tasked with recording this year's MFM and producing the CD. Realising that MFM was a significant gig in the music world, Ken's contact thought that an American Company might be willing to assist him in his endeavours. Indeed they did, as they allowed Ken to use two 'Active Royer Ribbon' mics for the recording. Now I appreciate that this may not mean a lot to many of you but it transpires that this CD will be the first time ever that those mics have been used in a recording. Another world premier by the Band Service. Nice one Ken, I look forward to hearing the end result.

Now back to the plot. Being twenty minutes behind schedule meant that Thursday's 'fudge factor' became rehearsals too, so we carried on from where we left off the night before. Insofar as the Stage Manager, WO1 Chris Gould, and his team were concerned they had a comparatively easy time of it until 'Majestic Memories'. This was because we had four Post horns, a 'Barber Shop' quintet, a Trad Jazz band and a Cahldie, a Cahdilee, a Calhied… Damn!… a 'Scottish' band - complete with violins, an accordion, soprano sax, one of those drum things - which I also can't spell, and a banjo - all entering at different times and using different mics, so this took a fair while to organise. However, Chris and his team had it sussed in a very short while and we were able to continue without too much delay. Although we had overrun considerably, we eventually completed the technical rehearsal, but with the 'fudge factor' all but eliminated, everyone was literally on the edge of their seats when it came to show time on Thursday. All credit to everyone though, as the show went without a hitch, the audience was blissfully unaware of the problems that we had, and the production team and I breathed a huge sigh of relief!

There is no doubt in my mind that MFM 02 was one of the finest shows that the Band Service has ever produced, but it would've been impossible without the support of SO1 MFM and his team.

This year's SO1 MFM was Lt Col David Summerfield RM. He, CSgt Reg Sheen and CSgt Gareth Davies MBE were responsible for organising the ticketing of the show, the VIP hosting, the catering and of course the policing, security and all Service and non-Service support for the show, plus umpteen other bits and pieces. All in all over 1000 policemen and women were on duty over the four day period, as were 80 guys from the Fleet Royal Marines Protection Group - who formed the internal security party, a team of five RM chefs, and a team of 'Red Caps' and their sniffer dog. Also heavily involved was the Naval Support party formed up of 44 RN and RM personnel employed as programme sellers, cash controllers and access control parties. Without this support MFM would be a non-starter.

On a personal note I would like to thank all those involved in this year's MFM for their hard work, professionalism, patience and what became this year's watchword, flexibility. To my mind, the balance of the programme was excellent, as was the musical performance itself. On the technical side of things, the front of house sound and the lighting design was unsurpassed, and anyone fortunate enough to see 'Toccata in D Minor' will surely endorse that, as it was absolutely world class. The Band Service has evolved considerably since the early days of the MFM, and with the in-house expertise in both lighting design and sound production, we now produce what can only be considered to be a fully-fledged London show of the highest quality of which we can all be justifiably proud.

As I have briefly alluded to, this year's MFM was a series of firsts and lasts. It was Reg Sheen's first as MFM1, it was the first year that we had a field kitchen, it was the first time that we used the loading bay, it's the first year that Ken Peers is producing the MFM CD, and it's the first time ever that 'Active Royer Ribbon' mics were used for a professional recording. Sadly, it was the last MFM for the PDM, CSgt Gareth Davies MBE, and of course Desmond Carrington. On behalf of all those involved in MFM over the years, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work and professionalism, and to wish them all the very best for the future.

It was also the first AND the last time that I get stuck in a lift at 4 o'clock on a Saturday morning with the Corps Drum Major Andy Bridges, but that is a very different - and quite unpleasant - story.

While it may appear that it is all over until next year, it isn't. At the time of writing (mid March) we have the Post-MFM 02 'wash-up' to discuss the nitty-gritty of this year's show. Straight afterwards we go into the first Pre-MFM 03 meeting to discuss where we go in the future. I suppose you could call it the first episode of the Foresight Saga!… or maybe not.