Pete's Guide to Concert Venues

As an amateur sound engineer I'm always interested in the sound quality at the various venues I've been to. Here's my personal guide to the best and worst venues to see live bands at. Obviously this will be coloured by the sound engineer in question that night and how well the band played so take all reviews with a pinch of salt. In summary, Milton Keynes Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, Brixton Academy and Clare Cellars all good. The Cobden Club, Earls Court and Cambridge Corn Exchange worth avoiding.

• Audley End Hall I saw Jools Holland here. As expected for an outside venue the mixing was good and everything was very clear. However, I was on the front row which distorted things slightly as I could hear Mark Flanagans guitar amp and the large horn section clearly from their on stage sound. This turned out to be advantageous as the tech crew had massively under supplied the power supply. As the back lights came on the sound went off, again later the baritone sax played a low note and the sound went off. Jools Holland improvised well with his brass section playing unaccompanied for several minutes at a time throughout the four power failures.
• Milton Keynes Bowl I saw Bon Jovi, Matchbox 20 and support here and the sound was fantastic. Not overly loud, clear for all of the bands and well mixed. The best live sound I've yet experienced.
• Royal Albert Hall I saw Jewel supported by Rosie Thomas here. Despite some reservations going in the sound was superb apart from an echo from the back wall which was noticeable on some drum solos. Other than that it was well mixed and sounded great.
• Cambridge Corn Exchange I've seen Jools Holland, Manic Street Preachers, Space, Terrorvision, Mary Black, Beverley Craven, Bill Bailey, Jack Dee and many others here. In general the sound quality here is distorted and muffled with huge peaks around 3kHz. Beverly Craven was an exception due to being a solo gig that was mostly empty. It's often very loud. Wearing Ultratech earplugs with a gentle treble roll off improves it greatly. Not recommended but sounds better towards the front.
• Cambridge Junction I saw the Divine Comedy here. It was very very loud and the band were extremely drunk so it's a bit hard to tell. The vocals seemed distorted though.
• The Boat Race, Cambridge Atcha Acoustic, The Hamsters and many other bands I've forgotten. Generally the sound here is very good but a little too loud. Things are sometimes a bit distorted due to push the too far but always well mixed. This is even true of the open stage nights which is quite an achievement.
• Cherry Hinton Hall, Cambridge I saw many people at the folk festival, the sound on all stages was competent but there was some inevitable cross talk between stages. Generally good throughout though.
• Nynex, Manchester I saw Elton John here, the sound was competent but echoed a little. Possibly because I was sat near the back.
• Earls Court, London Very bad echoing from the room and a muffled sound all round. Not recommended. May be due to sitting up near the top a long way from the stage.

• The Cobden Club, Kensal Road, London I saw Morroco here, a small venue for an unsigned band. Having mixed the myself I know the band can sound very good, however the Cobden Club managed worst sound I have yet heard. Incorrectly miked instruments, horrendous distortion on the lead vocal to the point of incomprehensibility, a horrible mix and a nasty sound overall. I have since mixed the band personally much more competently.

  Update :- I've been in email contact with the new sound guys at the Cobden club who took over. They had this to say.

  Ok that's fine. We didn't take over until June 2003 (morocco played for us
  over the summer) and the guy we have (Dave Dix) totally overhauled the sound
  in there and they're in the process of installing a new pa as well.
  
  We're packed out every week these days and putting on loads of acts for the
  industry, so if they're happy so are we. I was just curious as to how you
  guys could have got it so wrong. But as it was before our time it's
  irrelvent. You're more than welcome to come down whenever. We're there every
  Monday and Tuesday and it's £4 to get in. You will need to contact
  christian@songlink.com to get on the guest list and obviously drinking is
  heavily encouraged and I'll foot the bill for any tap water you indulge in.
  

• Brixton Academy, London I saw the Beautiful South here, the sound was very loud but fairly clear and well mixed. The slanting floor was a little disconcerting but ensured a fantastic view. Recommended.
• Wembley Stadium, London I saw Bon Jovi and support here. Muffled sound, too quiet compared to the crowd it sounded poor. I was relatively close to the front too. Long echoes could be heard off the back of the stadium.
• Clare Cellars, Cambridge As a resident sound engineer I've seen hundreds of people here. It generally sounds quite good but it muffles quickly through the room because of the pillars. It's worth standing in the front quarter of the room to get good sound but it might be a little loud.
• Ain't Nothin' But, London [somewhere] I saw a blues band here who's name I've forgotten. Pretty good sound despite using Bose 802 speakers with no 802 controller, just a well set EQ instead.
• Davenport Theatre, Stockport I saw the Commitments here, it sounded excellent.
• Empire Theatre, Liverpool I saw the Commitments here, the sound was over loud and very distorted.
• Apollo Theatre, Manchester I've seen Mark Knopfler and the Corrs here, both sounded clear and well done. The Corrs sounded over produced but that's typical of their later album sound.
• Gmex, Manchester I saw Meatloaf here, it was a long time ago but I think it was fairly good if a little echoey.
• Parr Hall, Warrington I saw Jools Holland here, it was adequate.
• Palace Theatre, Manchester I've seen the Rocky Horror Show and the Blues Brothers Tribute here. Both times the sound was very good.
• Cambridge Arts Theatre I saw the Blues Brothers Tribute Here. Sound was clear and well done.
• Arena, Sheffield I saw Eric Clapton here a long time ago. I think the sound was alright.
• Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield I saw Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Thunder here. I recall the sound being good and clear throughout.

Home