Britannia Row Productions recently deployed a comprehensive audio package for the 2024 BRIT Awards, extending its enduring collaboration with The BRIT School. On a night where former BRIT School scholar, RAYE, won a record-breaking six accolades and 70% of 2024’s winning acts were either female or non-binary, it felt like a full circle moment with Brit Row extending opportunities to aspiring female sound professionals from The BRIT School. Faye Knight, a Production Arts Student at The BRIT School, and Holly van der Rest, an Apprentice in Live Sound at Britannia Row Productions, were warmly embraced into the Brit Row team as part of this year’s initiative. Collaborating closely with Brit Row’s experienced crew, they gained first-hand insight into the intricacies of delivering audio for an event of this magnitude. Speaking to TPi’s Jacob Waite, the duo reflected on their unique experience at the BRITs.
What was your role at the 2024 BRIT Awards?
FK: “My role on the BRIT Awards was to help build and assist those making the RF dollies. This entailed running power underneath the stage, for rehearsals, as well as power to the main stage through a hole, conveniently placed behind the curtain for Holly to run on with her power. Holly and I also mic’d a few dummy drum and percussion kits. Holly and I also got to help put the PA up.”
HVDR: “Across the week I helped in a few areas, but primarily stage tech’ing, helping the Brit Row crew in any way I could. Earlier on in the build days, I helped with running looms and power under and around the stage. As well as setting up the [Clear-Com] FreeSpeak communications system. During the live show I was tasked with running power to the risers during the changeovers, as well as positioning the wedges for each act and the corresponding socca looms.”
How did you end up working on the BRITs?
FK: “Each year, Britannia Row invite our students to apply for a work placement on the BRITs. There is an interview process. I have never been on such a massive show, and seeing how things operate at this large scale, helps me to connect the dots with knowledge that I already knew beforehand.”
HVDR: “After I graduated from Solent University, I got a job at Brit Row as a full-time Warehouse Tech in the Prep and De-prep department (May 2022), where I was involved in building jobs such as MTV EMAs, Eurovision, and the BRITs. After a year, I applied and started the Brit Row Apprenticeship (July 2023) which involves rotating through different departments in the warehouse to learn about speakers, amps, RF and Digi, where a portion of the training involves getting to go out on gigs. I’m currently starting my second half of the apprenticeship – Live Sound Intermediate. It was completely new to me, working on a job of this size, but I already had some knowledge of the BRITs rig through building it inside the warehouse in previous years. However, I hadn’t seen the bigger picture of how it worked on site, so I was very eager to get in there and learn more about it!”
What skills, facts or knowledge did you learn or develop while working with the Brit Row team?
FK: “Simple signal chains and lines, it really furthered my understanding of patching microphones as well as the importance of teamwork. Working with professionals and learning pace and expectations are important, as well as manners. The only reason that anything becomes something is because of the people making it; how can you expect to create such a big operation without being both understanding and polite? Skill wise, I learned how systems work, and the theory, as I could see it in practice, and how it’s built from scratch.”
HVDR: “I was able to be on site during the PA load in and helped the crew with flying an array of boxes. Being in an arena gave the space and need to fly [L-Acoustics] K1, K2, K3, KS-28, and to do it multiple times. The repetition and space to fly all the different speakers was a unique learning opportunity that I haven’t been able to experience yet and was a valuable learning opportunity.”
What advice would you offer to other peers looking to follow in your footsteps and gain similar work experience opportunities?
FK: “Be prepared to work hard and do long hours, which can get a bit lonely! You need to be secure within yourself. There’s not a lot of time for family, friends or much else in live events so it’s just something to keep in mind. You do make friends with the people around you, and often everyone is very nice.”
HVDR: “There’s a part of being in the right place at the right time however that only works if you can provide the necessary skills when put in that situation, so work hard in refining your craft and working on your knowledge. Networking and gain contacts of other people in the industry is also important. Get as much experience from doing gigs at local theatres and venues to gain contacts.”
How did it feel to be involved in this illustrious event?
FK: “It was a great honour and privilege to work on the event, key takeaways I took from this was that this is something I want to do, as it interests me. Highlights would be taking the rig apart! It’s great to accomplish something and then de-rig and put it away.”
HVDR: “I found it an enjoyable and valuable experience where I was able to learn so much regarding gig protocols and the different roles that are involved in an event of that size. My highlight was helping set the stage between the artists performances and experiencing the pressure and adrenaline that came with the BRITs being a live broadcasted show.”
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