Issue 62

PEOPLE
Behind the Scenes
Tom Cheshire
Tom gives us a glimpse into South West Backline, a sound
production company he runs with his dad
SOUTH WEST Backline is a live sound
production company based in Devon run
by my father and I. We’ve been in the live
sound business since 1997 and have recently
increased our backline stock dramatically
as well as upgrading to a state of the art
L-acoustic sound system.
My main role within the business is
festivals and events. This mainly entails
organising and testing the equipment before
we deliver it to a site and on to each stage.
Above all else though our main role is to
ensure that every act can run smoothly with
optimal sound quality so the crowd and act
can focus on a memorable performance.
I’ve grown up within the festival industry
with my first being Beautiful Days setting
up DJ decks. There I met Ray Paul of the
Playmaker Group and it all snowballed
from there. Ray then gave me my first stage
management job at a festival in Bognor Regis
called Southport Weekender. It was there
that I did my first 12 hour shift which made
me reevaluate my passion, luckily it didn't
sway me! I went on to work at Glastonbury,
Boardmasters and at many more events.
After I realised that I definitely wanted to
work in the music industry I started to apply
for university. I received three unconditional
“MOST PEOPLE WOULD
AGREE WORKING IN THE
MUSIC INDUSTRY CAN BE
HECTIC AND MY WORK
ENVIRONMENT IS NO
DIFFERENT”
offers but, as more festival bookings came
in, I decided to defer my offer for a year. The
year passed and SWB grew and began to get
more bookings, so when the time came I
decided not to go to university and took the
jump into full time work. This is one of the
biggest decisions I have ever made and so far
it is paying off.
Most people would agree working in
the music industry can be hectic and my
work environment is no different. I have
learned that you can lower stress levels
with pre-emptive planning to reduce any
surprises. This normally includes constant
equipment checks to make sure everything
is functioning but equally important is good
communication with event organisers, and
detailed spec sheets and riders to make sure
nothing is missed. This is what most of my
job entails outside of show days.
This year we are looking forward to a busy
festival season supplying backline to major
events across the UK. We are also working
closely with promoters and councils to
produce live shows providing sound, light,
power and infrastructure.
Most challenges I come across within live
production are normally due to a breakdown
of communication, whether that be the
wrong information being sent or never being
sent at all! The only way to overcome this is
to always make sure communication is open
and everything is double checked.
The most important part of any festival is
the crew behind the scenes. A happy team
will always go above and beyond to make
the best show they can. A crew that is fed
watered and laughing is the only crew you
want on stage.
The best part of working at SWB is
certainly the dogs, although we don’t
bring them on show days. Elmo, Bean and
Boudicca make sure everyone is smiling,
whether that be from climbing across flight
cases or falling asleep on a pile of cables.
I’m proud of how much SWB has grown
as well as what I have done at 19 years old,
although I don’t want my age to overshadow
what I accomplished so far. The thing I love
most about my job is seeing the crowd. After
the setup and all the headaches, knowing
you have created an environment that so
many people are enjoying is what makes
my job the best job in the world. I couldn’t
imagine doing anything else and I hope if I
stay on this path I will never have to.
DETAILS
South West Backline
01409 231620
www.southwestbackline.com
74 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM