Ethos Public Relations Manchester

'See' the music at Band on the Wall

by Ethos public relations

Manchester's legendary music venue Band on the Wall has installed a unique equaliser which allows passers by to 'see' the music that is being played inside the venue.

The equaliser, which was made and designed from scratch by Pop Empires and Lee Donnelly, has 16,000 LED lights and uses half a kilometre of wiring. The equaliser was a year in the making and allows people outside the venue the see the music that is playing inside the venue through and series or bars that light up as you would see on a radio.

Mike Trainor of Pop Empires said: "It is so good to see the equaliser up and running at Band on the Wall. Lee and I have designed, made and installed the equaliser from start to finish and we hope the people of Manchester get as much joy out of it as we did. It is a unique production and we think it takes 'the pulse of the city'. It is also quite environmentally friendly in that - even though it is very light - it does not use up much power due to the fast switching LEDs"

The equaliser, which covers the entire outside top corner of the building, will be on most afternoons and evening. During the afternoon it will play the sound and noises coming from the Picturehouse and during the evening it will play the sounds of the artists inside the venue. The equaliser can also be transferred so that it plays the sounds coming from outside the venue - meaning ambulance sirens and people talking can have an effect on the lights on the equaliser.

Mike Chadwick, Music Programmer at Band on the Wall: "As well as being a wonderful artwork, the equaliser not only acts as a visual gateway to the city's vibrant Northern Quarter, but also we hope as a symbol of the revitalisation of Manchester's music scene with the reopening of Band on the Wall."

Ceri Aston, who was at the launch of the landmark piece of public artwork, said: "The equaliser looks cool and it certainly lights up the venue and the streets! People were going past honking their horns at it and I can see people having a lot of fun with it."

To find out more about the venue, receive advance event notification and obtain discounts please visit the Band on the Wall website at www.bandonthewall.org.

Posted at 2^nd December 2009