STUART BARNES- Sound engineer

Stuart has his hands full at every gig, corralling 32 channels of drums, guitars, keyboards and microphones into the PA so that audiences can hear the level of detail Los Endos put into their performances.

Stuart is a capable keyboard player in his own right, having played over
300 gigs over the years, mainly in covers/function bands, but also as a
session player and songwriter.
Stuart started sound engineering by being thrown in at the deep end in
1993. On turning up to play his very first gig, the event organiser told
him that he was running the PA as well! From there, Stuart became the
regular 'house engineer' for events at The Telegraph in Putney, which he
managed to fit in between gigs with the bands he was in at the time.
Stuart: "It was a big old Peavey PA that Dire Straits used for a while, to
rehearse with..." During this time, Stuart learned a lot about the
psychology associated with running live sound. Stuart: "Some artists need
speaking to in certain ways in order to get results from. A smile and a
calm demeanour can go a long way, even with divas...although not always.
You can't talk sense to everyone."

Around this time, Stuart also undertook an wiring/installation job at
First Studios in Morden a local 24 track digital studio. Stuart "It was a
lovely studio with state of the art equipment (for the time. ADAT was a
great format, but it had limitations; You could never get all three
machines to lock up quickly when recording...). As soon as the place was
finished they took bookings. As I knew how the place was wired, I was
taken on a resident engineer, which taught me a lot about the signal path
and effects processors." It was during his time at First that he learned
some important lessons. Stuart "Even if you are in a soundproof vocal/drum
room with the doors closed, microphones in that room are likely to be
plugged in. Do not engage the bass player in a conversation about the lead
singer's girlfriends redeeming features, especially when said lead singer
is in the control room next door with the desk and monitor speakers turned
up!" and "Smile. Even when the singer in the vocal room is on take 56 of a
verse and everyone in the control room is arguing, take a deep breath, ask
for some quiet in the room, then press the talkback button and say 'that
was great, but I'd like you to do it one more time just to be sure'. Then
let go of the button, start the tape rolling and join in the shouting and
arguing!"

It was through First that Stuart was commissioned to arrange and produce a
cover version of Wind Beneath My Wings for a charity release. The single
did quite well considering it was a small scale production for a charity.
Stuart was involved in the publicity, taking part in radio interviews,
etc. Stuart: "I took part in an interview on BBC Radio to promote the
single, which was also played on air. How's that for ego inflating?".

"First then branched out into PA hire and seeing as I was on good terms
with the boss, I was asked to run the various rigs when they went out.
More valuable experienced followed. You learn to do things quickly when
you have to coil up a 24 channel multicore in the rain!"
Stuart stayed with First when they relocated to Mitcham, providing
consultation with building and acoustic design for the new studio complex.
As with Morden, he did the wiring. Not long afterwards, Surrey County
Council approached him to do wiring/installs in schools and colleges in
the county. From this work, Stuart was sub-contracted to provide location
recordings at Redhill Theatre and Southwark Cathedral.

Not long after that, Stuart went back to his first love of keyboard
playing, with Loose Change, a regional pub/club band. This lasted about 50
gigs, until he was talent spotted by MPostor, then one of the countries'
top party/function bands. Starting out as a dep for one gig overseas (OK,
the Isle of Wight. Anyone thinking that isn't overseas should try walking
there...!), the band soon took him on full time. Stuart: "MPostor was a
big step up from Loose Change. I went from playing to 50 people a night
with Loose Change to over 400, on a regular basis with MPostor. I also got
roped in to setting up and running the PA. I was given the main desk to
control from next to my keyboards... We would play everywhere we could.
Some of the more notable venues we played were, The Bier Keller in
Bracknell, Annie MacNamara's in Leytonstone, The Galtymore in Cricklewood,
Bad Bob's in Covent Garden, The Shebeen in Wood Green and O'Neills in
Richmond. All different and exciting places. Gigs at these places got us
functions, which is where the real money is. We would go literally
anywhere for a party. Army barracks, hotels, country houses; even a
marquee on top of the White Cliffs of Dover! In autumn 2001, we did a
wedding reception on the side of a hill, near Manchester. England were
playing Germany; yep the 5-1 game. We'd set up and were standing around
waiting for the meal to finish, listening to the football on one of our
car stereos. One by one, the men in the wedding party would sneak out of
the marquee for a quick fag and to check the results. By the time dessert
was being served all there were about 50 blokes huddled around my car
listening to the commentary... Being in a band also meant you could see
things from a different perspective to the punters; you had a better view
from the stage. Things like arguements, fights, two women kissing, etc!
Then there was the time a guy from the crowd got up on stage during Hot
Stuff. By the end of the song he was starkers and gyrating himself around
our lead singer. She wasn't too amused. Neither was her husband, the
drummer! Playing so close to the crowd sometimes means that people think
you're readily accessable. I would regularly have people come up to me
during a set, intent on trying to start a conversation. During one gig at
The Shebeen, I had a rather drunk woman get on to the stage and try
talking to me whilst I was playing. I was short with her, but I think I
got my point across without offending her...

Her: Can you play some Irish songs?
Me: No.
Her: Why not?
Me: We're not Irish.

She didn't know what else to say and so she left the stage and I got on
with playing.

I have so many fond memories of MPostor that I will always look back on my
time with them and smile. Even the 70's nights we did were fun; although
some of the costumes weren't. You've never really played live properly
until you've done it wearing a silver lame suit, an afro wig, sunglasses
and platform shoes! And don't think I got away with it by sitting down for
the whole gig. I've always stood when playing gigs. Try working a sustain
pedal with one foot whilst trying to balance on the other, when you're
wearing 4 inch platforms...!"

All good things come to an end, and Stuart parted ways with MPostor in
2004 to take up sound engineering work with other clients. This has taken
him to theatres such as Bristol's Colston Hall, Guildhall Portsmouth,
Birmingham Hippodrome, Fairfield Halls, Croydon and The Royal Albert Hall.

CREDITS »

Bands

LED
Blue Life City
Stone Cold Sober
Arcade
Diagonal Red
Indecision
Loose Change
MPostor
Massey Fantastic

Sessions

Emi Callina
MPostor (before he joined as a full time player)

Engineering

Maria Smyles
Mike Boyce
Sisters Of Percy
Dancing Brave
Junction 9
The Hollies
Cuento
Ijay
Lisbee
Hell n Back
Los Endos

Equipment list ::

Front Of House

Yamaha MG32/14FX mixer
Samson SCom4 compressors x 2
Lexicon MPX100 FX
Behringer Virtualizer FX
Behringer FBQ3102 EQ
Numark CD15 CD Player

PA

Studiospares Fortissimo 12a Active's x 2
Studiospares Fortissimo 15a Active Subs x 2