Spotlight On: Adlib

Members of the LCR Music Board were recently treated to a tour of Adlib’s extensive headquarters in Knowsley, making this the ideal local business for our first ‘Spotlight On’ feature.

Nearly four decades of experience has enabled Adlib to establish itself as one of the most well-known and respected names in the events and technical services industry, supporting the live music and events industry to entertain audiences all over the world.

Time has flown by since the company was established in the early 80s, and it started taking its first steps in building a brand that would grow steadily and diversify to provide technical and production solutions in the UK and across the globe.

From touring in the early days with the likes of Texas, founder Andy Dockerty, has brought together a team of people who have built up a formidable reputation as one of the country’s leading rental houses, supplying technical production for the likes of David Bowie, Sam Fender, The Script, Westlife, and George Ezra.

After recognising opportunities to supply additional production disciplines, Adlib slowly grew its lighting and video expertise to fully embrace a 360-degree scope of operation, offering its customers complete production services capable of servicing large arena and stadium shows.

However, only after Adlib moved from its premises in Speke to Knowsley in 2018 did the company cemented its claim as one of the largest independent companies in the technical production industry. Increasing its full-time staff from 60 to nearly 200 and having over 90,000sq ft to play with meant Adlib has been allowed space for its continual development and exploration of the latest technologies, partnering with the industry’s leading manufacturers.

Kevin McManus, UNESCO Head of Music, said: “The Adlib head office and warehouse space in Knowsley are impressive; from seeing the size and variation of their services and equipment, you can really appreciate how big they are, in terms of
both size and stature.”

“From chatting to the highly skilled team, it’s apparent how passionate and dedicated they are to their skills; no wonder they’re the best in the business.”

Throughout the years’ Adlib has been responsible for developing some of the brightest talent in the industry, and the company continues to be recognised for its commitment to education.

What started as a small PA company, today boasts lighting, rigging, video, sales, installation, and special projects departments with additional operations in Scotland and London, all of which are supported by in-house services, including CAD design and pre-visualisation studios, pre-production space, manufacturing facilities, service centre, and logistics including fleet transport – giving Adlib everything they need to operate as one independent and specialist organisation.

And now, with the addition of its new content department, Adlib is thrilled to continue its journey in video and post-production – as well as live broadcasting, multi-camera shoots, and producing content for the artists they work with.

Adlib’s success results from the organisations’ ambition to evolve and champion new technologies while providing superior services to its clients. Key to this is Adlib’s dedicated technical department which sits at the heart of the business and brings together industry specialists in audio, lighting, video, design, and immersive technologies to set the company’s technical standards, carry out research and development into emerging technologies and support projects with bespoke solutions.

Adlib has vast experience in the immersive field and installed Europe’s first L-Acoustics L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound system at EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) in 2018. They’ve also worked on video projection projects, including the UK’s largest augmented reality (AR) 3D projection game with Wirral-based Focal Studios and 360-degree projection-mapped museum installations with Liverpool-based Draw & Code.

Recent additions to the team include specialists in virtual production, real-time content, camera and object tracking, and live broadcast technology. More recently, Adlib provided another L-ISA immersive audio system to University College London’s Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL) – a 4,000sqm, 10-metre-high laboratory and testing ground for simulating real-life events with over 150 loudspeakers and a dedicated immersive audio mixing lab.

“Immersive technologies like VR and AR are part of the future of live music because they can create a more interactive and immersive environment for concert-goers, provide access to people who may not be able to attend in person, offer new revenue streams for the music industry, and reach a wider audience.” says Andrew Watts, Head of Technical at Adlib.

As a technology provider, Adlib continues to engage in immersive projects and R&D to support its client’s artistic ambitions.

Find out more about Adlib at www.adlib.co.uk