Next year is the 20th anniversary of our first Yorkshire based space Studio 001, so it’s fitting that we’ve welcomed back some of the biggest names in rock music as we get ready to celebrate this milestone.
We’ve hugely enjoyed hosting Sam Fender and crew who chose Production Park to finesse the upcoming tour, which is his first in the UK since 2022 and explains why this stellar talent has sold out all his UK dates as well as many in Europe and the US too.
Photo credit: Mike Grey
As well as our studio spaces they’ve made themselves completely at home in our bespoke catering and bar areas, which we love to see.
Kasabian gave us the seal of approval, immediately rebooking to come back in November for full band and production rehearsals after their summer spell with us. When they performed at the 02 London, the tech teams rightly got their very own shout out in The UpComing review which raved: “Sergio Pizzorno performed against a sprawling, psychedelic design featuring their new album’s concept in rainbow hues and an old-school melting font… the lights immediately captured the album’s aesthetic, with shifting colours and strobes creating an electrifying backdrop that complemented the setlist without overwhelming it.”
Photo credit: Katja Ogrin
Keane were also with us for production rehearsals in Studio 005 to prep for dates to mark the twentieth anniversary of their award-winning debut album. The Times reviewer loved the ‘smart staging’ and highlighted how singer Tom Chaplin ‘spent the show striding down a three-pronged walkway into the crowd, jumping onto raised platforms with his arms aloft and dropping to his knees for prolonged periods. The rarely played Sunshine was spectacular, the stage bathed in orange, the song shimmering at snail pace.’
Photo credit: Mike Grey
And it’s not only in Yorkshire that we’ve been helping some of the greatest names in music prepare for their fans. At our London venue The Mill in Wimbledon we’ve been busy accommodating Paul Weller, Caribou and Interpol for band and production rehearsals, while Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds also used us to get set-ready for their Aussie maestro.
But it’s not just been about the music this Autumn, and we’ve started pushing into exciting new areas of business. We announced a major TV booking when for six months this summer we were the main production base for Netflix TV series Adolescence courtesy of Sheffield based Warp Productions and Matriarch.
Photo courtesy of Netflix/@Ben Blackall 2024
We hosted a world class cast including Liverpool superstar Stephen Graham and Ashley Walters of Top Boy fame plus all cast and crew. The entire set was built here at Production Park and our teams advised on nearby locations for further filming. It was a great experience for all of us involved and we can’t wait to see it on screens in Spring next year!
Another booking which moved us into very new and exciting territory was virtual star Hatsune Miko in October.
The animated music star and cultural phenomenon Hatsune Miko is entirely artificially created and attracts huge crowds across the globe, including Coachella and North America.
The virtual vocaloid singer was built using vocal samples with voice synthesizer software, and is accompanied by four human musicians while she appears as a hologram in a transparent screen.
Finally we were honoured to open Studio 001 at Production Park in early September to the entire cast and crew of Les Misérables, as they prepared to set off on a worldwide Arena tour. Featuring a stellar line up of Les Mis veterans, this co-production between Cameron Mackintosh and NGM global saw the Production Park campus positively bursting at the seams.
Scott Matthews, Studio General Manager at Production Park said: “Our studios are more than just spaces; they’re part of a fully equipped ecosystem designed to support every aspect of live entertainment production. We offer an integrated catering service to make our offer fully 360 and we’ve prepared meals for 95% of our clients this past quarter. Our full bar is also great for post-rehearsal relaxation. We are so much more than just a black box space to rehearse in.”
We’re also proud to support the next generation of talent, training students at our on-site Academy of Live Technology. This quarter, we’ve welcomed Academy students to shadow client teams, giving them invaluable hands-on experience in live entertainment production and management, and providing our clients with a local crew to support their team.
Now we are looking forward to end of year festivities and an even more exciting 2025. See you on the other side!
If you want to work with us or find out more about Production Park or The Mill studios please either give us a call on (00 44) 01977 659 850 or email Studios@ProductionPark.co.uk and we’ll get back to you.
Lead photo credit: Mike Grey