NOVEMBER | FEATURE
Powering Covid-secure shows
Access speaks to Engine No 4 directors Jon Drape and Jim Gee , who cast a retrospective eye on the two major Covid-secure events it worked on this summer , and survey the damage the pandemic has done to the festival industry
Words : Stuart Wood
Manchester-based event production company Engine No 4 has had a busier summer than most . While many in the live industry were forced to shut up shop , Engine has been behind two of 2020 ’ s most notable socially distanced event spaces – Manchester ’ s Escape to Freight Island and Newcastle ’ s Virgin Money Unity Arena .
The latter – despite being closed a week early due to a local lockdown – spent the better part of a month as the UK ’ s only functioning outdoor arena . Pioneered by Steve Davis of SSD Concerts and brought to life with help from Engine No 4 , it hosted acts as varied as Van Morrison and Jimmy Carr in a socially-distanced format that saw visitors standing apart in fencedoff areas .
Jim Gee , one of Engine No 4 ’ s directors who was heavily involved in the Unity Arena project , says that building a strong relationship with the local council was key . “ The conversations with the council happened really early . They trusted Steve and SSD ,” he says . “[ The council ] were really keen to make something
Escape To Freight Island happen and were treating it as a challenge , to see if we could be the first region to get live music rolling again .”
Although originally conceived as a drive-in event , the cars were eventually scrapped in favour of fenced-off areas with chairs for sitting . One upside of the fenced-off spaces was that they were very accessible for the elderly and those with disabilities . But these were not the only people to benefit from some extra space , says Gee : “ Apart from the physical accessibility issues , people just feel more comfortable being in areas where they ’ re not trapped in . I actually quite like that sort of thing , I ’ m long past my time of being in the moshpit .”
Jon Drape , another director at Engine No 4 , reiterates the importance of relationships with local authorities : “ In these challenging times we ’ re in , that relationship with local
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