Unsung Heroes of Festivals - Juan Latour of Loud & Bright

We’re starting a brand new feature here at Skiddle, an insight into the unsung heroes of the Festival circuit. Whilst we all camp in the mud, drink warm beer in the rain and brave the other festival foibles mainly to see and hear our favourite bands, DJs, comedians and singers all perform, there’s a lot of hard work that often goes un-heralded during your time there. We’re seeking to re-address that balance.

For the people who clean the portaloos, the bar staff that decipher your incoherent babble into orders, the sound guys who keep the show going and even the volunteers who steer you in the right direction towards your campsite in the early hours; Skiddle salutes you. Here in our office we’ve had many an experience over the years with the saviours of fun in a field, and we’re seeking some of them out to get their viewpoint on the magic of festivals.

First up is one of the many impresarios behind the production aesthetic of festivals, Juan Latour of Loud and Bright. The company has played a huge part in the spectacle at the Wickerman Festival each year, so with our involvement once again confirmed we thought Juan’s thoughts would be the perfect springboard for us to start the series.

So tell us what job you do and for what festivals?

I run a PA & lighting company called Loud & Bright and apart from their very first event I've been involved with the Wickerman Festival every year. Due to my love of dance music I've always been keen on providing the gear for the "Dance Village". 

Over the years I've gone from providing mainly sound systems to now concentrating on lighting. Some years I provided all the sound and lighting for four dance tents and the Skiddle band tent. I've had so much fun over working with Wickerman during that time and watched the festival grow to what it has become today. I would hate to miss an event now - it's become one of the highlights of my year.

How long have you been doing it for, and what attracted you to doing it?

I became interested in sound and lighting about 20 years ago when I was a dance event promoter. I was spending a fortune on hiring in gear and decided to buy my own equipment. As the years went by I bought more and more, starting to hire it out to other promoters who were also putting on nights.  Things progressed and eventually I decided to pursue hiring equipment full time.

I love music and my taste is really broad. I'm lucky - my hobby is also my job and I get to see some amazing bands and DJs.

Do you think the job you do is appreciated by the average festival goer?

I think most festival goers are pretty savvy when it comes to knowing the difference between good and poor sound and lighting. When the music being played by the performer is right and we also get it right something magical happens, there’s a huge eruption of positive emotion exploding on the dance floor. The smiles are enough for me to know that my part in the experience has been appreciated. I don't need people to come and thank me verbally (although it is always nice).

The part of my job that is probably not appreciated is the amount of preparation beforehand that goes into setting everything up, programming lights and the long hours during the actual festival. Then when everyone goes home the whole lot needs to be taken down, driven back to the warehouse and cleaned and checked.

Do you ever get to go to Festivals just as a punter? If so where do you go?

Not often. I do watch them on the TV but I find I spend a lot of the time concentrating on the equipment being used rather than enjoying the acts. Surprisingly, I actually appreciate the acts more when I'm doing their sound or lighting.

What’s the worst experience weather wise you’ve ever had to endure?

It’s never actually been that bad. Yes, there's been times when it seems to have rained constantly during a festival but generally I don't really worry about it. The only time weather affects me is during loading and unloading vehicles.

If you could manage your own Festival, what five acts would you pick and what location would you use? And what would you call it?

I’d have Rihanna, Swedish House Mafia, Beyonce, Take That, and One Direction playing, at Hyde Park, and call it PopFest.

And finally, tell us the funniest story you’ve ever encountered at work?

Two years ago, when the last DJ had just finished playing in the EM-IT tent and everyone had vacated, we realised that someone outside was undoing all the guy ropes. The whole tent was at risk of collapsing on top of all the gear inside so we rapidly went round re-attaching the guys. Eventually we caught the idiot who was still undoing them so we told him to stop.

He immediately got very abusive and violent, however, although he was a very big man he was also very drunk and, looking back, his attempts to try to hit me were pretty comical. Eventually security and then the police came and he was taken away. If we hadn't noticed what he was doing it could have been a very different outcome, but as it is, one I can look back on now with a bit of a chuckle.

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