Having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in 2009, orchestrated the Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012, written countless chart topping charity songs and now orchestrated his third Children in Need Rocks Concert, Gary Barlow’s charitable efforts are quite incredible. Alongside these commendable achievements and the millions of pounds raised for charity, another thing is certain; if Gary Barlow is putting on a party, it is not one you want to miss.

The 2013 Children in Need Rocks concert featured an all-star line-up of Britain’s biggest and best artists. From music industry icons such as Tom Jones, Barry Manilow and Robbie Williams, to pop’s new generation; Rizzle Kicks, Ellie Goulding and Little Mix, the back-to-back concerts illustrated the exceptional array of talent Britain has to offer, with plenty of big surprises along the way.

Delta Sound was selected to deliver the live audio for these high profile concerts which were televised to accompany the main Children in Need show on BBC One on the 15th of November. Orchestrated by Delta’s Project Manager and Gary Barlow’s long term monitors engineer Steve Lutley, Delta Sound provided both the live sound system and engineers to this A-list event.

Taking place at London’s Hammersmith Apollo, Children in Need Rocks 2013 was presented by Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans who, like Gary Barlow, have also dedicated large parts of their career’s to raising money for charity. Presenting over a dozen acts between the two evenings, Fearne and Chris introduced each artist which included global indie-rock sensations; Kings of Leon and special guest Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, who performed the classic hit; ‘Mr Blue Sky’.

The second concert was opened by 2013’s breakthrough band Bastille who performed their smash hit ‘Pompeii’ with a thunderous rhythm section of drummers. The evening also saw a unique collaboration from two artists currently dominating the airwaves; Tom Odell and Nicole Scherzinger. As Odell hammered at the keys in his intense signature style, he welcomed Nicole Scherzinger to the stage to perform a surprise duet of ‘I just Want to Make Love to You’. As an audio supplier to The X Factor, it was a delight to be working with Nicole again who showed exactly why she is a judge on the UK’s biggest talent show, belting out a scintillating version Etta James’ hit single.

For this event, Delta utilised its diverse stock of L’ACOUSTICS loudspeakers, opting to use a left/ right line array which comprised of 9 V-DOSC speakers underpinned with 3 dV-DOSC’s for down-fill flown either side of the stage. The L’ACOUSTICS PA provided more than enough power for the sold-out Hammersmith Apollo, evenly covering the stalls, circle and the balcony. One of the biggest challenges presented to the engineers during each concert however, was the minimal time permitted between acts. With numerous production teams on site and each artist bringing their own individual set, the turn-around between performances had to be exceptionally quick and efficient, leaving no room for error. With both concerts running smoothly, everything went to plan and if the continual screams and cheers from the crowd were anything to go by, the audience certainly enjoyed the show too.

At a staggering 31 million pounds, Children in Need 2013 was a record breaking event, raising the largest amount in the programme’s history. At £75 per ticket, the Children in Need Rocks concerts helped to make that number a reality, with all of the proceeds going towards the grand total. It may have been an expensive ticket, but with performances from the one and only Madness who had the venue jumping to the sound of ‘Baggy Trousers’ alongside a surprise performance of ‘Could this be Magic’ by Barry Manilow, Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, Children in Need Rocks was a concert like no other.

For many in the audience, Gary Barlow’s headline performance was the highlight of the event, bringing the house down with a selection of songs from his 23 year career, including Take That hits; ‘Greatest Day,’ ‘Shine’ and a show stopping duet with fellow X Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger as they belted out the 1993 classic; Relight my Fire.

Working with live music is one of the most enjoyable aspects of Delta Sound’s operations. Projects such as this which involve a diverse array of musical styles provide our engineers with the opportunity to delve into the creative artistry that is audio engineering at the highest level, whilst working with some of the UK’s most iconic acts.