Noel Gallagher and Snow Patrol boosted by Adamson E15s in Switzerland

Taking place on a clearing atop the Gurten foothills on the Swiss Alps, the annual Gurten Festival once again saw a raft of equipment from Adamson in use across the four-day event, providing sound reinforcement for the likes of Noel Gallagher, Lenny Kravitz and Snow Patrol.

Ever since production company Livesound became an Adamson Y-Axis partner back in 2005, Gurten Fest has come to rely on the loudspeaker manufacturer’s Y18s on its main stage for sound reinforcement. However, this year Livesound saw the festival as a prime opportunity to take on Adamson’s new E15 system, which was dispatched from the UK to Adamson’s Hamburg warehouse in Germany, where it was then prepped and shipped to Switzerland.

Hosting an array of high-profile artists, such as Lenny Kravitz, Snow Patrol, Norah Jones, The Roots, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and Gorillaz Sound System, the festival’s main stage incorporated an audio system comprised of 24 Adamson E15s and 15 T21 subs, which were divided into two stacks of six enclosures placed on left and right of the stage, with three cabinets in the centre. Meanwhile, eight Adamson SpekTrix were used as out fills, with an additional eight more for near and lip fills. Eight Y18’s were used on delay towers behind the FOH position.

Jochen Sommer of Adamson Europe, commented: “The Adamson E15s got raving feedback from many engineers of acts such as Snow Patrol, Norah Jones, Nick Brave and the backbeats, Casper, Züri West, and Lenny Kravitz.”

Noel Gallagher’s Flying Birds’ FOH Engineer Antony King also expressed his delight with the Adamson units, noting that more Adamson PA systems should be deployed in the UK. Commenting on the E15’s performance at the festival, King added: “They feel fantastically clear, whilst retaining a smooth warmth, that most modern systems seem to lack.”

Thomas Gfeller, Technical director of Livesound, explained: “We did a four-day test drive of the new Adamson E15 in combination with our T21 Subs. The E15 delivers much more power at a reduced weight compared to any array in the market. The system’s consistencies in the horizontal plane, as well as superior resolution even at highest SPL were very impressive.”

Kaspar ‘Tropf’ Philip Wiens, FOH Engineer for Jan Delay, noted that he’d love to take the festival’s combo of E15s with T21 Subs on tour: “They provide a very transparent sound with a well-defined spatial separation of source, with amazing vocal definition – even with an artist like Jan Delay whose voice is complex to mix. From a sonic point of view I would rate the Gurten Festival among the top three Jan Delay shows ever.”

The system also received positive comments from both visitors and management: “A deliriously happy promoter hollered at us: ‘There is no way around the E15s in the future!’” Gfeller explains.

On the B-Stage – the Zeltbühne or ‘Tent Stage’ – 16 Adamson Y10s were used in conjunction with 20 Adamson SpekTrix Subs for low-end and SpekTrix and SpekTrix W’s for delays.

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