Concert Sound

Concert Sound was born in 1977 after the Welsh band Man, or "the Manband," called it quits the year before. When Tim Boyle suggested renting out the band's idle PA system rather than letting it gather dust, the idea took hold, and with the Manband's manager Barrie Marshall, tour manager David "Tag" Hall, and a close-knit Welsh road crew at the helm, Concert Sound Ltd was established in Watford, England. The company quickly earned a reputation for excellence, supplying audio for an eclectic roster of artists, from The Clash and the Ramones to Dire Straits, Tom Jones, and Leo Sayer, and became an early adopter of Martin Audio systems and Midas consoles. Throughout the 1980s and '90s, the business expanded, relocating to Aand forging a touring partnership with Clair Brothers, much of that growth fueled by Dire Straits' skyrocketing success, thanks in large part to Peter Granger's involvement.

As the company scaled and the demands of ever-larger productions mounted, Concert Sound joined forces with Clair Global, with the deal finalized in late 2008 alongside Switzerland's AudioRent Clair and the company rebranding as Clair UK in February 2013. Along the way, it nurtured legendary engineering talent while staying true to its roots as a family-minded group that looked after its own: Robert Collins mixed Eric Clapton for decades, Peter Granger did the same for Dire Straits, Paul "Pab" Boothroyd was personally chosen by Marshall to become Paul McCartney's front-of-house engineer, and longtime employees like Jeff Hooper, Kerry Lewis, Paul Swan, Vance Anderson, and Rory Madden helped drive the company's success. From those humble beginnings, Concert Sound grew into one of the UK's most respected live sound companies, and its legacy - decades of touring expertise, artist relationships, and engineering excellence - now lives on in the Clair Global Archives.