British band James have played a series of concerts in Portugal in support of their new album La Petite Mort.

Promoted by PEV Entertainment, two of these were staged in the north of Portugal using Next-proaudio sound reinforcement – the first was held on the historic São Bento railway station in Porto, and was a free to attend surprise for fans where the band ‘played a couple of tunes and answered some questions from the public’.

The sound systems for these two concerts were supplied by rental company Technosound, who provided full technical production services for both events with the use of two Next PX Systems – a stackable system for the small venue, and a LA12 line array system for the second, larger concert.

The first gig attracted more than 2,500 people for an intimate performance where the band was close to the fans at the most beautiful train station in Portugal. The second concert at the Guimaraes Sports Arena attracted more than 7,500 people and filled the venue to capacity.

‘What can I say about Next PX System?’ asks Quico Serrano, who served as FOH engineer for the first event. ‘It is very fast to install and a real plug-and-play system – very well tuned. The venue was not easy, and I was surprised with the sound clarity thanks to the controlled [60°x40°] directivity. Now, I want to test it deeply as soon as possible’

To provide sound reinforcement for the larger show, Technosound used a Next LA12 system comprising 16 Next LA12 line array elements and 16 Next Las218 front-loaded subwoofers ground stacked, eight per side. ‘For all types of show that I do, I use Next LA12,’ says Technosound engineer, Pedro Santos. ‘It is very clear in the vocal range and has full body, even at very high SPLs. At the end of a gig, there is no ear fatigue.’

Both events were a deemed success for the technical team and the band.

More: www.next-proaudio.com