Thin Lizzy Tours with DiGiCo SD8

DiGiCo's 500th SD8 console has been assigned to handle Tin Lizzy's monitor mix.

Currently Lizzy stalwarts Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, and Darren Wharton are joined onstage by Marco Mendoza, former Almighty frontman Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell. "My remit was that the band wants to keep it old school," says Phil Shenton, the group's monitor engeineer. "No in-ears; it's six loud wedge mixes, side fills, and an analog rock 'n' roll sound."

Although an analog console would seem the most obvious way to achieve this, venue constraints meant that using one at the monitor position wasn't practical. "My good friend Matt Coton of BCS Audio had been lucky enough to win the 500th SD8 at PLASA 2010," Shenton says. "I've always been a fan of Digico consoles, so I gave Matt a call and hired the SD8 for the UK and Europe tour.

"Both the band and I were very impressed with the sound and versatility of the SD8. We've been playing a range of venues, and its small footprint has meant that I've had no space issues, while the interface and software are extremely user-friendly and intuitive. It really is a joy to use."

With the band now heading to the USA and playing a range of summer festival shows, Shenton says, "I'm looking forward to trying out the SD9 and hope to be using one for the rest of the tour. DiGiCo is definitely at the top of my spec list."