Shooting Star Productions announces its exciting collaboration with Cato Music, as Chris Taplin takes the post of consultant to Cato’s touring department.
Chris brings 16+ years tour production experience to Cato, and will have access to Cato’s buying power and excellent touring department to increase Shooting Star’s capacity and cost effectiveness.
Our new London office is at Cato Mansions, 1-4 Wandsworth Plain, London SW18 1ET; we retain our West Country office in Frome.
Based in London & Somerset, England. Since 2002, we’ve toured the world producing shows for bands like Sigur Rós, Muse, Björk and Grace Jones.
Reviewing Grace’s June 2008 show at the Royal Festival Hall, the Independent noted ‘the production and attention to detail are breathtaking.’
In 2003, we directed Patti Smith’s artist residency at Charleston, funded by the Arts Council.
In 2011 we worked with The Faces, The Darkness, Leftfield and Placebo. We started the summer festival season doing technical management for The Park at Glastonbury Festival, and finished at Loud Park, Tokyo. In the Autumn, we produced The Darkness UK tour. We’re thrilled to announce our London office and collaboration with Cato Music.
Chris & Polly Taplin, January 2012
Shooting Star is packing a spotted hankie on a stick and mounting the tour bus. For The Darkness are back on the road all over Britain and Ireland, a tour that’s fast selling out.
With their new album in the offing, these are exciting times in Camp Darkness.
PS Not to name drop, but it was terrific meeting the mighty Brian May at London’s 100 Club in October. What a gent — and a giant Darkness fan!
Quick blog between a majestic Darkness show at Download Festival and Glastonbury, where we’re living in a hedge backstage at The Park. Such exciting secret guests! Then we’re hitting the ground running with The Faces rehearsals for their tour of UK, Germany and Japan. A legendary line-up indeed: Mick Hucknall, Ronnie Wood, Jesse Wood, Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan and Glen Matlock. We are not worthy!! Also, we’ve been to Turkey with Leftfield, and are looking forward to their sub-tastic shows in Ireland and UK over the summer…
After nineteen months on the road, the Placebo world tour has come to an end. We produced 154 shows in 46 countries – seen by over two million people.
Here confetti explodes over Brixton Academy, the last gig of Placebo’s Battle for the Sun tour.
On Thursday 18th November, the Leftfield tour kicked off in Leeds. We’re delighted to be working with them.
In between tours, Chris won the Frome Allotments cup with a massive 41 kilo pumpkin. It has now been fitted with wheels and is available for hire as a tour bus.
Photo: John Osborn
Here’s a link to a nice article by Paul Watson from Total Production International magazine about Placebo’s 2009-2010 tour.
Last night in Berlin, Placebo won Best Alternative at the MTV Awards, beating Muse, the Prodigy and the Killers.
But on Halloween, the roadies from Helloween invaded the stage.
L-R Allan Moffatt (drum tech), Chris Taplin of Shooting Star, Fiona Brice (violin & keys), Brandon Reese (audio tech) and Mick Pryde (guitar & keys tech).
News straight from the garden of rock. Yes! Thanks to Placebo for choosing us for production management of the Battle for the Sun tour starting May.
A fortnight after the end of tour in Reykjavik. The late-addition water curtain made a splash in London and Reykjavik.
The English translation of the leading Icelandic author’s best-seller Dreamland was launched in Frome. Shooting Star organized the event, assisted by DZ Productions.
Dreamland concerns the absurdity of industrial development of wilderness for corporate profit, especially aluminium smelting. As Björk says: “Help Iceland to remain what it is best at: being a gorgeous, untouched force of nature.”
Photo by Ciara Nolan
