Meet the Crew Behind The Quo (Part 1) Lance Miles & Andy May

LANCE MILES.... Drum Tech Extraordinaire.
Lance despite his appearance, is not a night club doorman he is in fact believe it or not a very talented and well respected Drum Tech so much so that at one time he had his very own column in Rhythm magazine (Lance's Tips)


Lance Strike a Pose !

 Lance has over the years designed drum kits for numerous people including Terry Bozzio, David Essex and  Mathew Letley,one particular kit called Gangee Scope was very notably displayed in the Tate, It was later used  by M People and was also used extensively by the Spice Girls.
But Lance did not start out as a drum tech 35 years ago !! What I hear you cry he doesn't look old enough,amazing what a soft focus can do.
No Lance started his life on the road as a rigger working for a PA company now to the uninitiated a rigger has to climb,crawl,drag ,lift and haul all the sound system up over and on to the stage hang it from the stage assemble in font of the stage and basically get it in to many different combination as dictated by the plans which they have to work to depending on the type of stage that is being used.

So the story goes that one day whilst hanging from the rigging filthy dirty and dripping with sweat he looks down and noticed a guy all nice and clean setting up the drum kit... a light bulb goes off in his head .. "That's for me" and it really was,Lance has in the past worked with Jeff Beck, Sting, Mark Knopfler, Frankie Miller, to name but a few,he has now been working with Status Quo for the past three years he is also the main man when it comes to the load out he has worked out a loading plan which is numeric and colour coded and makes life very easy for everyone he may also from time to time bark the odd request for this that or the other to Mr Tomkins (Keys / Bass Tech) "Andy why are they coming out of order where is the lighting desk" that sort of thing but he gets the job done safely and quickly and for that I salute him.


Andy May....... FOH Sound Engineer Supremo


Andy May  Sound as a Pound

 Started his illustrious carrier at school organising the sound and PA systems for the Drama club and then when some friends started a band he jumped at the chance to rattle up and down the country in there old van organising their PA, well in the last 31 years nothing much has change PA and sound is still Andy's weapon of choice only he has swapped an old van in favour of an air conditioned tour bus,and the best seat in the house come show time as the FOH (Front of House) the world that Andy occupies during the show is exactly what it Say's on the tin it is always located directly in front of the stage,so that he is best placed to hear how the band sounds and can adjust and tweak as and where necessary he is also in radio contact with Tim Franklin who is Monitor Engineer stage left and between these two they manage the sound of Status Quo if you need to know about verb ,re verb,pink noise,or anything else sound related Andy May is your man he has now been working with Status Quo for the last ten years but has worked with the likes of Robert Palmer,The Pretenders,Lionel Richie,Jeff Beck and the legendary Gary Moore.
Andy describes himself as a guitar enthusiast and plays a little "badly" his words but it is quite plain to see that PA / Sound is his first love.
He and Rhino also like to take a cycle ride around towns and city's which we visit as and when weather and time restraints allow.