Delivering 6.1 surround sound in the heart of Block9.
At the edge of Glastonbury’s sprawling late-night world lies Block9 — a city within a city, where industrial architecture, light shows, and underground culture collide. In 2019, Block9 introduced its most ambitious structure yet: IICON, a towering, brutalist AV monolith that demanded not just volume, but immersion.
The brief? Turn a 15,000-capacity outdoor venue into a surround sound environment — live, at scale, and under festival conditions.
RG Jones Sound Engineering was brought in to make it happen.
The Brief: Immersion, Not Just Impact
This wasn’t about traditional L/R deployment. Block9 co-founders Gideon Berger and Stephen Gallagher, working with sound designer Simon Honywill, wanted an immersive audio experience that matched the ambition of IICON’s projection-mapped, three-dimensional stage design.
The system had to:
- Deliver true 6.1 surround sound in a 360° outdoor field
- Support pre-rendered immersive shows as well as live DJ sets
- Remain contained within licence restrictions
- Run all night, under varying weather conditions, without failure
The System Design
RG Jones worked closely with Honywill to realise the concept on the ground.
- Loudspeaker Deployment:
- Six hangs of Martin Audio WPL, forming a hexagonal surround field
- One 23-metre SHX218 subwoofer array in a broadside cardioid configuration, optimised for directional low frequency energy
- Processing & Control:
- Trinnov Altitude 32 used to upmix stereo DJ sets into 6.1 surround in real time
- Dedicated pre-rendered content for nightly immersive AV showcases
- System alignment and management handled using DISPLAY software and on-site system techs
This was a technical leap, and RG supported us every step. From design through deployment — they delivered.
— Gideon Berger, Co-Founder, Block9
We had access to demo suites for pre-show mix prep and expert crew on the ground. It worked.
— Stephen Gallagher, Co-Founder, Block9
Technical Challenges
Operating at this level wasn’t without complexity:
- Outdoor surround fields are notoriously difficult to control due to reflections and crowd movement
- Real-time upmixing via Trinnov had to preserve clarity and punch without introducing delay or phase issues
- The entire system needed to withstand overnight runtime, fluctuating power, and exposure to the elements
- It also had to meet Glastonbury’s licensing requirements for sound containment — no easy task with bass-heavy content and no walls
The Outcome
Each night, IICON opened with a bespoke AV presentation — surround sound, projection mapping, and structure-responsive lighting — before handing over to live DJ sets, all mixed in 6.1 through Trinnov.
The system was rock solid throughout the weekend. Crowd response was immediate. The immersion worked. For many, it marked a step forward in what large-scale festival audio could be.
It felt like being inside the sound — not just in front of it.
— Festivalgoer feedback collected by Block9
Why It Matters
IICON isn’t just a stage — it’s a creative testing ground. And this project proves that RG Jones isn’t just a safe pair of hands for headline sets — it’s a partner that can execute experimental sound design at scale.
From planning and rigging to live support, the RG Jones crew helped deliver one of the most technically progressive audio environments ever attempted at Glastonbury.
At a Glance
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Client: | Block9 / Glastonbury Festival |
| Project: | IICON — 6.1 surround sound immersive stage |
| Capacity: | 15,000 |
| System: | 6 hangs of Martin Audio WPL with 23m SHX218 cardioid sub array |
| Processing: | Trinnov Altitude 32 real-time upmix + Martin Audio DISPLAY control |
| Scope: | Full design, deployment, and live operation under festival conditions |
| Outcome: | First large-scale 6.1 surround environment at Glastonbury — immersive, contained, and rock solid all weekend |