‘Our Greatest Asset Is Our People’: Q’s With Lez Dwight, Director, Britannia Row Productions

Britannia Row Productions has been providing high-end audio equipment, solutions and skilled technicians to live productions worldwide for decades. It provided audio to Queen’s record-breaking show at Hyde Park, London in 1976 in front of an audience of 150,000; supplied tours by Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, and more during the 1980s; Oasis’ legendary Knebworth shows in 1996, attracting 300,000 across two nights; as well as Robbie Williams’ three performances at the same venue in 2003, welcoming over 375,000; a charity concert raising funds for women’s rights at Twickenham Stadium in 2013, featuring Beyoncé, John Legend, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna and many others.

The list of events that showcase this company’s expertise is endless. In the first quarter of this year alone, Britannia Row has supplied shows by Dua Lipa, Mumford & Sons, David Gray, Duran Duran, Kasabian, Mike & The Mechanics, Robbie Williams, Rag n Bone Man, Jorja Smith, Maribou State, and more.

It was recently confirmed that Britannia Row will be supplying the prestigious BRIT Awards for a 30th year. The business merged with Clair Global in 2017. We reached out to company director Lez Dwight to talk shop.

Pollstar: What’s on your desk right now, which projects have your attention at the moment? Can you just talk about the current state of play at Britannia Row for a bit?
Our UK teams have recently relocated into a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in Brooklands, Weybridge. (Surrey). Everyone has been very busy with this move. We’ve continued to prep and supply our clients over this highly disruptive time without a hitch. I’m proud to be part of such an amazing, and skilled team of people who deliver the highest standard for every tour.

What’s the most recent UK show you’ve worked on?
Brit Row clients have been very active in the first quarter; Dua Lipa, Mumford & Sons, David Gray, Duran Duran, Kasabian, Mike & The Mechanics, Robbie Williams, Rag n Bone Man, Jorga Smith, Maribou State, The OffSpring and many, many more!

Which current live events trends have been affecting your business the most lately? Has the increase in stadium shows, for instance, had any influence?
We are seeing an increase in artistes moving into these much larger shows. The 2025 stadium show diary directly supports the appetite for big shows in the UK.

Of all the requirements events have these days, is there a development, an audio trend emerging that sticks out to you?
Thinking greener, freighting less and lighter packaging is becoming a more common conversation from our production clients. We’re always striving to update our packaging to make it freight friendly and more efficient. In addition to this, we’ve expanded our inventory in all territories worldwide so that customers are able to carry less on their global tours, especially speakers, amps and rigging.

Can you talk about the ways in which the worldwide emphasis on sustainability has influenced your approach to storage & logistics?
Britannia Row being part of the Clair Global Group of companies, can deliver services to our clients on a truly global scale. Our clients utilize this to its fullest. Picking up equipment and crew where they are needed saves on Freight, Visas, flights etc. We believe that our greatest asset is our people and therefore also our levels of expert service. We have an extensive worldwide training program which means that non key technicians can be supplied locally, a saving in travel costs for audio crew, with the benefit of that local / regional knowledge.

Do you observe a trend for bands to share equipment?
Where possible this is always in the mix. Even more so for us servicing our group brands.

How have the general price increases affected your business? How do you navigate the current economy?
This is a trend that we pay … pardon the pun, close attention to. Post pandemic, all manufacturers, vendors, freelance crew and associated services have on average increased 25 – 50%.

How do you track your overall stock? Do you use proprietary software?
We do have our own self-developed platform, used globally by the group.

Given the current economy, what is crucial in your view that the next generation of artists can build a live career?
Keeping small venues open and providing support from the ground up, ensuring live music is affordable at this level.

To wind things up, can you break down the main factors responsible for your company’s long-lasting success?
We give the client what they want. We stay ahead on technology. We invest heavily in people, training and inventory. We are only as good as our last project…. A testament to this is that Britannia Row Productions has clients that span our 5 decades in business.

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