They saw the whole of the moon

Sunday 27th Sept 09, 6,13am

Our latest firework forays took us across the water last night. First up was a wedding display at Blenheim Palace where Paul Roberts & his team created seven minutes of magic over the lake. After a perfect, sunny September day, it was a lovely, still, moonlit night and to reflect the time of year, the bride had chosen Autumn from the Four Seasons as the musical accompaniment. It was a perfect choice which we complimented with lots of reds and golds. Using the lake to its full reflective potential, the display also included three types of aqua-firework which burst on the water first in a beautiful green carpet, then lifts of white comets and finally in a stunning sea of colours (pictured here). Forty miles away, at the opening of Luton Hoo Hotel's new conference centre, Steve Boothman & his team were pushing the boat out, quite literally. The setting was another beautiful, moonlit lake and our display was mounted on a pontoon which had to be punted out to its final mooring. The show, which was fired using a wireless computerised system, was set to a classical soundtrack including O Fortuna from Carmina Burana, Mazurka by Delibes and The Gallop from the William Tell Overture. With our clients' praises still ringing in their ears, two weary teams packed their bags and boxes and headed home in the small hours. The Water Boys (Steve, Dave, Rino, Paul, Justin, Dick, Jack and John) they saw the whole of the Moon!

Hull - The View From The Church

Tuesday 15th Sept, 11:00 am

Holy Trinity in Hull is no ordinary church. This one is 150ft high (that’s 15 storeys), with the only internal access to the upper levels a 163-step spiral stone staircase designed for hobbits. Since FF didn’t see fit to give me a crew from Middle Earth (I have the hair for it, but I need to work on the ears and feet), we had to find another way of getting the pyro and kit onto the East and West roofs and up to the top of the tower. That way was Paul Kelly. And a rope. Paul single-handedly hauled everything we needed up to where it needed to be (and then lowered it down again after the show). As a result, he now has arms which would qualify him to audition as a Troll, so we’re getting there !

Then there were the bells (the bells !). And the clock. No chance of not knowing the time on this job ! The trick was not to be in the tower staircase when the clock struck the hour, and we didn’t always manage it. Never mind, we got the display rigged and fired OK, though I was a bit concerned about the big fountains on the tower – rigged as they were on stakes wired to the parapet, they resembled nothing so much as giant rockets, and I had visions of one of them taking flight out towards the Humber and giving the barge crew something of a surprise !

And of course we had the best view in the house, Paul probably having the best of all, from the top of the tower. Once we had fired, we settled down to watch the rest of the show. And it was spectacular - well done everyone ! And very special thanks to my crew (Paul and Jackie) for all their ecclesiastical efforts !

Rhumba on the Humber

Sunday 13th Sept, 09, 3.51am

They thought it was all over, but it wasn't. Just as I'm posting this some very tired crew have just made it to bed after a night of thrills and frustration in Hull. Huge crowds gathered on the waterfront for the city's biggest ever display celebrating the Freedom Festival. Steve Boothman and his team produced a magical spectacle, fired from three positions, from the tower of the city's Holy Trinity Church, the Tidal Barrier and the main display from a barge on the Humber. One of the wow-factors came when Tidal Barrier suddenly lit up with a 100ft wide crackling waterfall while comets attacked each other from opposite sides. A blistering finale from the barge was met with a massive cheer from the crowd and then it was time to pack up and go home. Well, that was the plan. But just as the barge crew, led by senior firer Paul Roberts, were heading into dock around midnight, a mechanical failure at the lock gate left them stranded for nearly three hours. They finally limped home around 3am, tired but triumphant. A big well done to all the team and a sepcial thank you to the Freedom Festival organisers Unique Events for giving Fantastic Fireworks the opportunity. There are plenty of excellent photos of the barge display on flickr http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=hull%20freedom%20festival%20fireworks&w=all
and a selection of my best shots on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=109497&id=638256008.
Apart from the fireworks my wife's biggest thrill came when she spotted Peter Andre, one of the Festival's star performers, sitting a few seats away on our train!
Meanwhile across in Leeds, the Fantastic Fireworks crew led by Dave Mannion made the earth move at the annual Kirkstall Abbey open air concert. As the 1812 Overture reached its dramatic climax a glittering reproduction of a cannon appeared in the sky accompanied by a series of 16 sonic bangs marking Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.

One down, two to go

Mon 7th Sept 09, 21.49
The first of our big three super-September shows made it a night to remember in East London last night. Newham's annual Under the Stars concert ended with Land of Hope and Glory followed by the Apocalypse Now anthem Ride of the Valkyries, both accompanied by fireworks celebrating the event's 10th anniversary. Paul Roberts led the Fantastic Fireworks team in a show which ended with the borough's name in glittering lights while star-pattern shells exploded overhead. Next stops, Leeds & Hull this Saturday.

Stars of September

Thurs 3rd Sept 09, 10.20am
A busy week ahead including three big shows. On Sunday we'll be in Newham for the Under the Stars concert where Paul Roberts will be conducting the FF pyro-orchestra alongside the RPO. Then the following Saturday, September 12th, it's Yorkie bars all round. Dave Mannion leads the FF team for the annual Kirkstall Abbey concert in Leeds while Steve Boothman directs a triple-site show in our biggest display of the year for the Freedom Festival in Hull. Here we will be firing from the tower of the Cathedral, the Tidal Barrier and a barge on the Humber.