If you needed any type of musical instrument for a show in London, John Henry’s on Brewery Road was the place to go. We would pack anything and everything needed for live television tapings, DJs, rock concerts, classical and anything musical. My first ” crew “ stage hand gig in London was for John Henry’s.
I turned up at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden one morning, as green as London moss. Everyone knew I was a rookie, and were very gentle and kind. There are no schools that teach technical/behind the scenes skills, you learn by fire. So I stumbled for awhile, and after the gig, I was given another job. I was on the crazy train of learning the other side of rock and roll; an invaluable learning experience, that led to a promotion to crew chief. I was responsible for world class productions that fostered tangible, and astronomical growth for me, as a person, and as an artist. It most importantly led to many cherished friendships, sadly left behind when my young family and I moved back to Canada.
We were all freelance, and so were not employees of John Henry’s Ltd. We were recognized around the yellow brick, Dickensian, patch work of buildings that made up the complex, but were distinct in that we didn’t do the 9-5 thing. There were a bunch cool rehearsal rooms, offices upstairs, an audio department across the road, a staging department, and a gigantic barn in the back that housed a massive collection of backline.
The backline department was tended to by a group of guys that all played in bands. They all knew each other, and would sometimes work jobs with us as in-house techs. I could walk in there, select a guitar, and strum away as they worked. They were younger than me, and accepted me into their crazy crew. Lovely blokes.
The staging department was sort of self- managed. We would go there and take what we needed.
The audio department was run by 3 guys: an odd couple of super battle tested veterans book-ending a younger employee. After a show, we would unload box after box, and push them on their wheels into audio. These 3 guys had to unpack millions of amplifier and microphone cables, test them and sort them. Same thing with wedges, subwoofers and mixing desks…not much glory there.
Upstairs, the brass would answer phones, fill rental orders, sort out television and live shows, and stare at computer screens all day. They were really good at what they did.
John Henry has looked after so many people for so long, and endeared himself to legions of us working for him. I will always remember my time there. He paid us well, and always on time. Good luck John Henry’s.