11 Bands, 2000 Students, One Epic Show

Willows Oval turned into a full-blown festival ground for this year’s ANU Big Night Out, as over 2000 students gathered to cheer on 11 student bands in a fierce (and very fun) inter hall music showdown. This wasn’t just a concert, it was a celebration of creativity, community, and the kind of high-impact student production that punches way above its weight.

Sidestage was thrilled to provide full production support, working closely with organisers from the Arts Committee to bring the night to life. From early stage design through to the pack down, we handled staging, audio, lighting, LED screens, and on-the-ground support to make sure every act had the space and gear to shine.

The show played out on our massive 8 x 6.5m stage structure at Willows Oval, purpose-built to support a dynamic and varied lineup. With 11 different bands and only short turnarounds between sets, our systems had to be flexible and fast.

The setup spanned four days, beginning Tuesday morning with staging and PA, followed by soundcheck Wednesday evening, lighting and screen install Thursday, and a full overnight bump-out from Thursday night into Friday. That time on site allowed us to build a tight show flow and test everything under real-world conditions.

Audio was delivered courtesy of our Adamson Spektrix FOH rig, designed for clarity and impact. This was supplemented with their incredible S119 subs, which kept bass energy focused out front and minimised low-end bleed on stage. This gave every band a full, clean sound without overwhelming the performers.

To support the large band setups - some with up to 10 members - we utilised DPA 4099 instrument mics for the many horns and strings on stage, made wireless via 16 channels of Shure ULXD, giving us clear signal and agile control, without the cable clutter. Performers had full freedom of movement, and we had clean mixes at every turn.

One of the standout creative touches was the use of MH7 moving heads mounted directly onto subs at the front of stage, angled upward as sky-trackers. The beams soared above the crowd and added a huge sense of scale, without needing additional towers or structures. Combined with strobes, colour washes, and expert programming, every act had its own unique look and feel.

Throughout the night, Sidestage operators were in constant sync with performers and the show team. a team of four adjusted mixes and states in real time, and kept the show flowing without a hitch. With so much happening on stage, that level of hands on experience made all the difference.

Massive congratulations to the brilliant Griffin Hall, who took out top honours on the night. And an even bigger thank you to Lara Eastman from IAC, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring Big Night Out 2025 to life. 

From student showcases to large-scale music events, Sidestage is proud to help make these moments happen. Thanks again to the ANU team for having us back, we can’t wait to do it all again next year!