Grant was the frontman in alt-rock band The Czars in his twenties and thirties, left the music business altogether for six years, and has enjoyed a more soulful renaissance as an electronica and orchestral-driven solo artist on leading independent label Bella Union in his forties, with a string of successful albums to his name.
Following the release of Grant's third solo album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure in Autumn 2015, he took to the road for a short tour of the UK and Ireland which lasted into early 2016. It was on these dates that he began using the Shure microphones, as Ber Quinn, the tour's front-of-house engineer, explains, "The difference once John started using the KSM9HS was startling. A voice as rich and detailed as John's is deserving of the finest microphone; to be able to hear every subtle aspect of his performance is a joy."
Now armed with a KSM9HS in Hyper-Cardioid mode, John himself said that the in-ear mixes have been revolutionised. As Ber explains, "Rejection of ambient noise is extremely important for us, as John uses a vocal processor onstage. The KSM9HS has been excellent in that regard, extremely focused, neutral and detailed. I've never once had to worry about feedback, even when using heavy vocal distortion."
"It's been nothing short of a revelation on John's voice," adds Matt Pengelly, the tour's monitor engineer, "tight and controlled with almost zero handling noise, but still with all of the detail and space that you would expect from a quality condenser."
(Jim Evans)
