John Kettles is standing in a field in Perthshire in the pitch dark, his finger hovering over a very important button.
The second he presses it, a series of loud, colourful and awe-inspiring fireworks will be released into the night sky.
To say I’m excited would be an understatement.
I’ve been waiting for this moment for more than two hours, and I’m chilled to the bone, so expectations are high.
“This will be what we call a finale burst,” says John. “You’ll absolutely know it’s the finale”.
I get it – there’s nothing worse than being at a fireworks display and turning to your fellow watcher and asking, “Was that it?”
I’m pretty confident of getting a good show tonight. John’s company, Perthshire-based Blast Design, has staged some of the country’s biggest and best fireworks displays, won the Scottish National Fireworks Championships in 2007 and came second in the World Fireworks Championships in 2008.
Ahead of tonight’s performance, which he’s staged especially for The Courier, I visit his factory at Perth Harbour.
It houses some super dangerous stuff: high explosives, coils of detonating cord, shaped charges, munitions, black powder, mortar tubes and racks, shells of all shapes and sizes, fuses, and miles and miles of copper cable.
John is clearly a man who loves blowing things up.
“If anyone lights a match in here, we’re all dead,” he says.
Giving me a quick run through of how everything works, John tells me regards fireworks displays as theatre.
“We might start quiet, with gerbs (fountains), and build up to a huge sky-filling finale,” he says.
“There’s more to it than just throwing stuff up in the air. It’s about creating the right atmosphere and if you work with music – which we do a lot – it needs to be in sync, co-ordinated and time-coded to allow for lift and break time to the beat of the music. If it’s a live orchestra, the pressure is even greater to get it spot on. In some big shows, we’ll have about 2,000 cues with timings.”
So how do fireworks work? Basically, the fuse that’s lit from the ground causes the combustion of black powder and results in a huge explosion due to a massive increase in heat and gas within the shell.
John’s explanation is rather more technical: “The operator or electronic software system sends, on cue, a small current to the electronic fusehead. The fusehead initiates and then the five-strand black powder fuse in each firework (a mix of potassium nitrate, sulphur and charcoal) initiates the large black powder grains in the lift charge sending the shell skywards, up to distances of 800ft. Then, on reaching the maximum height, the fuse initiates the main effect charge and results in a huge explosion due to a massive increase in heat and gas within the confinement of the shell, sending out magnificent colours and effects.
“The strength of this explosion can hurtle the firework hundreds of feet into the air. You can set off the show from a laptop – from a safe place around 75m away.
“Timings need to be spot on and fireworks can be let off at different heights, so you’ll have ones at ground level and ones firing high into the sky to create unique effects. The finale might use 665 shots of tiny mortar tubes and the last shell could reach up to 800ft, filling your periphery vision.”
The names of the fireworks read like something out a fairy-tale. There’s pixie willow dust, umbrella, sun ring, blue core wave willow, variegated peony, butterfly, red crackling crossette, coconut tree ring, diamond screamer, dragon eggs, midnight snow, gold strobe and double whirl rings.
John can also fire letters of the alphabet into the air, as well as thistles, the Guinness harp, hearts, smiley faces…the list goes on.
Outside, in John’s yard, he reveals there’s enough kit to stage two massive Edinburgh fireworks displays.
With the help of Fraser Sutherland and Ross Brown, John then loads a van with gear and instructs me, photographer Kim Cessford and digital editor Richard Rooney to follow them in convoy to a remote piece of land near Bridge of Earn “where we won’t be disturbing anyone”.
Ten minutes later and we’re standing shivering while the experts get to work setting up.
Several rolls of insulating later and they’re ready to go.
“Everyone off site?” shouts John, who has his finger on the button of the firing module.
“Ready? Five, four, three, two, one….” And – wow!
The night sky is filled with a rainbow burst of greens, pinks, reds, golds and yellows and the bass-line rumble shakes the birds from the trees and sends shivers down our spines.
We’re massively privileged to have been treated to such a special show.
I ask John if he gets as excited as we do. “I never get excited until I know the show is over, everything’s gone to plan and everybody is safe,” he says.
“Safety is our main priority and we’re 100% confident of putting on a fantastic show.”
Blast Design has staged fireworks for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay but tonight, they’re putting on shows in Aviemore and Aberfeldy.
Whatever you do tonight, The Courier wishes you a Happy New Year!
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Fireworks are just a sideline for Comrie-based John Kettles. He also works in the anti-terrorism industry, tests liquid, military and civilian explosives, and works in the film industry, producing special effects.
He works for the MoD, NATO, and government agencies, testing and proofing military explosives and armour at a range in Glen Artney, Perthshire.
