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SEEKING A daring and innovative set for their tour in support of third LP, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships, The 1975 opted for several moving elements in their show. Three video cubes were suspended above the band, alongside the their “blade” trademark, at shows in venues including Manchester Arena…
Read moreA TOUCH of Las Vegas was among the creative ideas served up by The Vaccines to designer Dan Williams, as they prepared for their Combat Sports tour. Singer/guitarist Justin Hayward-Young proposed a neon-style light lining the edge of the risers, complemented by a pair of scenic palm trees. Williams worked…
Read moreTHE VARIETY of venues on the tour by vocal group The Overtones demanded a flexible sound system which could deliver the clarity of required by the singers, according to front-of-house engineer Mark Clements. He had to ensure that each singer had their own tailored vocal mix at venues including Watford…
Read moreREQUIRED TO create an “intense but not too distracting” design for The Streets, Jon Trincas and Steve Hough had to rely simply on lighting to create their visual effects. Artiste Mike Skinner, whose rap music is said to range between “total chaos and jittery calm”, insisted on no video for…
Read moreUSING LIGHTING to change the size and shape of the stage on Snow Patrol’s Wilderness tour, show designer Davy Sherwin needed a fixture with a strong beam, capable of standing out against the “psychedelic” visuals of the video screen. After providing him with some initial ideas the band gave him…
Read moreNEW SOFTWARE allowed Gary Numan’s tour to integrate lights and video imagery seamlessly, according to creative designer Luke Edwards, with lighting fixtures using pixel mapping to project images from the screen out towards the audience. Using two Avolites Sapphire Touch consoles, plus the manufacturer’s Ai Q3 media servers running the…
Read moreALTHOUGH VIDEO has always been an important element of The Human League’s stage show, manager Simon Watson did not want the set for the band’s latest tour to be filled with LED screens, according to lighting designer Rob Sinclair. While part of the solution, was projection mapping of video onto…
Read moreFOLLOWING THE acquisition of SSE Audio by Quebec-based Groupe Solotech, the British company’s co-founder John Penn has told LIVE UK the deal secures the long-term future of the operation and opens the doors to further international growth. While Martin Tremblay, Groupe Solotech president and CEO, describes the deal as “the…
Read moreONE KEY challenge facing the Stereophonics’ sound team on tour is to keep bass notes under tight control, according to monitor engineer Harm Schopman, who says the band like the vocals of frontman Kelly Jones and the guitars to be prominent in the mix. He and front-of-house engineer Dave Roden…
Read morePREFERRING NOT to influence their stage designer Andy Hurst, Rick Astley and his team gave him free rein to create a look which he felt reflected his latest album, Beautiful Life. Hurst felt it warranted a “classy, sculptural” design which he achieved by inviting production company HSL to provide lighting….
Read moreWHEN CLIFF Richard toured his 60th anniversary celebration, lighting designer Derek Jones says he was keen to deploy traditional and high-tech effects for a show which divided the singer’s career chronologically into 20 minute sections per decade. Deploying a rig which included MAC Auras for band key lighting and full…
Read moreINCORPORATING PROJECTION mapping for the first time into The Human League’s performance, alongside the strong video content that the act is traditionally known for, required both invention and logistical flexibility according to Nick Dew of Really Creative Media (RCM). The company designed content and effects for a set based around…
Read moreTHE PINEAPPLE Thief required a compact but sophisticated console for their brand of progressive rock when they toured venues including The Leadmill (cap. 900) in Sheffield, The Liquid Room (700) in Edinburgh and London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (2,000), says sound engineer Simon Baxter. Working with the band’s tour management…
Read moreALONGSIDE GIANT inflatables, puppets and confetti blasts, Elrow Town (cap. 20,000) in London’s Queen Elizabeth Park, deployed large format projection systems for its main and second stages to provide what Mike Radford of projection specialist CPL calls an “eye-popping spectacle”. The event, which has grown out of rave-style club nights…
Read moreSOFT CELL’S farewell concert at The O2 (cap. 21,000) in London used a high, narrow stage to display the band’s 1980s artwork, while the image magnification (IMAG) side screens were designed to be a seamless part of the display, according to lighting designer Rob Sinclair. While the Stufish-designed set required…
Read moreTHE WAR on Drugs, who play London’s The O2 (cap. 21,000) this December, have chosen an L500 Plus mixing desk by Oxford-based manufacturer Solid State Logic to manage the sound. Monitor engineer Laurence Eaves and front-of-house engineer Bob Strakele need to balance up to 80 inputs, with each band member…
Read moreEXPANDING THE series of 7,500-capacity Classical Ibiza concerts this year, Revival Productions and partner Ministry of Sound needed an audio system which provided a smooth sound in sensitive settings, according to Revival’s Lisa Ward. They also needed a provider capable of logistical back up on unusual sites including Yorkshire’s Harewood…
Read moreINVESTMENT IN a full-sized Martin Audio MLA system by Stourbridge-based Stage Audio Services (SAS) allowed the company to deploy a smaller system at Shambala Festival (cap. 15,000), yet provide better coverage than previous years, according to SAS MD Kevin Mobberley. Acquiring the system also, says the company, gives it capacity…
Read moreLIGHTING DESIGNER Hayden Borgars says he was aiming for atmospheric lighting with a modern edge when US rock band Glassjaw played a showcase at London’s O2 Academy Brixton (cap. 4,900). Instead of using a backdrop, Borgars created a curtain of light by deploying Philips Vari-Lite VL800 BeamLines by manufacturer Signify,…
Read moreSHROPSHIRE’S ROCK and Bowl Festival (cap. 6,000) wanted to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a dramatic visual impact on stage, according to lighting designers Ashley Heritage and Nic Farman. Headlined by REWS and Think Floyd, the three-day event chose a “dynamic, fast moving” lighting rig provided by Chester-based CSP AV,…
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