International News

HONG KONG – Taking audience participation to the next level, Mandylights has used more than 15,000 Ghostbands at Chinese singer G.E.M.’s concerts. Ghostbands can communicate with each other, can be controlled via DMX and can be bitmapped, allowing audience members to become an integral part of the lighting design.

LONDON – LD Jeff Maker choose Robe’s new BMFL Spot fixtures as part of his lighting mix for punk rockers Gaslight Anthem. He also used 18 Pointes, 16 LEDBeam 100s, six ROBIN 600E Spots, 8 CycFX 8s and 12 LEDWash 600s. “Essentially I needed a super-bright fixture to use on large spec shows that often have a high video or bright LED elements. Various fixtures appear on lighting plots – but BMFL is the first one that ticks all the boxes without compromise!” Maker said.

MANCHESTER, U.K. – Fineline and Immersive worked together to support the launch of the Christmas season for Tesco. More than 1.4 kilometers of rope lighting lit up shopping carts, lamp-posts, and other street furniture plus around 60 individual LED festive decorations. The backdrop was a 80 by 7 meter (WxH) LED video screen along with five Robe Pointes installed behind the Tesco sign, and the green Christmas crown popped up right at the end of the show sequence.

LONDON – Preferring to control the show on the fly, Motorhead’s LD Caio Bertti has been using a Sapphire Touch console from Avolites. “There’s no cue-list, there’s no time coding, it’s just in my head and fingers. You have to play the board, which is why I chose the Sapphire Touch. It gives me more freedom and I can run through the options on the songs very quickly. The new software is also very useful now that we have the foot tracking back-up mode just in case. For me, specifying the Sapphire Touch was a matter of necessity.”

LIVERPOOL, England – Adlib has supplied audio and lighting design, equipment and installation for the University of Liverpool’s Mountford Hall, the Stanley Theatre and The Courtyard. For lighting of Mountford Hall, 12 Robe Pointes are joined by 12 x Martin MAC Aura LED wash fixtures and six ETC Source Four Zooms for key lights and specials. For effects, there are eight 2-lite blinders, Atomic strobes and two Martin Magnum 2500 hazers, all run from an Avolites Pearl Expert console.

MILTON KEYNES, U.K. – Impact Production Services has added 24 of SGM’s P-5 wash lights to their inventory. Owner James Mason, who set up the Milton Keynes-based company 16 years ago, took the decision after sub-renting some of the fixtures for a project. Afterward, he ordered the two dozen RGBW fixtures from SGM UK. IPS managing director James Mason is pictured here, left, with senior technician Ian Brown.

VERACRUZ, Mexico – Solotech provided video projection equipment, display and control systems, LED screens and lighting for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games.

ADELAIDE, South Australia – As part of a general redevelopment of the Adelaide Oval arena, the ULA Group installed 30 GRIVEN Emerald colour changers designed to wash the arena in team colors. 

SITTARD, The Netherlands – The total refurbishment of the new Volt nightclub included an entirely new lighting system from Elation Professional. The main performance room features Satura Spot LED Pro and Platinum Wash ZFX Pro moving heads as well as EPAR QW LED PAR Cans.

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – For a string of European  shows in May and June before the band’s swing through North America later in the summer, LD Paul Guthrie used Clay Paky Sharpy and Sharpy Wash 330 fixtures to light the band. Guthrie noted that LD LeRoy Bennett had specified the gear for the original tour design, and Guthrie praised them for their features and performance.

LONDON – Lighting designer Louis Oliver of Okulus has chosen to use Showline SL NITRO 510C fixtures to add colour and strobing to his ethereal lighting for a special, one-off Chvrches show at London’s Brixton Academy. As the Scottish electro-pop trio has only played four dates in the UK since forming two years ago, they wanted to make sure the Brixton show was as audience captivating as possible. To that end, Oliver specified 17 of the Showline strobes from HSL to bring more than one strong look to his design.