LONDON — Steve Bewley, LD for post-hardcore U.K. band Enter Shikari, came up with a horseshoe-shaped truss design for the band’s current tour. This gives Bewley all the lighting positions he needs for the heavily back-lit show, yet also allows the rig to expand and contract to fit a variety of venues. “Steve has put together an imaginative, great looking and very practical design, which works well in all venues whatever the available stage space,” said John Hughes, who managed the project for Adlib, which provided lighting equipment and crew for the tour.
Bewley’s goal was to match the animated energy and breakneck pace of the band and to help transmit that vibe visually from stage to audience. He also wanted something that looked completely different to their last tour, to reflect the new style of the latest album, Common Dreads.
He decided on a back wall of light effect, configured slightly differently from a conventional rock ‘n’ roll ‘wall of death’. Four trussing legs and two side arms support the horseshoe-shaped truss.
Along with lighting positions for the backlit show, the truss lets Bewley all the fixtures in slightly off-kilter ways and configurations. The structure was also designed to be robust enough for the band to be able to climb on it during the show if they wish.
The rig has to be tailored to most of the venues on the itinerary, because they vary in stage size. In the full configuration, it spans 40 feet with a height varying between 2 and 3 meters, determined by available headroom.
Upstage of this, where possible, the crew uses the house rig’s back truss, which is always flown higher than their light wall.
On the horseshoe are 16 Martin MAC 250 Wash and 10 High End Studio Beam moving lights, eight Atomic strobes with color changers and nine Showtech Active Sun Strips.
The Sun Strips are rigged vertically at different heights in a gentle curve across the structure, and the MACs are arranged one-up-one-down along the width of the trussing span. The Studio beams are rigged to the downstage arms for side washing duties.
The Atomics are positioned at angles to give a random “fallen down” appearance — reinforcing the overall non linear look of the lighting. The rig is completed with four Studio Beams on the floor.
Also on the floor are PAR16 Birdies on gooseneck stands, which can be — and often are — grabbed by and played with by the band as they get kicked over, getting pointed and shone into the audience.
Right at the front of stage is a “vanity cage,” a metal box underlit with a single PAR 64 on which the band can stand and be up-lit. It is used regularly by all of the band members except the drummer.
Bewley controls everything via a Hog iPC console and a wing. In addition to the touring rig, he also advanced and sent a spec out to all the venues requesting specific lights to be hung on their house rigs for their shows.
Adlib lighting tech Darren Purves is working with Bewley as well. Bewley credited the crew for their support. “The service is second to none, the crew are all very professional and friendly and the kit is in excellent order – what more could you ask for?” he said.
For more information, please visit www.adlibaudio.co.uk.
