Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
City Theatrical - Banner - July 2025

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UK - They seem to have been a part of the Coldplay arsenal of live audience participation forever but in fact the very first Xylobands were used on 6 October 2011 for Coldplay's launch show for Mylo Xyloto in Madrid.

Deanie Thain and Jason Regler were the brains behind the hardware. Thain recalls how it all unfolded, "We have just celebrated our five-year anniversary. The first wristbands had a timer, so each one had to be programmed individually to go off at exactly the same time - quite a challenge and very time-consuming and a lot of friends and family helped to get them done on time.

"The original idea came from Jason Regler seeing Coldplay perform at Glastonbury 2005," continues Thain, "He wanted something to unify the crowd with lights and make them part of the show. A

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Korea - Grammy-nominated, industrial hard-rock legend Marilyn Manson returned to Seoul for the first time in eight years as part of his solo world tour, delivering an energetic show for a legion of ardent fans at the Yes24 Live Hall. Lighting designer Corey Stewart drove the performance's intense lighting using an Avolites Pearl Expert console and wing.

For the South Korean date, Stewart hired the console from Seoul-based rental company TKLS. His dynamic rig consisted of Claypaky Sharpys, Martin MAC Viper Profiles, Martin Viper Wash DXs, Martin Atomics and Fay Blinders.

Stewart is new to the Manson production family, having taken over as lighting designer in the summer for the Slipknot/Marilyn Manson North American tour. Using Avolites consoles since 2011, Stewart has also worked with the likes of Trivium, Misfits frontman Danzig and Of Mice and Men.

"I've been touring

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UK - Over a century ago, northeast England was the crucible of the burgeoning railway industry. Nowhere was this more evident than in Newcastle, where the Robert Stephenson & Co ruled as the pre-eminent maker of locomotive engines.

The rail industry has long since faded into the past, but now the area behind Newcastle's main station, or "Stevenson Quarter" as it is known, has come roaring back as a dynamic, hip multi-use urban space that features upscale hotels, over 340,000sq.ft of office and retail space, and a hot live music and art venue called the Boiler Shop.

Located in the former Boiler Shop of the original Stephenson & Co locomotive works, the new club features a contemporary high-octane lighting system created by Trylight Productions, using a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures.

James Mounsey, project manager at Trylight Productions, and his team posit

City Theatrical - Banner - July 2025

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Czech Republic - Robe was a sponsor of the 2016 Signal Festival of Light, staged over four days in and around the city of Prague.

Twenty-three original and innovative pieces of light art drew estimated crowds of up to 400,000 into the city to enjoy the event which started in 2013, and is now recognised as one of the biggest as well as one of Europe's foremost festivals of light.

Robe provided 80 of their Pointe multi-functional moving lights and 40 ColorStrobes for an installation by Russian based collective TUNDRA.

Epicenter v2 was staged at the Palac Narodni, a retail and residential development which is currently still under construction and features with a large cylindrical two storey void right in the centre.

The work was designed especially to fit this space and create an extreme psychological experience with pulsating, flashing and exploding hotspots of ligh

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Ireland - Lighting designer Conor Biddle, known for lighting some of the largest acts in dance and electronica, selected an array of Claypaky moving heads to illuminate the return of Ireland's mega-rave, the Winterparty, at Dublin's 14,500-capacity venue 3Arena.

Biddle employed 12 x Mythos, 12 x A.leda K20, 16 x A.leda K10 and 19 x Sharpy which were provided by Dublin-based sound and light specialist Session Hire.

"The key with Winterparty was to create a signature look that would photograph well and go towards building a strong visual brand on social media," explains Biddle. "I wanted to create an immersive show that detracted from the cavernous feel of the 3Arena by bringing the lighting right to the audience."

One of the fixtures the designer most relied on to lead his effects was the Claypaky Mythos.

"Using Mythos I could create many different looks - from supe

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UK - Triple E's track systems are bringing London department store Selfridges' Christmas window displays to life this festive season.

The Kent-based company's Unibeam, ChainTrack and ChainRail systems are 'animating' an art installation based on the concept of 'Always Be Open'.

The tracks are moving three different types of curtain: one Austrian, one centre opening and one swag curtain. The curtains are constantly moved from fully open to part-closed around the neon word creations 'Always', 'Be' and 'Open'.

The installation will run for 12 hours per day, every day, for the three months it is in place.

Selfridges approached art director David Lane to come up with the concept. He then brought in set designer Rachel Thomas to collaborate with him on the project. Lane is creative director and founder of The Gourmand magazine, Thomas' clients include Mulberry, He

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UK - London's Regent Street celebrated the start of the festive period on 17 November with the official switch on of its famous Christmas lights. This year's display, described as a throwback to Regent Street's first set of Christmas lights which went up in 1954, has been designed by James Glancy Design who in turn contracted Unusual Rigging to work alongside them to fulfil all their rigging requirements.

Paula Gordon, senior project manager at James Glancy Design explained: "Paul Dart, head of design at JGD and the designer of this year's lights, wanted to create a stunning concept based on a contemporary Spirit of Christmas theme, whilst staying in keeping with an elegant and traditional look, honouring Regent Street's time honoured yet progressive values.

"People have commented that the lights seem especially spectacular this year and indeed the project was incredibly a

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South Africa - DWR Distribution has announced the appointment of Annalise Hodgson who will lend a helping hand to Duncan Riley as a much-needed assistant.

Annalise previously worked at sound company Tadco before joining Christie Digital Systems as office manager. Her joined DWR Distribution at the start of December. "It's a great team and I will find my feet, once I've done the filing," she says. "I am so excited to be here."

Duncan Riley adds, "It's an honour and a privilege to have Annalise as part of our team. I wish her many happy years. I'm hoping that her input will mean I can spend more time with my family."

(Jim Evans)

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Germany - Shure has announced that its ULX-D Digital Wireless System and related accessories in the VHF frequency band are available now, with the QLX-D Digital Wireless System following early next year. These VHF options provide users with 42 MHz of tuning bandwidth in spectrum that is as predictable and as usable as today's UHF TV band.

As the spectrum landscape evolves, Shure continues to serve as an industry advocate and information resource, and aims to provide users with new options that offer the reliability and top-notch sound quality for which Shure wireless systems are known. These VHF band ULX-D and QLX-D systems build on an existing portfolio of Shure wireless products designed to offer alternatives for the increasingly crowded UHF TV Band.

The ULX-D and QLX-D VHF systems and accessories offer the same features and benefits that the UHF systems offer, including

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USA - Dave Koz is bringing his celebrated contemporary jazz sound to audiences around the country. The nine time Grammy nominee and acclaimed saxophonist has embarked on the Dave Koz and Friends Christmas Tour - Starring Dave Koz, Valerie Simpson, Jonathan Butler, and Kenny Lattimore.

The tour features a lighting package designed by Erik Parker of Chris Lisle Lighting Design and provided by Bandit Lites. Parker worked closely with both Koz and production manager Brian Foisy on the design and the show, a project Parker had looked forward to doing since he joined the show as lighting director in 2014.

While previous iterations of the show contained video elements, this year's direction featured a conscious effort to take the focus off "devices in our lives" and the screens that take attention away from things happening in the present, instead focusing on being in the moment

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USA - Art Basel is one of the leading art fairs in the world, showcasing works from over 270 galleries and private collections representing over 30 countries ranging from Argentina to Zimbabwe.

For many of the 80,000 or so visitors who descend on the five-day festival, Art Basel is about much more than just art. It's also a rollicking, joyful experience that turns life into art with street performances, acts of pure improvisation and boundary-free performances that stretch and pull preconceived notions in every direction, all while keeping audiences enthralled and entertained.

Such was the case on the evening of 30 November, when the Bass Museum, Miami's oldest art institution, celebrated its reopening after an 18-month expansion project by hosting an Intergalactic Disco during Art Basel by the legendary Sex in the City alum, Lady Bunny.

Lending an aurora of celestial

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Poland - GMB Pro Sound, one of Poland's largest rental companies, has invested in a total of three dLive mixing systems from Allen & Heath.

The firm's client list includes Poland's major music festivals, concerts and TV shows, such as Open'er festival, Krakow Live festival and the huge World Youth Days worship festival.

GMB's three new dLive systems comprise the flagship S7000 Surfaces and DM64 MixRacks, plus DX32 expansion racks and Dante networking cards. In addition, the company bought a ME personal monitoring system comprising a ME-U hub and 13 ME-1 mini mixers.

Remigiusz Kasztelik, production manager at GMB Pro Sound, says, "We decided to invest in dLive because of its intuitiveness, and compatibility with other solutions as the Dante networking option makes dLive a fully universal device. The systems will be put to work at many of the music and TV events that we

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UK - Event specialist Adlib, has upgraded its stock of Midas mixing systems to the brand's flagship, powerhouse PRO X console. Two MIDAS XL8 desks have made way for two brand new PRO X systems, which provide 168 input channels, 99 buses and a 96 kHz sample rate.

Adlib, with headquarters in Liverpool, has just recently completed a major £1m expansion of their UK operations with the opening of a Scottish warehouse and office space on the outskirts of Glasgow.

Hires manager Dave Jones comments, "We upgraded our inventory so that we can continue to deliver the best mixing experience for our customers UK-wide. We've had work with major touring acts who would mix only on Midas consoles, such as Foals, who required an A and B monitor rig. Both the new PRO X desks have had a good introductory run with them along with four of our Midas PRO2 consoles."

As well as high inpu

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UK - Elliot Patterson has carried out several sound system installations at Galvin Brothers' high-class restaurants over the years using JBL solutions - but the first with his new company, Evolve Install, will have been among the most challenging.

Set in the Spitalfields development area of East London, Galvin La Chapelle occupies the landmark Grade II-listed, late Victorian St. Botolph Hall - a former chapel and school.

While much of the grandeur of the building has been preserved in the fine dining restaurant at the rear, a major upgrade of the former Café a Vin (converting it into Galvin HOP) created fresh challenges for the sound team. This area combines a lounge with 'Pub-de-luxe', outdoor summer dining venue and a 'food to go' section specialising in hot dogs.

After six years of trading here Chris and Jeff Galvin had decided a potent sound system would giv

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UAE - One of the most anticipated shows to grace the Middle East this year, Les Misérables lived up to the hype and enthralled audiences through its three-week-long run at the equally impressive Dubai Opera. While no detail was spared by the costume, lighting and effects departments, as a musical extravaganza, it was the audio that held the spotlight with a host of Sennheiser systems ensuring the success of the show.

Commenting on the production's decision to tour with an extensive kit of Sennheiser microphones, headsets, transmitters, and antennas instead of using the incumbent audio solution at Dubai Opera, Shelly Lee, associate sound designer for Les Miserables said, "Musicals of this calibre would tour with the majority of the equipment required for the show. This includes the Sennheiser radio mics which have for many years been an industry standard in

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UK - Newark-on-Trent is a thriving market town in the heart of the East Midlands with a strong cultural heritage. Part of that heritage is the 600-seat Palace Theatre built in the 1920s as a picture house but now laid out as a traditional proscenium arch theatre with front stall, rear stall, circle and boxes.

The venue recently invested in a significant EM Acoustics HALO-C system to bring the venue's audio specifications into line with the demands of modern productions.

"We were well overdue for an upgrade," admitted the Palace's technical manager, Mark Noutch. "By modern standards our old system was seriously underpowered and we continually failed to deliver quality sound with any energy to the furthest parts of the theatre. My goal was therefore to design a system that would deliver sufficient power to cover every seat in the house with the same clarity and energy.

"

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Denmark - Ragnarock, the Danish museum for pop, rock and youth culture, opened its doors to the public in April 2016. The museum's gold-studded facade, the red carpet runway and the lobby are exclusively equipped with SGM lighting fixtures and these installations have just been nominated for the prestigious Danish Lighting Award 2016.

From the beginning, lighting was meant to be an essential part of the architecture and the visual expression for the museum. Ragnarock wanted to use lighting as a medium and as a means of communication to support the activities and the overall purpose of the museum.

Lena Bruun, chief of development at Ragnarock, explained, "We wanted lighting to almost speak for itself and to send a signal of life, openness and transparency. We envisioned that it would connect by-passers with the museum and give them an experience - even after opening hours."

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Singapore - A special Nexo ETC1 seminar has been hosted by Yamaha Music (Asia) Ptd Ltd in Singapore, part of an educational collaboration between Yamaha and the Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Yamaha's programme is aimed at enhancing technical expertise in the audio industry, and organised the two-day seminar to help address understanding of key concepts in the design and implementation of professional systems.

Nexo's engineering support manager Nicolas Poitrenaud flew in from France to supervise the seminar, bringing the successful ETC training itinerary that covers a range of topics, including sound reinforcement principles, system design and digital audio networking.

With a large number of attendees, ranging from students from four different Singapore educational institutions, to experienced industry practitioners, the Yamaha/Nexo tutorial team focussed on real-life applicati

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UK - Unusual Rigging has been nominated as a finalist in the Circulars Awards. The Circulars - an initiative of the World Economic Forum and the Forum of Young Global Leaders, is the world's premier circular economy award programme and aims to recognise individuals and organisations that have made notable contributions to the circular economy in the private sector, public sector and society.

Entrants to the awards are leading the way in driving innovation and growth that is decoupled from the use of scarce natural resources. In 2015, Unusual Rigging was highly commended for its efforts - this year the company has beaten thousands of other entries to make it into the top six in the 'Young Global Leaders Award for Circular Economy SME' category.

Tom Harper, resource manager for Unusual said, "Unusual Rigging has been providing technical solutions to the live production and e

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The Netherlands - Opened in first quarter 2016, the Vue cinema in the Dutch city of Alkmaar has been voted the best new-built cinema in Europe by the International Cinema Technology Association (ICTA). The quality of its three Alcons Audio-based Dolby Atmos systems has played an important role in the accolade.

Taken over by Vue Nederland in August 2015, the Dutch JT Bioscopen cinema chain was one of the first global adopters of Dolby Atmos immersive surround sound and already had several existing Alcons-equipped cinemas. Vue Nederland worked with cinema services specialists CinemaNext on the new installation, who have worked on projects with Alcons since the introduction of the company's C-series cinema systems. CinemaNext's first Atmos installation using Alcons products was completed in early 2013.

"Alcons products are very well suited to Atmos installations," says Cinema

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Singapore - The 2016 BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore tennis tournament was presented by SC Global and staged at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang over a seven-day period at the end of October.

Over 100 Robe moving lights illuminated the court as part of a lighting scheme designed by Michael Chan and Tom Langridge. While Tom ensured that the court was lit specifically for the TV cameras and special requirements like slomo, Michael looked after lighting for the Opening Ceremony and then for general ambience and effects lighting throughout the schedule of matches, including creating WOW-moments for the player entrances.

To assist with this, he used 40 x BMFL Spots, 40 x Pointes and 21 Robe Squares, all supplied to the event by The Show Company, together with other moving lights and LED PARs mostly rigged on trusses in the roof.

Eight of the Squares - a 5 x 5 LED ma

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