South Africa - Collective Works is a new creative visual design practice launched by three experienced live event production industry professionals – Christopher Bolton, Joshua Cutts and Bradley Hilton. All are well known for their work in South Africa and across the African continent. Bringing all the energy and vibrancy of the region to an international marketplace, the trio specialise in the disciplines of lighting, video and set / scenic design and digital content production. “There is a great chemistry and fluidity of ideas and thoughts between all of us,” says Chris, explaining that while Collective Works is a really natural synergy between the three of them, their totally different personality attributes and characters add yet more to the dynamics of the team. Immediate work confirmed in the months ahead includes Afrikaans is Groot and Sta
USA - After five years as a partner in FadeUp Design Group, production designer and programmer Justin Kitchenman has announced the creation of the Nashville-based design firm Align Design Group. Specializing in lighting, production, and media design, Kitchenman opened the doors to Align Design Group on 1 January, 2017, with the goal of creating a collaborative production atmosphere for designers, technicians and other design firms while continuing to serve his current clientele with the same level of service and creativity. “As a founding partner of FadeUp with Heath Marrinan, the company steadily grew over the years into a full-service lighting vendor that is really making a name for itself,” began Kitchenman. “With the company on solid ground, it was a great time for me to branch out on my own to create Align Design Group which stemmed from my goal to have a li
Germany - Magic Light + Sound of Germany has added a stock of Elation Professional Cuepix Panel LED matrix blinders to its extensive inventory of event technology products. The Cologne-based rental company is the latest European event technology rental house to add Elation lighting to its inventory. “The Cuepix Panels were specifically requested for use on various projects so we decided to buy them after numerous rentals,” said Marco Pütz, managing director at Magic Light + Sound. “This type of product with LED technology is just what was required.” The full colour 5 x 5 Cuepix Panels house 30-watt RGB LEDs and are some of the most popular LED matrix panels on the market. Useful for anything from organic looks to flash blinders to pixelmapped effects, they include individual pixel control, which makes a variety of creative effects possible. Magic Light + Soun
USA - Typically, when legendary bands reunite, it’s usually for a national tour, big festival or high- profile TV special, but post hardcore pioneers Thursday have never been about following the tried-and-true commercial track. When they got back together recently after a six-year breakup, the New Jersey-born group, which is widely credited with putting emo music on the map, came back to the place where it all began – the Starland Ballroom in central New Jersey. A revered part of New Jersey’s vibrant music scene (the founding members of Bon Jovi are said to have met here), the Starland Ballroom occupies a special place in Thursday’s history. It was here that they celebrated the success of their 2003 breakthrough album War All The Time, which reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100 Album charts. For their homecoming reunion, the band wanted a lightshow tha
Australia - One of Tasmania's leading lighting designers, Gareth Kays, used an ultra-compact Quartz console from British manufacturer Avolites to programme the magical lighting and special effects on the Australian island state's production of blockbuster Broadway musical Wicked. The show ran at Hobart's Theatre Royal from 27 January to 11 February. Featuring spectacular staging and a 17-piece orchestra, the musical was put on by local production company The Show Company. Kays was brought in to design and programme the entire lighting package. The owner of GK Productions, Kays controlled the show using an ultra-compact Avolites Quartz console running the latest Titan V10 software. "There were a number of reasons that the Quartz console appealed to me," explains Kays, who had invested in the console in 2016 from Australian distributor TLC Global. "Firstly, it doe
UK - As ITV unleashes its new flagship entertainment in the shape of The Nightly Show, specialist illumination providers LED Creative are working alongside scenic designer Dominic Tolfts and lighting director Chris Rigby, adding fresh tones and a splash of bright colour to the show. Recorded live before a studio audience, The Nightly Show features a selection of guest presenters offering topical views on recent events along with celebrity guests, expert analysis and various games - all with a light-hearted touch. LED Creative provided a selection of their bespoke LED systems and rental kits to the show, assisting designer Tolfts in creating the show’s stunning, modern look. Flanked by a ‘neon’ proscenium arch, the installation features illuminated steps leading up to the stage, all cleverly constructed using custom built light boxes housing lines of
France - A pivotal figure in French history, general and statesman Charles de Gaulle dominated French politics from his leadership of the Free French during the Second World War through to his death in 1970. A memorial and permanent exhibition in his home village of Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises has recently had its audio system extensively updated with Yamaha Commercial Installation Solutions (CIS) control and amplifiers. Built in 2008, the memorial covers 1600m2 and is close to La Boisserie, de Gaulle’s home of 34 years in Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises. The exhibition building was built a style that would reflect the ‘austere grandeur’ of the Haute-Marne region’s landscape which it overlooks. The exhibition covers all the facets of de Gaulle’s life and character, also exploring his legacy and the criticisms and caricatures that he inspired. As well as exhibits lik
UK - Busted are making extensive use of Shure wireless microphones and in-ear monitoring (IEM) on their current tour, supporting their 2016 surprise third album Night Driver. Every member of the Busted touring band is linked into an eight-channel wireless system comprising two Shure quad-band ULXD4Q receivers. For monitoring, the band is using eight channels of Shure’s PSM1000 IEM system. Instrumental in the band’s choice of equipment on this tour have been guitar tech Pjay Johnson, who also works with John Newman and McFly live, and tour manager Robert Highcroft, who also looks after Bring Me The Horizon’s live shows. His live charges have also always been Shure wireless users, partly because they tend to be very active on stage and don’t want to be tied down by cables. “If you look at a Bring Me The Horizon show, there’s around 30 channels of
UK - LED Eco Lights reports that its Bright Goods LED filament lamps have been installed throughout the newly refurbished and prestigious Oxford Blue gastropub, to create a traditional atmosphere with efficient lighting technology. The Oxford Blue, located on the edge of Windsor Great Park in Berkshire is housed in two former game keeper’s cottages dating back to the 1800s and was acquired in 2015 by Steven Ellis, former chef at three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay. After a lengthy refurbishment, the pub opened its doors on New Year’s Eve and boasts a 44-cover venue with a wine attic for private dining, a 14-seat lounge for drinks and a 16-cover outside dining area. Fettle Design was commissioned to create an interior that combined the historical elements of the building with modern efficient lighting technology. Fettle specified Bright Goods linear LED
Europe - Floridian hard rock titans Alter Bridge toured mainland Europe and the UK during the tail end of 2016, with lighting, video and rigging supplied by PRG XL Video. Lighting designer Greg ‘Lil G’ Kocurek explained his design for the show: “We wanted a real heavy rock look, the kind of visual spectacular that threatens to melt your face; yet to create a well-balanced show with moments of calm between the chaos. The lighting rig is made up of Martin MAC Viper profiles, Icon Beams and Clay Paky A.LEDA B-EYE K20s, which are brilliant because you can do so many things with them and have great effects. I also used Clay Paky Stormy CC strobes and the Chauvet Strike 4 LED lights as audience blinders. Our choice of fixtures was moulded around the budget we had, and the best products we could afford—but in the end they matched our original ideas perfectly.” The v
UK - Wiltshire based special effects company, Quantum SFX, has been awarded Best Visual Spectacular at both the Festival Supplier Awards and Event Production Awards 2017. It is the second year running that the Quantum team have taken home Best Visual Spectacular at the Festival Supplier Awards. Last year the company received the award for their towering pyrotechnic display provided for Metallica’s headline slot at Reading and Leeds Festival. This year, the award ceremony recognised the team for their work at BST Hyde Park with Mumford & Sons and Take That for which they supplied two bespoke programmes of special effects. Phil Mundy, manager at Quantum SFX and the man behind the aerial pyro displays, commented, “To be awarded for the second year running is a real honour for the whole team at Quantum. We have worked closely with both Mumford & Sons a
UK - As part of Leisuretec’s ongoing TecZone educational seminar series, Apart Audio is to host an event –An Installers Guide to Commercial Audio Solutions – on Wednesday 15 March at Leisuretec’s purpose built training facility in Leighton Buzzard. The free event, which will run between 10am and 3.30pm, is designed to equip installers with a working knowledge of audio for retail, restaurant and other environments, and an understanding of Apart’s wide range of speakers, music players and amplification solutions. Training will be delivered by Audio-Technica’s Logan Helps (Apart brand manager) and Matthew Archer (technical product specialist) and will cover topics including correct speaker selection, designing multi-speaker installations and how to approach multi-zone applications. During the day, attendees will have the chance to listen to an array of Apart A
World - The global success of multi-national pop / classical sensations Il Divo continues as their Amor & Pasión World Tour 2016 concluded with over 40 dates across the USA and Canada between September and November. Their Amor & Pasión album, released in late 2015, debuted at the top of the Billboard Latin Albums chart and the supporting tour visited 30 countries. Following the very successful UK and European legs, for which London-based Capital Sound supplied their Outline GTO C-12 system, the north American shows were handled by Special Event Services (SES) of Winston-Salem, North Carolina. A long-time user of Outline systems, SES added GTO C-12 to their inventory for the tour. SES vice-president Jason Farah describes his company’s experiences with the GTO C-12 on tour with Il Divo. “SES has enjoyed Outline's GTO for years but this was our first
UK - POLAR has agreed a deal to become Radial Engineering's sole distributor in the UK. Radial is a manufacturer of professional audio products based in Vancouver, Canada that offers a wide array of products sold under the brand names Radial, Tonebone and Primacoustic. The Radial brand is renowned for the high quality of its products for the professional live and recorded markets including DI boxes, splitters and isolators whilst Tonebone comprises a range of guitar and bass pedals for professional use where quality, durability and performance is critical. Primacoustic is a range of panels, bass traps, diffusion and isolation solutions that address the acoustic treatment needs of a wide variety of applications from professional audio to houses of worship, education, home entertainment and beyond. John Midgley, POLAR managing director warmly welcomed the partnership. "R
Italy - The tenth Showlight quadrennial, the full speaker programme for which was announced last month, takes place in less than three months (20-23 May) at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Florence, Italy. It is with delight we report that all exhibitor spaces have sold out - we even managed to squeeze in a few more due to popular demand! The latest exhibitors to be welcomed on board are AED, Elation Professional BV, PRG, SGM and Music & Lights. The full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found on the Showlight website at www.showlight.org/it/exhibitor-list Exhibitors are a vital part of Showlight’s winning formula where manufacturers, distributors and lighting practitioners, from all disciplines and levels of expertise, are in the enviable position of being able to discuss ideas in a much closer, mo
India - Mumbai-based Sound.com, one of India’s foremost rental companies, recently added a DiGiCo SD5 digital mixing console to its inventory, purchased through DiGiCo’s authorized India partner, Hi-Tech Audio Systems, New Delhi. Since its inception, Sound.com has evolved from being just a sound rental company to re-defining the idea of delivering an experience of ‘great sound’. The team at Sound.com is committed to enhancing the sound experience by helping the audience build a palette for efficient sound and enabling an artist to amplify their vision in a concert. Warren D’souza, managing director of Sound.com, explains why he opted for the SD5 and how it will help the company to continue to meet these goals. “For me it was a simple decision and there wasn’t any other console on my purchase radar,” he says. “It is the most rider acceptable co
Europe - Showlight 2017, the quadrennial lighting symposium, this year hosted in Florence, Italy, is fast approaching. To ensure plenty of time for bookings to be made, the ALD has bestowed bursaries upon three of its professional members. The bursaries, awarded to Ric Mountjoy, Sherry Coenen and Sandy McRobbie, contribute to the costs of attending the event, such as registration, travel and accommodation and encourage those lighting practitioners to attend, who may not otherwise be able to take time out from a busy schedule. Supporting its members for the fourth time in this way, entries for the Showlight Bursary Scheme were judged by members of the executive committee and assessed on the applicants’ reasons for attendance as well as how they intend to report on the event for Focus, the ALD membership magazine. Showlight chairman, John Allen, highlights the
Croatia - Zagreb might be home to the Museum of Broken Relationships, but things aren’t all bleak in the Croatian capital. They have their mighty Philharmonic, world-class cuisine and bustling Saturday markets – and now locals have been blessed with easy access to ENTTEC’s lighting controllers and luminaires thanks to forging a new relationship (not a broken one) with audio-visual agent and distributor LAV Studio Ltd. At the crossroads of Central and South-eastern Europe, the city on the Sava river is well positioned for LAV Studio to look after ENTTEC’s range throughout Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro. To celebrate this new partnership, and as part of a collaboration with the RSVP event industry festival, ENTTEC’s technical sales manager, Ben Virgo, travelled to Zagreb recently for a product demonstration. H
Qatar - Al Isteklal is a busy rental and technical production company based in Qatar that has just taken delivery of 148 x Robe moving lights to boost their current rental stock. Al Isteklal was founded in 2004 by Akram Hamada to supply premium lighting, sound and AV packages – together with staging, rigging, trussing and all associated infrastructure - to a wide range of clients in the Qatari market The scope of their work encompasses concerts, festivals, live events and spectaculars, television and theatre productions, corporate events and product launches as well as multi-sector fixed installations. They now service over 100 diverse and varied shows and events annually, and have built a reputation for great standards of excellence, experience and being able to offer a proper “full production” solution that is delivered with imagination, flair and efficiency to all c
USA / Belgium - Barco and ETC have announced that they are in serious discussions over ETC’s possible acquisition of High End Systems, part of Barco’s Entertainment division. Details of the timeline for the completion of the acquisition remain unknown, but both parties say they are committed to moving forward with a successful transaction. Wim Buyens, senior VP of Barco’s Entertainment division, commented: “For Barco, the envisioned divestment of its lighting activities is in line with its strategy to sharpen the focus on its core activities. We believe joining forces with ETC would enable High End Systems to realise its full business potential, while providing ongoing support and opportunity development for its customers, and we appreciate ETC’s commitment to maintain High End’s operations in Austin and fully support the development of High End’s products.”
Switzerland - As Yamaha celebrates 30 years since it produced the world’s first digital mixer, the company’s flagship Rivage PM10 digital mixing system continues to win new fans around the world. One of the latest is Swiss live production company smARTec Veranstaltungstechnik AG, which took delivery of two systems in late 2016. smARTec has used Yamaha digital consoles for over 10 years, investing in its first M7CL-48 in 2006. Since then it has expanded its inventory over time to include more M7CLs, as well as LS9s, 01V96s, PM5Ds and multiple CL series consoles. “Our customers trust us to deliver the highest levels of reliability and Yamaha digital consoles provide that,” says smARTec’s Mark Steinemann. “When we started growing the corporate event side of our business, we found that they also gave us very analytical, accurate audio tools to work with, match
India - Mega Sound is one of India’s leading AV rental companies, with an impressive inventory of world class, top of the line professional equipment. The latest addition to its audio arsenal is a DiGiCo SD10 digital mixing console and two D2 Racks, purchased through DiGiCo’s India distributor, Hi-Tech Audio Systems Pvt. Ltd. in New Delhi. Currently operational in Ahmedabad and Udaipur, Mega Sound provide a range of services from live sound, DJ systems, stage lighting and conference setups. The company proudly associates itself with performances from high profile Indian artists such as Kailash Kher, Arijit Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal & Shekhar, Salim Suileman, Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan, amongst others. “We work across a variety of applications, which makes the SD10 the right addition to our existing stock,” explains Siddharth Chauhan, managing dir
Rate Review Request - The Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre have written to the government calling for a “fundamental review” of the planned increase in business rates over concerns this will have a "disproportionate" impact on theatres around the UK. SOLT chief executive Julian Bird and UK Theatre head Cassie Chadderton have written a letter to chancellor Philip Hammond and local government secretary Sajid Javid urging a rethink on the hike. It comes after The Stage reported that higher business taxes, which come into force in April, threaten to wipe out local theatre subsidy. As business rates are based on rental values, rate increases will be highest in the capital, with West End theatres expecting to see steep rises. The letter argues that theatre and the performing arts contribute to a “vibrant and thriving local environment”, making a
UK - Founded in 1984, Adlib caters to both rental and installation clients, providing professional sound, lighting and AV solutions to meet almost any requirement. When their need came for multichannel amplifiers, Adlib’s Rob Crossland turned to Linea Research for a demo. “We were looking for a high-powered, four channel amp to drive our proprietary AA loudspeakers, and we contacted Linea Research to see if we could test one of their new models,” explains Crossland. “We have a well-established preset library for our speaker systems so onboard DSP with front panel recall was a must, along with network control to keep inventory management in the warehouse straightforward.” Linea Research provided one of their 44M20 four channel amplifiers for evaluation. The 44M20 offers 4x 5000W at 2 ohms with 96kHz DSP and networked control as standard along with an optional
