Poland - Gamers from around the globe gathered recently once again in the International Conference Centre in Katowice, for the world’s biggest annual online gaming event: the Intel Extreme Masters. With this year’s event seeing gamers compete in various games such as League of Legends, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and StarCraft II, the task of designing a suitably impactful staging concept fell for the second year in a row to Polish production house, Aram. This year’s secret weapon came in the form of 16 Chauvet Professional STRIKE 1 and 16 STRIKE 882 strobe fixtures, which Aram incorporated within a spectacular visual production including live video gaming and pyrotechnics. “With the event expanding so dynamically in recent years, the pressure was certainly on to create new looks and breath-taking visuals for 2017,” commented Michal
UK - Now in its 126th year, The Kennel Club’s Crufts Dog Show is world’s largest and most prestigious canine competition. Over its three-day run, the event drew roughly 160,000 people and nearly 22,000 dogs to the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) complex in Birmingham. For the main competitions in NEC’s Genting Arena, it was critical that the sound system deliver both clarity and fidelity without adding any visual distraction. ARB Events was the primary AV provider, with project manager Steve Boote working with sound system designer Neal Allen of Safe Hands Audio on the audio for the arena. They chose the X2 line-array loudspeaker system from the X-Line Advance family by Electro-Voice as the best and most suitable system for the job. “This was my fourth year working with ARB Events on the system design for Crufts, and it was the best yet,” says Neal Allen.
Argentina - Allen & Heath’s flagship dLive S Class system was selected for a special gig by Argentinean rock band, Airbag, accompanied by an orchestra and staged at the iconic Usina del Arte venue, a converted electrical plant, in the capital, Buenos Aires. Provided by rental company, Show Room Live, the dLive system comprised the S7000 Surface and DM64 MixRack fitted with Waves SoundGrid networking cards, and was selected by the band’s FOH engineer, Fernando Parra. The system was required to manage live sound reinforcement in the venue, as well as provide redundant multitrack recording and a broadcast feed. AES inputs on the S7000 Surface were used by Parra to connect his favourite outboard equipment. “I use 64 channels from the MixRack and 8 analogue channels from the Surface to cater for the live FOH feed and provide 80 channels of multitrack recording at
UK - David Atkinson Lighting Design (DALD) recently completed the lighting design for the Robots exhibition at the Science Museum, London. This intriguing exhibition features a unique collection of over 100 robots, from a 16th century mechanical monk to robots from science fiction and modern-day research labs. Set in five different times, Robots explores how religious belief, the industrial revolution, popular culture and dreams about the future have all shaped society through the different robots on display. Recent developments from robotics research are also on show, allowing the visitor to explore how and, more importantly, why roboticists are building robots that resemble us and interact in human-like ways. The exhibition encourages the visitors to imagine what a shared future with robots would be like, with the latest humanoid robots in action.
UK - Last weekend UK d‘n’b duo Sigma became the first drum and bass act – complete with full band - to play London’s Royal Albert Hall. Creating a very special visuality for this ground-breaking gig in the world-famous venue was show designer Andy Hurst. He used a combination of lighting equipment supplied by Blackburn rental company HSL and the in-house rig, and worked alongside a crew of three from HSL. Lasers - fast becoming a Hurst show signature – were delivered by ER; LED screens, cameras and projection were from Video Illusions and BPM supplied the pyro. The pressure was on for Andy to produce something amazing in the short timeframe. The get-in was 7 a.m. on showday, so the rig had to be quick and practical to install as well as looking great! While some elements of a show can be pre-visualised, there is still a lot of programming that can’t b
UK - Big Box Digital Media has lent added colour and sparkle to two of the UK’s most popular tourist attractions. The company has installed powerful colour changing LED fixtures from Chauvet DJ at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Blackpool and at several Sea Life Centre locations. At Madame Tussauds, the Intimidator Spot 255 IRC LED moving head positioned at the museum entrance creates a colourful and exciting welcoming atmosphere for guests. With its built-in automated programmes, selectable pan and tilt, dimming, split beam, three-facet prism and gobo effects, the Intimidators provide the museum with an endless variety of engaging looks for its entrance area. At Sea Life Centre, Big Box installed a variety of fixtures including the Abyss LED 3.0, COREpar 40 USB and Intimidator Spot 255 IRC. The installation comes as part of a wide-ranging visual overhaul to provide re
USA - Located in Palm Desert, California in the Coachella Valley, Indian Wells Tennis Garden boasts 29 regulation tennis courts. At 16,100 seats its largest, Stadium 1, is the second-largest tennis-dedicated stadium in the world. Indian Wells is the host to the annual BNP Paribas Open, a major two-week pro tournament. Constantly evolving under the ownership of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, the facility recently rebuilt and refurbished Stadium 1, including a complete audio makeover that features premium products from two Bosch brands: RTS and Electro-Voice. Technicomm Industries, an area firm that has handled previous Indian Wells expansions and upgrades, was contracted to handle the upgrade. “They decided to totally refurbish the main stadium last year. One goal of that change was to modernize the intercom system,” says Steve Burgess, project manager for Technicom
UK - The Great Dorset Steam Fair (GDSF) has commissioned enforcement specialist TSG to patrol and protect its primary areas this summer, working alongside existing security arrangements. Organisers moved Great Dorset Steam Fair back a week last year, to run across the August Bank Holiday, and it attracts more than 200,000 people over five days, many families among them. To ensure their safety, operations director Julian Hubbuck has split the site into zones for 2017 and switched from a single security supplier to a number of companies, each playing to its particular strengths. TSG, which managed a successful deployment at GDSF 2015, returns to the 600-acre site with greater numbers to look after the event’s entertainment areas, including the main music stage, a large fairground and multiple bars. The agency’s uniformed officers will engage with the pu
USA - Luke Bryan lighting designer Justin Kitchenman of Align Design Group used 100 of Elation Professional’s compact ACL 360i fixtures in a spectacular upstage wall of lighting effects on the artist’s 2016 Kill the Lights tour. For the country music star’s current Huntin’, Fishin’ and Lovin’ Every Day tour, the designer again turned to the narrow-beam LED lights, deciding to add an additional 80 units in his new design. “We used the ACL 360i as a feature on last year’s tour so I know what they are capable of,” comments the LD, who is entering his seventh year with Luke Bryan. “I was blown away by them. The beam can punch through, even with the other lights on. They are lightweight and low profile and worked out really well.” The Kill the Lights tour played a final string of dates in February and March with the newly designed Huntin, Fishin' and
Switzerland - With the investment in no less than three Prolyte roof systems, Swiss rental company Sonoval is making a solid statement. The recently acquired Prolyte MPT system and two ARC systems will be the core of their outdoor activities this summer. Sonoval Sàrl is a relatively young, Swiss based company, operating from both its Martingy and Fribourg branches. They are active in the field of lighting, sound and stage, in- and outside Switzerland and are driven by fierce ambition. Sonoval Sàrl has taken advantage of its experience to fine-tune its range of services, extending from video, to scenic structures and technically demanding projects. Based on its broad experience, Sonoval supplies to many Swiss based events and, on top of that, acts as equipment supplier for many other rental and event companies. Being recognised as regional leader, they keep a substant
Italy - Launched last year, the Music Inside Festival (MIF) in Rimini this year saw PA and monitoring on all three stages at the Rimini Fiera provided for the first time by Loud Professional and powered by Powersoft X series premium amplifiers. The two-day event also saw, for the first time, the appearance of the new Loud Professional Formula F221 subwoofer. Based on Loud Pro Push Loop Technology: this double 21in system combines three different technologies: Push Pull, Double Reflex Band Pass, and Horn Loading system. The winning combination of these two leading Italian manufacturers was selected by Amandla Productions, who had taken over the Festival’s technical production - as they immediately recognised Loud Professional’s expertise in delivering large scale festival sound (and particularly EDM events). “The synchronization with Powersoft was excellen
Denmark - Popular Danish R&B and pop singer Burhan G is on the road with a new set and lighting design by Theis Wemuth of Aarhus based creative visual practice, Create This, with Robe Spiiders, BMFLs and Pointes right at the core of the aesthetic. Theis started his lighting design career 12 years ago and is well known in Denmark for his imagination and thinking ‘out-of-the-box’. He was asked by the artist to produce a design for the tour which promotes his latest album Pas på pigerne (Beware of Girls) which features a big band sound and style bringing a new dimension to his diverse repertoire. This set the tone for the lighting and scenic design proposed by Theis, for which he specified 18 Robe Spiiders and 25 x BMFL Spots, which are being supplied to the tour by rental company Comtech. There's no video on the tour, so it’s down to music and lighting to enha
USA - Lighting designers all have their own individual styles, and they go about the business of reflecting their clients’ music in slightly different ways. As a designer himself, John Garberson fully appreciates that, which is why “flexibility” was one of his primary goals when he put together the West Stage lighting rig for the 2017 Pot of Gold festival at the Rawhide Centre outside Phoenix. Helping him create a festival rig that could support the different styles of a very varied mix of nine visiting LDs was a collection of Maverick, Rogue and STRIKE fixtures from Chauvet Professional. “We have been doing the Pot of Gold festival for a number of years,” said Garberson of Creative BackStage. “This year, we decided to go from an old school 120K system to a mostly LED and moving light rig. The move saved on generators, gas, labor and rigging costs. Going be
Australia - Brisbane’s thriving Life Church community has a new auditorium and multi-purpose facility, effectively converted from a disused school property with the help of Forefront Productions’ installation of a comprehensive audio, lighting and video system. In the suburbs of Brisbane, Life Church purchased an old school hall and set about turning it into a new worship facility that could also house their own existing school. With the help of Forefront Productions, they set about converting the original school hall into a multipurpose church auditorium. Forefront was contracted to help design and install comprehensive audio, lighting and video systems as well as offer advice on stage construction, venue layout and acoustic treatments. Whilst church activities account for most of the venue usage, the school also utilises it for assemblies and performances.
UK - Avolites' trailblazing lighting and video integration system is 'heaven sent' for lighting designer James Bawn on his latest large-scale project, live arena spectacular Heaven on Earth, which will be touring UK arenas between 4 December 2017 and 12 May 2018. The large-scale musical, produced by Eden International Productions, is a classic re-telling of the biblical tale of Adam and Eve. Written by Sara Jeffs and directed by Racky Plews, the musical boasts an original musical score and arrangements by Geoff Alexander. "The story is fantastic," says Bawn, who has been developing the production's lighting and video design for the past year. "Creatively, the production has really demanded that we all push the boundaries of our own area of expertise." Bawn, who worked closely with stage designer Jacqueline Pyle on the production, describes the creative pro
Russia - Claypaky's SharBar, the LED-based multi-beam effects light fixture, has been used to great effect on a live concert by popular Russian band, My Michelle, at the Volta Club, Moscow with lighting design by Russian designers David Misakyan and Dmitry Buryak. Led by singer-songwriter Tanya Tkachuk, the band has enjoyed great success across Russia with its modern, soulful pop sound. For the Volta Club concert, My Michelle's producer, Pavlo Shevchuk, worked with Misakyan and Buryak to create a 'cool, club show' feel for audiences. The design played to the venue's compact 8m x 6m stage area, with a height of just 4.85m overhead to the stationary truss structures. Misakyan explains: "When we thought about the production design we wanted something more than just truss warmers and colour washes - we needed a fixture suitable for dance pop-music, which would look good in
UK - Farnham Maltings has operated an arts and community centre for Farnham, Surrey, since the early 1970s. It offers a core of successful activities - a thriving music and theatre programme, a flourishing selection of workshops, monthly markets and regular film events. There is also a host of community users of the building - The University of the 3rd Age, Sugarcraft, Beerex and a range of voluntary groups. In September 2015 the venue began an association with the University of Creative Arts (UCA), which now bases its acting and drama degree course on site. With investment from the University, Farnham Maltings has begun an upgrade of its technical facilities over a three-year period, with Doughty Engineering being brought on board to supply its Easydeck flooring during year one of the project. Easydeck is a modular performance system, perfectly suited for smaller venu
UK - PRG XL Video recently supported production manager Iain Whitehead and Production North with lighting, video and rigging services for The X Factor Live tour 2017. Stopping off at 19 venues around the UK, the tour featured the stars of the 2016 series of the popular prime-time weekend television show. Lighting designer Peter Barnes returned for his sixth X Factor Live tour to design the set, lighting and video screen layout. Peter explained the creative process behind the show: “I worked closely with creative director, Beth Honan, on her staging requirements and overall artistic look of the show. The general design complimented what the audience would be used to from the TV show. “Although there was no particular brief given to me, with this particular show, there’s always been a video screen which opens upstage centre, and the rest just falls into place from
Germany - Berlin-based Complete Audio recently took its Martin Audio MLA system out with long-term client, KIZ on the band’s latest tour, Hurra die Welt geht unter (which translates as "Hooray the world is going down”). André Rauhut’s company has been working with the local politically-based hip-hop band, comprising three MCs and a DJ, since they first set out playing small clubs many years ago. This was their third major tour together - and it was FOH engineer, Rainer Noll, who also happens to be one of Complete Audio’s long-time sound specialists, that specifically requested MLA. The tour took the band through the established German arena and music hall circuit. Over the years the PA company has built a large database of MLA Venue Files - ranging from hockey arenas to city halls -and this data is available to their techs either online (or via Dropbox). This
The Netherlands - Shelter nightclub in Amsterdam is home to a new, four-point Funktion-One Evo sound system from Think! AV. The venue has quickly established itself on the international clubbing map, thanks to an uncompromising approach to quality. Located beneath A’DAM Toren – a large tower behind Amsterdam's Central Station on the northern banks of the river IJ – Shelter is a 700-capacity, underground clubbing space. A’DAM is short for ‘Amsterdam Dance and Music’, which reflects the direction of the owners and businesses that now occupy the building. The tower was built by Shell in 1971 and was a base for the multinational oil and gas company up until 2009. When it moved out, music moved in. Shelter’s general manager, Merijn van den Heuvel, explains the idea behind venue: “To be a clubber’s club, with sound, quality and vibe as top priorities in eve
South Africa - This year will celebrate the sixth St Mary’s Battle of the Bands competition and for the third year DWR Distribution is a sponsor once again, prizes including a dot2 Node, DMX Dongle and training. The competition has moved on in regards to the technical rig and now includes a National Schools Lighting Competition. Barry Stydom gives feedback on the growth and interest from the children in this exciting project. Barry Strydom is the manager at St Mary’s The Edge Theatre in Johannesburg and has been part of Battle of the Bands since the very start. “Six years ago, we started with a totally generic rig with piles of gobos and gels,” he smiles. “It has grown to a point where any professional band would be happy to perform on the set. Then in 2015 we introduced a lighting competition and while for the last two years only Johannesburg schools have been inv
Australia - The Australian TV industry’s biggest night, the 59th annual Logie Awards, were held at Melbourne’s Crown Palladium on Sunday 23 April 2017, broadcast live on the Nine Network. Always a great opportunity for the broadcaster to show off its tech capabilities, fantastic visuals were spread across three huge screens onstage, a wrap-around screen surrounding the audience, and pixel mapped to onstage fixtures and LED chandeliers. Helming the mission-critical media server and console operation was Lynden Gare, director of Melbourne-based lighting and production company Colourblind, who relied on Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers to ensure that the show went exactly to plan. Green Hippo is no stranger to the world’s biggest televised events, with their Media Servers used on The Eurovision Song Contest and The Academy Awards. At the heart of Lynden’s
USA - With 16 studio albums and nearly 60m records sold worldwide, the multi-platinum recording artist Alan Jackson has solidified himself as one of country music’s leading talents. In a career that spans over three decades, Jackson is still hard at work touring the nation for his dedicated fans. Needing a new production design to support the current Honk Tonk Highway Tour, the management team once again enlisted the creativity of Craig Rutherford, Blueshift Design, who in turn called upon Nashville-based tour provider Elite Multimedia. “Since we have had such a long relationship with Alan, he is sort of ‘hands off’ when it comes to the designing of the production for his tours,” began Rutherford. “I typically start the process by reviewing the designs from previous tours, and then finding new ways to change it up to keep the tour fresh. Afterwards, I then speak
USA - Long before the cry “Drivers Start Your Engines” marked the start of the 101st Indianapolis 500 at 12:14 pm on Sunday 28 May, over 30,000 EDM fans at the speedway were already racing through some slick bangers at The Snake Pit Presented By Coors Light. Held on the track’s infield at Turn 3, this one-day festival within an auto race kicked off at 7 am and kept going until the chequered flag was waved track side. Accenting the performances from the likes of Zedd, Marshmello, and Adventure Club at this year’s event was a Collyns Stenzel designed light and video show that relied on Chauvet Professional COLORado fixtures to help it stand out against the Indiana sun. “This is my third year designing this show,” said Stenzel of White Light AV. “It’s fun to see all these fans have the time of their lives in a unique setting. However, there’s also a chal
