Indochine are renowned for spectacular productions, utilising the latest technological innovations. The band’s Central Tour graced the pages of TPi in 2022, bolstering a new LED solution that could be rigged in front of a PA hang – a concept that would later feature on Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour.
Although the French band’s latest run was through arenas rather than stadiums, this did not mean there was any shortage of innovation. Taking up the story was the band’s long-serving Lighting Designer, Jean-Christophe ‘JC’ Aubrée. Also known for his work with The Chemical Brothers, JC has worked with Indochine for the past 10 years.
“We started planning this production 18 months ahead of the tour with Nicola Sirkis the band’s leader,” began JC, explaining the origins of the tour, named after the band’s 2024 album. “Nicola is always trying different stage shapes for Indochine, but the idea is always to have the audience at the core of the show.”
The result was an end-on stage production with a long catwalk that led to a B-stage. “We had a combo of both a 360° and a regular end-on show,” stated JC.
This combination of performance areas created an interesting challenge when it came to key light. “We’ve always done big shows with Indochine, including large 360° performances in stadiums, but when it came to follow spots, we really didn’t have any solutions that worked for us,” stated the LD.
However, during the lockdown, JC learned about Naostage and began to think this might be the right path to go down. Naostage offers a ‘beaconless’ tracking system that captures and transmits 3D positional data – X,Y and Z axis – from all performers on stage. This data can then be used by designers, allowing them to select any fixture on the rig to track any performer.
The tour featured four Naostage KAPTA sensors, each made up of multi-spectral cameras. “Each bar just has one CAT6 cable and a power cable with all four sensors being able to map the whole stage area,” the LD explained, noting that all the tracking information went into the KORE server, which then fed into the MA Lighting grandMA3 via PSM protocol.
“Getting the system set up each day is simple,” continued JC. “We have 22 Robe ESPRITEs on the rig and during the load-in I simply focus them at four different points on the stage and then that is the calibration done. It tends to take 15 minutes then you just need to adjust the Naostage system, which never takes any more than an hour.”
He also commented that the system never requires any dark time in the arena while setting up. “It gives you such flexibility in that I can simply decide what light I want to point at any band member,” he continued. “Key lighting in a 360° environment is very tricky in that you need to have multiple follow spots rigged at various points, but this is ideal.”
The LD believes that the system will offer him a greater level of creative freedom in the future. “When I design for bands, the first thing I have to think about is front light to ensure space on the rig.”
But now with any light potentially acting as a follow spot, the LD suggested that he’d be able to focus more on the design of any future performance. “I also think that Naostage could really be useful in TV studios, where space on the rig is at even more of a premium,” he added.
The innovative follow spot system was not the only element of note, with the band opting for a dual PixMob setup, with the audience all wearing the company’s signature LED wristbands and 45,000 NOVA Mini hung in the roof above the crowd. “The initial brief focussed on covering as much venue surface area as possible with special effects,” commented PixMob’s Melissa Mulligan. “This led to the creative goal of turning each tour stop venue into an immersive ‘box of light’, using every inch of the ceiling and crowd to enable dynamic effects that could travel in any direction.”
This vision required a lightweight LED product that could be installed safely and effectively across a wide range of ceiling structures in different venues. “The NOVA Mini is a super-light, rechargeable, wireless LED that can be attached almost anywhere,” stated Mulligan. “By installing these in a grid above the audience, our NOVA Minis created effects in parallel to the LED wristbands worn by fans, creating real-time wave effects, patterns, and colour transitions across the entire space.”
Like the wristbands, the NOVA Minis were also controlled via infrared. “It operates slightly differently but still leverages PixMob’s infrared control system,” explained Mulligan. “The wristbands and the ceiling rig use infrared and are divided into two separate groups. This creates a dual layer of setup that allows for independent control and intricate effects.”
The rest of the lighting rig was supplied by MPM. “The company has worked with the band for a long time, providing audio for the past 15 years, but this was the first time they also provided lighting,” said JC.
Alongside the Robe ESPRITE that were used heavily for the follow spots, MPM also supplied Robe MegaPointe and Martin MAC Aura PXL 64s. “We also have a few other smaller fixtures such as the Starway Floodlight HD,” commented JC.
Alabama provided the video for the tour. While the band and crew take a break over the summer, the Babel Babel production will be back on the road in September with dates all the way into March next year.
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Naostage
