McKenna and his team at R90 Lighting worked hard on 25 June 2026 at the 2026 edition of Insomniac’s Beyond Wonderland at The Gorge. Brought on by Insomniac to set up two stages, they created a well-oiled machine that supported a variety of acts over the three-day festival. For his part McKenna did double-duty at the event. Not only did he supervise the set-up of two stages, but he was also asked by Erik Mahowald of Bending Lite Productions to run the lights on the bassrush-powered Mad Hatter’s Castle Stage. Helping him keep up with every intense dubstep, trap, and…
Author: Alicia Pollitt
BVS has signed on to become the exclusive Argentinian distributor of CHAUVET Professional, CHAUVET DJ, and ChamSys products. Founded over 20 years ago, BVS is a leading technology integration company with a presence throughout Latin America, specialising in solutions for the broadcast, media, telecommunications, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and information markets. Its reputation has been built not only on its technological expertise, but also on the values of customer service and passion for excellence that it shares with Chauvet. “We are proud to become the official Chauvet distributor in this market,” said Pía Favelukes, Sales Manager, BVS. “This alliance represents an…
Richard Ashcroft continues to captivate live audiences following his acclaimed support slot on Oasis’ Live ’25 reunion tour. Summer 2026, following a sold-out UK arena headline tour led by Tour Manager Lewis Allman and Production Manager Will Matthews, he’ll play against the backdrop of some of the UK’s most historic outdoor venues, including medieval castles. Celebrating songs that defined the 1990s and his ever-evolving songwriting skills, the shows blend new material from seventh studio album, Lovin’ You – which debuted at No. 1 on the UK’s Official Vinyl Albums Chart – with iconic anthems from his time with The Verve.…
Production Futures will later this year celebrate a decade of success with the Production Futures Annual Partners Summit at Production Park near Wakefield. The event, an invitation-only curated programme, will bring together Production Futures’ partners as well as representatives from the education sector and organisations actively building the future workforce of the production industries. In the ten years of its existence, Production Futures has grown rapidly and now partners with more than 100 organisations, including manufacturers, service providers, trade associations, education providers, and more, to meet the needs of an industry sector short of skills in a nation where, paradoxically,…
CrewLAN is a local communication platform for crews working on live productions. Chat, status updates, shared notes and tables, alerts, and a network-based shoutbox run directly within the local network – reliably, without being tied to the cloud, and independently of a stable internet connection. Crew members simply access a shared workspace through their web browser. With the release of CrewLAN PRO, the platform is now taking its next decisive step: crew communication can be connected directly to existing production software and event technology. At the centre of this development is the new CrewLAN Connect app. It expands CrewLAN with…
PK Sound has officially launched PK Sound U.K., establishing a direct presence in one of the world’s most important and influential professional audio markets. The move affirms PK Sound’s commitment to delivering the acoustic and operational advantages of its patented robotic technologies directly to partners throughout the region. To support this expansion, PK Sound has assembled a dedicated U.K.-based team led by Director of Global Network & Partnerships Mike Case. Joining him are George Pakenham as Applications Engineer, EMEA, and Martin Byrne as U.K. Business Development. Together, the trio brings decades of experience spanning live production, systems integration, technical support,…
POLAR has expanded its deal with Canadian manufacturer Radial Engineering to include Ireland. POLAR has exclusively represented Radial Engineering in the UK since 2017, delivering Radial’s innovative professional audio solutions to dealers, integrators, rental companies, and audio professionals throughout the region. Supported by POLAR’s experienced sales, technical support, and customer service teams, the addition of the territory improves access to Radial’s complete portfolio of professional audio solutions in Ireland, and deepens the two companies’ successful long-term relationship. Phil Coelho, International Sales Manager at Radial Engineering commented: “POLAR has been an outstanding partner for Radial for many years and we’re excited…
With the FLYSTAGE 290, R2B has created the largest trailer stage in Germany. Global Truss’ iM-Type heavy-duty truss system is used for key structural elements of the stage. The FLYSTAGE 290 was developed as a fully integrated system in which not only the main performance area, but also the side wings and backstage area have been structurally assessed and incorporated into the overall design. This provides event organisers, production companies and technical service providers with a highly durable, flexible and practical solution for large-scale events. In its core configuration, the stage offers a total area of 290 square metres. The…
Solid State Logic has announced the appointment of Algam EKO as its distributor for SSL large format console in Italy. Algam EKO, headquartered in Montelupone on the east coast of Italy, will handle product distribution, technical support and strategic market development for SSL’s Live, Broadcast and the Studio Consoles range with immediate effect. “I have been working with Giovanni Blasi and Giacomo Laria for many years, and we know the Algam Group very well since they have been our long-time partners in France,” commented Philippe Guerinet, Director of International Sales at Solid State Logic. “By building our solid and long-term…
Lighting designer Naoki Ito chose to work with Ayrton Rivale Profiles for Chiai Fujikawa at Tokyo’s Nihonbashi Mitsui Hall on 13 June. Ito of OverTheClip kept his eyes fixed on the rigging over the empty stage. Overhead, his meticulously crafted visual arsenal sat waiting – 22 units of Ayrton Rivale Profile moving lights, positioned to turn sound waves into pure, unadulterated sight. The silence snapped. A heavy, young hard beat exploded from the speakers, and instantly, the Ayrton Rivale Profile units fired into life. Piercing laser-like beams cut through the haze, moving in totally precise lockstep with the ferocious rhythm. The sharp, ultra-defined beams…
Midwich Group, a global specialist audio-visual distributor to the trade market, has announced the appointment of Kevin Quinn as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate. Kevin will join the Board with effect from 1 August 2026 and will succeed Andrew Herbert as Non-Executive Chair of the Group on that date following an orderly transition period. Quinn has significant senior leadership, financial and board-level experience across business services, healthcare and professional services businesses. He was Chief Financial Officer of Berendsen plc for over 12 years until 2017 and was previously Chairman of Marlowe plc, Audit Committee Chair of Benchmark Holdings…
Cohesion has launched its proprietary simulation software, Canvas. As part of the growing Cohesion ecosystem, Canvas offers users a wide array of thoughtfully engineered features beneficial to Cohesion system design. “With Canvas, we wanted to create a way for system engineers and all users of Cohesion systems to continually refine their craft of designing and working with Cohesion systems. This was something they did not have until today,” said Rob Kosman, Lead Product Manager. “Canvas provides an environment that is familiar and contains the same workflows and toolsets that they have in the real world to design, simulate, and optimize…
As OneRepublic continues its nonstop run of international touring, Monitor Engineer Chris Marinaccio faces the familiar challenge of delivering consistent, high-fidelity audio in drastically different RF environments. After wrapping the initial European leg Escape to Europe of its global tour, the band made a quick stop in California before heading to Australia and Asia. With forthcoming appearances also planned again for Europe, Marinaccio needs monitoring equipment that he can rely on in any venue around the world. For wireless transmissions, Marinaccio counts on Wisycom’s wireless in-ear monitoring system built around the brand’s MTK952 dual transmitters, MPR50 IEM receivers and ADB3…
For singer Maro’s European tour, lighting designer Luke Edwards of Bear Bright Studios developed a stage concept built around a single recurring image: a sunrise. The brief called for a look that was warm, natural, and immersive, translating the show’s musical tone into light rather than illustrating it literally. Edwards specified ROXX CLUSTER B2 FC fixtures, supplied by L&L Stage Service, to realise the concept across tour dates in the UK and mainland Europe, including a show at London’s Roundhouse. The design process went through several stages before arriving at its final form. “The original concept was a sun hanging…
Dutch rock band Van Dik Hout brought their live show to Amsterdam’s AFAS Live as part of their ongoing touring schedule. Long-time audio production partner DSL Geluids- & Lichtverhuur deployed a Martin Audio Wavefront Precision WPL system at AFAS Live and throughout the tour, providing consistent, high-performance sound reinforcement. Due to a long-standing relationship with the band and its production team, DSL has a detailed understanding of their expectations and workflow. “Our scope extends far beyond supplying a PA system,” explained Gert-Jan Gomes, Director and Co-Owner of DSL. “We maintain and prepare the touring package, transport the equipment between shows,…
American Express Presents BST Hyde Park 2026 welcomed an international line-up of artists across three weekends, each bringing its own creative vision, production requirements and touring workflow. Behind the scenes, Production Director Mark Ward, Stage Manager Mike Grove, Proper Productions, LS Events and AEG Presents once again oversaw delivery of one of the UK’s most established outdoor concert series. Supporting that production, PRG delivered lighting and video across the festival site, supplying the Great Oak Stage and Rainbow Stage, alongside lighting for the Birdcage Stage. 2026 marked a significant milestone for PRG, delivering the complete video package for the Great…
Designing and manufacturing three new barrier products to expand the range of specialist safety barriers to meet the needs of Roskilde Festival, Dutch Barrier Services was contracted to supply barriers to the Orange, Arena and Laguna stages, in Dyrskuepladsen, Denmark, July 2026. Dutch Barrier Services’ (DBS) supplied over 1,500m of barriers, and introduced three new products used at Roskilde Festival for the first time in 2026, strengthening the company’s proprietary crowd barrier range, launched in 2022. Coupled with customer-focused service, it has established the company as a firm favourite with many European festivals, World Tours and venues. Lars Liliengren, Roskilde…
An open-air concert series at Sauerlandpark in Hemer featuring internationally renowned artists Anastacia, Ben Zucker, Lorenz Büffel and Mickie Krause took place in June 2026 when most of Europe was in the grip of an unprecedented heatwave. Despite record-breaking temperatures, local event technology specialists acoustic NETWORK successfully delivered the complete technical production for all three days, ensuring flawless operation across audio, lighting, video and special effects. The sound reinforcement system was based entirely on NEXO technology. The main PA consisted of six M46 line source modules and six B112 bass modules per side, complemented by three M28 downfill cabinets on each side. …
