Like a ghost ship at bay, the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury stood eerily silent when Rob Sangwell and his team from Fineline Lighting visited in early July. Outlined against a grey sky, its stark metal frame shorn of all the coverings, lighting fixtures and PA gear that are so familiar to festival-goers, the iconic structure seemed lost and forlorn. In its isolation, the stage served as a metaphor for the state of the live entertainment industry, believed the Fineline team. This led them to select it as the site of their Light It In Red display. “We wanted to do…
Author: Jacob Waite
Area Four Industries Direct America has recently received new stock of Prolyte products. The stock includes truss and accessories for the 30/40 series trusses, an array of hardware and accessories, and the popular LSU Ground Stack LED wall support system. The award winning Verto truss and other Prolyte products will be arriving in the coming weeks as Area Four Industries Direct America continues to ramp up efforts to expand the presence of Prolyte in North America. Building on more than 25 years of history and tradition, the Prolyte brand continues to be one of the most recognised worldwide names in…
In a statement on social media published this evening, Skan PA Hire Director, Chris Fitch has revealed the “devastating” effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with no prospect of concerts returning may result in further redundancies at the company. In a Facebook post he wrote the following [sic]: “Skan is very sorry to report the redundancies of three staff who will work their notice in September. These are valued members of our team and they absolutely would not be losing their jobs if HMG’s support was fit for purpose. The winding down of CJRS with no prospect of concerts re-starting…
As part of the UK Live Group, a collaborative group of trade associations in the live sector, Production Services Association (PSA) has revealed the appropriate steps the live events industry should take to apply for funding and support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent email, the PSA addressed [sic]: “We know that Arts Council Funding is an alien world so we have about two weeks to upskill. If you have a project that could help create work, or maybe you’re a company member that supports the creative sector (you all do!), get these dates in your…
In an open letter on social media, Adlib Managing Director, Andy Dockerty has urged the UK Government to step forward to ensure that all employees be furloughed or equivalent until mass gatherings such as arenas are permitted, safe and commercially viable. As well as ensure that all sector freelancers can be supported until mass gatherings are permitted, safe and commercially viable. He also underlined that while the sector has been unable to work for longer than any other sectors, its losses by percentage will be greater than any other sector and require grants accordingly. In a Facebook post he wrote…
The appointment unifies NEXO’s representation in the three countries under one umbrella for the first time in 30 years and draws upon the extensive expertise of Gineke van Urk’s team at Iemke Roos which has handled NEXO’s business in the Netherlands since the mid-1990s. NEXO’s European sales manager Celso Papadopulos emphasised that “we are putting ourselves in a very safe pair of hands. For decades, Iemke Roos was one of our leading independent distributors, and now they have new breadth and depth as part of the Audio-Technica group. Having one central distribution operation for all three countries will bring many…
Video rental specialist, Universal Pixels (UP), has supplied a 162sqm Leyard CLM10 screen for The Prince of Egypt at London’s Dominion Theatre. Configured as a single 18m x 9m screen, it provides a stunning backdrop to the dynamic scenic design. Adapted from The Book of Exodus, The Prince of Egypt – written by Philip LaZebnik – was first released as an animated musical film in 1998. Featuring songs from Grammy and Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz and a score from Hans Zimmer, it earned critical acclaim as a cinematic milestone. The theatre show has 10 new songs from Schwartz, together with…
The Tauron Arena in Krakow, Poland, is a favourite venue among artists, promoters, working crews and music fans on the normally busy year-round European arena touring circuit, but like most venues, it lies shuttered and empty while the live entertainment industry is ‘on hold’ as we fight the pandemic. Lighting Designer, ‘s Maciej Hofstede from design / creative direction outfit OF COURSE, based in Bochnia, typically juggles a busy schedule of music festivals and artist tours at this time have years, decided to go big when it came to participating in the recent #LightTheSky Poland lighting action. He was among…
Event suppliers T.H. Collective, Fineline Lighting and Mechanical Mouse have teamed up to announce the launch of a new broadcast studio – TH e.Space – offering a full range of remote broadcast services. The studio, located at T.H. Collective’s Bristol headquarters, enables customers to produce high quality remote video content while observing social distancing guidelines, and can be scaled according to the needs and budget of the client. In addition to recording and editing the broadcast, the team at TH e.Space can offer clients a wide range of services including Q&As, live polling, speaker coaching, live captioning, graphics and more.…
As more performing artists seek a way to reach an audience amid the COVID-19 lockdown, Kehlani performed at one California’s first drive-in concerts on Thursday night, sounded out by a K-array system – supplied by On-Stage Rentals. Audi Presents: Summer Drive-In Concert, which was held in appreciation of Los Angeles’ frontline and essential workers, was the first time the R&B artist performed songs from her album It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, which she released mid-shutdown on 8 May. The 100-person crowd, including a handful of A-listers like Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, watched the show at Calamigos Ranch nestled…
Releasing copious amounts of haze-filled bubbles, the CHAUVET DJ Bubble Haze generated fun and excitement throughout the event industry when it was introduced in 2019. Now the company has taken bubbles to the next level with the introduction of the Bubble Haze X2 Q6. Doubling the effect and volume of its predecessor, the new product features six quad-colored (RGB + UV) LEDs that illuminate bubbles, haze or haze-filled bubbles. The new effect features twin blowers with variable-speed loft fans that push bubbles up into the air. CHAUVET DJ’s Always-Ready technology means the effect can run continuously to keep the party…
All of France marks the beginning of the modern French Nation each year on 14 July, with events taking place all over the country – but this year’s National Holiday was quite different due to the pandemic felt everywhere in the world. Lawo mixing consoles provided the highest possible audio quality for the traditional Concert de Paris taking place on the Champs du Mars at the foot of the Eiffel Tower – Lawo’s sixth successive year serving both the live and broadcast sound requirements. The FOH consoles used were a 48-fader mc²56 production console for the orchestra mix, and an…
Professionals from across the global concert touring industry have joined forces to form the PSA Tour Production Group (PSA TPG), in order to provide a unified response to the impact of COVID-19 on live music events. The group is a new arm of the Production Services Association – the largest UK trade body for the live event production industry – and includes tour managers, production managers, safety professionals, venue and festival managers, travel and logistics specialists, promoters, and leading industry suppliers, who work with artists at all levels of touring, from emerging acts to the biggest performers in the world.…
Audio postproduction facility Pip Studios has opened its doors, offering Dolby Atmos capability from its six purpose-built Atmos stages on its site in Winnersh, Berkshire. Co-founded by leading industry figures Ally Curran, Mark Sheffield and Nigel Bennett, Pip aims to bring its expertise to bear on offering state of the art audio localisation services for feature films, television, gaming, and streaming industries. The six Atmos stages are world class facilities for the UK industry. All are Dolby certified, equipped with 24-Fader Avid S6 mixing consoles, and aligned for Theatrical and Home Entertainment Mixing. The stages have been built and equipped…
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, klik has reinvented itself in order to adapt to the future of live events. The tech company has launched a new hybrid event solution that includes its innovative smart wearables to not only drive engagement but help create a safer environment for in-person attendees through added safety capabilities like contact tracing, touchless interactions, and crowd management features. The objective is to create one collective experience for both in-person and virtual attendees at an event by adapting klik’s already tried and proven event platform. This single platform now gives the event planner the flexibility to…
Live events trade bodies and businesses across the UK have joined forces to bring attention to the dire straits the live events industry and the entire supply chain is currently facing – the sector includes manufacturers, audio, lighting and video specialists, logistics, transportation, rigging and many more. The industry is now issuing a ‘Red Alert’ with many organisations, businesses and live events staff coming together on the 11 August 2020 to shed light on an industry set to collapse, unless the government provides the right support. Redundancies have started with research conducted last week indicating 10% of companies planning issuing…
As the world slowly and safely begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic – a time which has brought the audio industry to a standstill for the past few months – Void Acoustics has confirmed the appointment of a new distributor for Korea. Joeun Media are based in Busan, Korea, and first came to the attention of Void Acoustics in 2013 at Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt. The company has been operating since 1985 as a wholesale AV distributor and has established a significant reputation as an exceptional audio installation company for major clubs and venues around Korea. However, this…
Videoed at the improvised production studio in the Showtime Sound LLC warehouse, Let There Be Rock, a two-day event featuring a dozen bands from the Frederick Rock School was livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube, with a CHAUVET Professional lighting rig devised by Showtime Director of Design and Production, Aaron Kovelman. “This was an important moment for students, so we wanted to give them something that made them feel special,” said Kovelman. “We wanted to create looks that are not only powerful, but also different for each band to reflect their unique personalities.” Helping Kovelman accomplish this goal were 13 Maverick MK3…
