Fresh off the back of the European leg of Avril Lavigne’s much-anticipated Love Sux Tour, Jake Roeber talks to TPi about curating the visuals for the Canadian singer-songwriter’s latest live production, his experience behind the desk, and what it was like to collaborate with Christie Lites, Pixl Evolution and TAIT. How long have you been working with Avril Lavigne? “After leaving AREA15 Las Vegas as the Senior Production Manager, I joined the Avril Lavigne team last spring as Lighting Director when she joined the Mainstream Sellout American tour as direct support for Machine Gun Kelly. Initial design scribbles for the…
Author: Stewart Hume
Taking place from 14 to 17 May 2024, TPi Magazine will host an event aimed at uniting tour managers and service providers – including hoteliers and travel companies – for several days of networking and discovery. “In an era where every business trip must be accounted for, the GTL Sessions pledge is simple: to provide an equal platform for hoteliers and transport companies to meet with tour managers looking to book their services for upcoming tours,” explained TPi Commercial Director, Fran Begaj. For tour managers, GTL Sessions is a chance to come together at a stunning five-star resort to network…
Sterling Event Group has recently completed a multimillion pound investment in new equipment. Managing Director, Richard Bowden spoke to TPi about the latest investment and what it means for the Manchester-based rental house moving forward. “This recent investment is part of our plans to service our production work but also to facilitate our growing trade dry hire department,” Bowden explained. “Part of this investment included the purchase of almost 300 CHAUVET Professional fixtures. Many of these lighting fixtures are IP-rated which gives us the flexibility to use them anywhere, from outdoor stages to intimate indoor events, and they require less maintenance…
Last year TPi was invited to UK Rigging’s Bolton HQ to hear all about Project X – a new scheme with the goal to train new riggers and address the mass shortage of those qualified to work at height within the live events sector. Project X in its first year saw UK Rigging welcome six new recruits who underwent an intensive six-month program that resulted in all achieving their National Rigging Certificate (NRC). The scheme also saw UK Rigging take care of all upfront costs that the recruits might need for equipment which could then be paid back in installments…
Technical business development specialist Neutral Human (NH) has appointed Christian Dickens as Co-Director of the business. With decades of high-end experience behind him, Dickens first established a solid working relationship with NH founder, Sarah Cox, while working at media server manufacturer disguise as Head of Support and Sales Director EMEA, respectively. “At disguise, Christian and I laid out many successful strategies for onboarding and managing client adoption of complex software and hardware tech as the company grew,” said Cox. “We both understand what each other does and where our strengths lie. Between us, we seem to create the perfect hand-off…
Independent production company Method Events delivered a blockbuster edition of Tramlines festival this summer, cementing its commitment to deal with local suppliers. This event built on the success of the award-winning Tramlines 2021, which was one of very few festivals to go ahead as a pilot event. For its work on the pilot, Method Events were the recipients of both the Supplier Team of the Year and Best Production/Site Management awards at the Festival Supplier Awards 2022. Building on this experience, Method planned a record-breaking event for 2022, which sold out its 50,000 capacity faster than ever before. The five-stage…
One of Shure’s recently new models, the KSM11, which claims to accurately present artists’ vocals in top tier live and broadcast productions, has recently been selected by leading Sound Designer, Gareth Owen for use in the production of MJ the Musical on Broadway. Owen shares his thoughts on the new model and how he’d utilised them in the show. What are your initial impressions of Shure KSM11? “I have a great relationship with Shure and I’m a big fan of their handhelds. They reached out asking if I’d want to try a new mic head. I’ve been using SM58 and KSM9 heads across…
The O2 has announced a series of new measures to make the popular music, leisure, and entertainment venue even more sustainable for fans, bands and brands. Coinciding with the venue’s 15th birthday and Billie Eilish bringing her Happier Than Ever tour to the venue this month, alongside a cross-campus climate festival Overheated, The O2 will be implementing various changes within the arena to reduce single use plastic, promote a plant-based menu, and better enable customers to make informed and responsible choices. Within The O2 arena, together with the venue’s catering partner Levy UK + Ireland, the venue has committed to…
STUFISH Entertainment Architects has designed the ABBA Arena – a brand new performance space in East London. The 3,000-capacity arena will serve as the home for ABBA’s virtual concert ABBA Voyage, which opened 26 May 2022. The building is set to become a new cultural destination in the city, situated close to Pudding Mill Lane DLR station. The steel and timber building has been conceived as a mysterious, intriguing object that demands attention, whilst creating a welcoming atmosphere for visitors to enjoy their experience. Designed from the inside out, the 25.5m high hexagonal form of the arena is in response…
4Wall become the first UK rental house to acquire Elation Professional Artiste Monet, Artiste Mondrian and Artiste Rembrandt. Acquisition through Elation UK distribution partner Entedi continues Elation’s growth in the European market. Leading full-service video and lighting company 4Wall has extended its stock of Elation Artiste series LED moving heads into Europe with the purchase of the Artiste Monet Profile, Artiste Mondrian Profile FX and the Artiste Rembrandt Wash. Following on from 4Wall’s positive acquisition of Artiste series fixtures in the US earlier this year, and in the wake of a series of favourable product demos at the 4Wall facility…
Outline’s unique FPGA processor assumes a key operational role at Coachella and Stagecoach Festivals. Both returning after a two-year break. As they have been for every Coachella since 2000, Camarillo-based Rat Sound Systems were the principal audio reinforcement provider for the 2022 event, providing complete live performance systems across the seven largest performance areas: the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Sahara Tent, Mojave Tent, Yuma Tent, and the Sonora Tent, respectively handling around 180 acts in each of the two three-day weekends. At the Stagecoach Festival, Rat Sound delivered multiple stages worth of audio including the Mane, Spotlight, Honkey…
More AV has extended its Funktion-One distribution to include Belgium and Luxembourg, making it the loudspeaker manufacturer’s representative for the entire Benelux region. The company, which is headquartered in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, has been a key Funktion-One partner for almost 20 years. More AV, which is led by founder Remco van der Werff, will build on the strong foundation left by the outgoing distributor, Soundsystem.be, whose owners – Tia Broodcoorens and Lieven Pillaert – have decided to close the company and pursue personal projects. For Pillaert, that includes working closely with More AV in a consultative capacity. Funktion-One’s Ann Andrews commented:…
One of the most eagerly anticipated live music events of the decade, ABBA Voyage brings the 70s supergroup back to the stage in a seamless blend of the virtual and physical worlds. Several years in the making, the show opened on 26 May in a purpose-built arena designed by Stufish Entertainment Architects at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London. Early reviews confirm that it is like nothing seen before, as it adds a new element to the live music experience by blurring the lines between computer-generated imagery (CGI) and reality that can only be seen in person to fully understand. As…
The final evening concert of the 2022 Volbriöö event in Estonia’s vibrant and picturesque second city of Tartu took place on the Kaarsild (Arch) Bridge, an elegant pedestrian link that connects the centre of town with the Ülejõe District, traversing the Emajõgi River. Andres Sarv, Lighting Designer from Tartu’s famous Vanemuine theatre and a team from production and rental company E&T were asked to assist with the technical elements including lighting which had a key role in the presentation. Sarv specified Robe Pointes, LEDWash 800s, Spikie and LEDBeam 100 moving lights. These were used to light all the stage action,…
Grammy Award winning, Puerto Rican mega-star Bad Bunny kicked off his 36-date sell-out El Último Tour Del Mundo 2022 from the Ball Arena, Denver in February. Featuring a show design as stylishly unconventional as the artist himself, Lighting Designer Alain Corthout, chose to deploy a battery of super-bright, effects rich, lightweight VL10 BEAMWASH luminaires from Vari-Lite, a Signify company. “Bad Bunny takes an alternative approach to his live performance, so the show design had to be as outspoken as he is,” explained Corthout. “I was looking for a lighting workhorse that would offer the ultimate in creative versatility, while delivering…
Creative Technology Asia Pacific has recently taken delivery of a further shipment of Ayrton Diablo S profile fixtures to expand its existing rental stock. The Singapore-based audio-visual company, caters for a variety of MICE events including keynotes, Kick-off meetings, exhibitions and product launches across the region. It made its first investment in the ultra-compact, feature-packed powerhouse profile when Diablo was first launched back in 2019, before increasing its stock levels in 2020, and again this year. “Ayrton Diablo was one of the potential fixtures that we originally looked at when we were searching for a replacement within our rental inventory,”…
The O2 has announced the appointment of Robbie Balfour as Brand and Marketing Director to lead the marketing strategy across the full campus at venue, including the arena, Icon Outlet, Up at The O2 and the Entertainment District. Balfour will be bringing his expertise and experience in growing brands to the world-famous venue, working alongside Steve Sayer and the team to reimagine the customer experience and build on The O2’s reputation as a full day and night out destination. Prior to joining The O2, Balfour gained over a decade of marketing experience working across some of the world’s leading sports…
Earlier this year, ExCeL London hosted Move It, one of the largest dance event in the world. Move It featured performances by 150 acts, ranging from professional troupes and college dance groups, to community organisations and local schools. Supporting them on stage was a highly flexible production design by Steve Yeardsley and the OneBigStar team that featured over 170 CHAUVET Professional fixtures from the company’s own inventory. Engaging the services of David Howard Lighting Design, the OneBigStar team endeavoured to create stage lighting that was versatile enough to reflect the event’s diverse range of dance genres, a collection that included…
