In less than a year Sam Smith’s distinctive style and honest, personable approach to pop stardom has seem him rocket to fame. Singles from his debut album, In the Lonely Hour, regularly top the charts and, as his popularity has escalated, so too has the size of the venues that he can fill. In just six short months Smith has collected four Grammys and two Brit Awards. This public recognition has seen his tour visit a diverse mix of venues. To facilitate this, his creative team have had to respond quickly, adapting the stage design and scale of the show…
Author: Stewart Hume
Completing their third UK arena tour with a pair of electrifying, sold-out shows at the 02 London, Irish band The Script solidified their position as the perfect pop-rock outfit. Fronted by Danny O’Donoghue, a former judge on TV’s The Voice UK, the trio performed an unstoppable blend of hits, with anthems pulled from their latest full-length release No Sound Without Silence. TPi reports from behind the scenes of the tour’s all-encompassing show design led by LD Jamie Thompson. The Script’s current tour opened in Tokyo in January and arrived in Britain a month later led by Bob O’Brien, the band’s…
February 2015 saw US punksters, All Time Low, and Brit Rockers, You Me At Six, join musical forces to successfully storm and conquer five UK arenas. For the screamingly loud, bra-lobbing fans it was a double whammy – two very different sets for the price of one – and for the creatives and crew that put it on the road, it was a diplomatic coop that delivered an international partnerships that royally paid off. Sarah Rushton-Read got into the mix. You Me at Six – also known as YM@6 – and All Time Low – ATL – presented a formidable…
In 2009, British singer Paloma Faith released her debut album Do You Want The Truth Or Something Beautiful? and became a mainstay on the UK airwaves. Her infectiously bubbly personality soon gained her an army of fans, and her live performances have become a huge selling point for the artist. The recent recipient of a Brit Award, Faith is going from strength to strength as she embarks on her first full production arena tour. TPi talks retro glam and customisation at Leeds First Direct Arena. There’s a distinctly chipper atmosphere inside the Leeds First Direct Arena – it’s only a…
It’s a place where Skrillex DJs in an igloo, The Prodigy once (allegedly) played so loud the cows didn’t produce milk for three weeks, and PA equipment is ferried 2,000 metres up a mountain via cable car. Welcome to Broadwick Live’s Snowbombing – the greatest show on snow, which TPi discovers, is far from the usual run-of-the-mill festival. Nestled in the foothills of the Austrian Alps, less than an hour’s drive from Innsbruck, is the town of Mayrhofen. The last week of the ski season (6-11 April) sees the town welcome over 7,000 ‘Snowbombers’ who get their kicks on the…
Created and designed by Baz Halpin, 18-month long tour Prismatic is Katy Perry’s biggest and most demanding to date. Achieving creative perfection throughout, alongside the plethora of props and costumes, there are technical firsts with software integration never seen before on a tour of this size. TPi’s Kelly Murray chats to the crew… As we pulled up to the LG Arena in Birmingham on an uncharacteristically hot and sunny English day, troupes of crew members and trucks full of wardrobe changes filled the back of the venue. At the helm of the tour was Jay Schmit, Katy Perry’s Production Manager,…
Harman Professional Solutions’ technologies provided sound and uniform coverage for the AdvoCare National Success School 2015 held at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Approximately 24,000 people attended the training and motivational event hosted in September by AdvoCare, a provider of nutritional, weight-management, skin care and sports performance products. The HARMAN Professional Solutions’ components, including JBL VTX line arrays and Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers, were configured and installed by Multi Image Group. Edward Gonzalez, Director of Audio Services for Multi Image Group, said: “As corporate events go, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. The setup was elaborate, with a…
When phenomenally successful R&B star, Usher, embarked on his latest tour – The UR Experience – he relied on the cream of production providers. Kicking off in Montreal, Canada, in November 2014 and ending at the O2, London, in March, it spanned the globe, visiting various continents and thrilling fans the world over. During its final leg in Europe, TPi’s Kelly Murray visited the crew to talk tech talent and creative vision. The UR Experience’s touring team is led by industry veteran and Production Manager, Harold Jones [Beyonce, Destiny’s Child] and new addition, Tour Manager, Vizion Jones. Facilitated by an…
Following the launch of the ZEDi-8 hybrid mixer / interface, Allen & Heath has released two more ZEDi models; the ZEDi-10 and ZEDi-10FX. Designed for recording / gigging artists and AV rental and installation companies, the ZEDi-10 and ZEDi-10FX models combine a compact mixer with a 24bit 96kHz four by four USB interface, which enables multi-track recording and playback to a Mac or PC or to an iOS device (using a Camera Connection Kit). The units also have flexible source routing options to adapt to different workflows, and are bundled with Cubase LE music production software and the Cubasis LE…
Southampton-based lighting rental company, and newest member of the growing HSL family, just celebrated 20 years within the pro lighting and entertainment technology industry. Staged at the Dancing Man Brewery, housed in the charismatic old Wool House dock warehouse in the historical heart of the town’s thriving port facilities, the event was attended by close to 100 guests, prompting GLS MD Ian Turner to declare: “Finally after 20 years in business we are proud to say that we can organise a piss-up in a brewery!” HSL’s MD Simon Stuart, right at the forefront of the party, commented: “It was an…
Matthew Cotter has joined d3 Technologies as Technical Sales Specialist based on the US West Coast. Cotter has been a lighting director and media programmer for the past 15 years, primarily working in television and on theme park spectaculars. He shared an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Series with his colleagues for Dancing with the Stars in 2014. Cotter joins a growing US team representing d3 nationwide. Hans Beijer, Vice President of Sales for d3 Americas, said: “Matthew is a very strong addition to the team, and we’re excited to welcome him. “He came highly…
Dave Gilmour’s 2015 world tour started in the UK in September and will continue until a show at New York’s Madison Square Garden in April 2016. The guitarist and vocalist had already impressed fans and critics, drawing on nearly 50 years of Pink Floyd and solo work, with a prominent place reserved for his latest album, Rattle That Lock. Gavin Tempany was the Monitor Engineer on the tour and he had chosen an SSL L500 Plus console. He commented on his choice: “I had the choice of a couple of consoles but they were the only ones that would do the…
Among the first live concerts to be staged in Paris after the November 13 terror attacks were three emotionally charged shows at the AccorHotels Arena by French musician, Johnny Hallyday. The Paris dates were part of the current Rester Vivant (Staying Alive) tour and French Lighting Designer Dimitri Vassiliu brought his experience and imagination to create the ‘big rock show’. The design featured 36 Robe BMFL Spot moving lights on the rig, supplied by lighting contractor Dushow who had invested heavily in Robe in 2015. For the AccorHotels Arena performances, an additional 20 BMFL Spots were added to the rig…
Cape Town-based events company, GB Sound, recently invested in Allen & Heath’s dLive digital mixing system, making it the first company in South Africa to acquire one. Grant Brooks, owner of GB Sound, said: “As an avid fan of Allen & Heath and owner of many of their digital desks, I was keen to see what this range had to offer. I was instantly taken with the desk’s look – it’s spectacular. “The layout, the screens, the work surface and overall design are at a different level. I knew I had to have one!” Having seen the desk at the…
Video Design has provided screens and video infrastructure for Take That’s latest Tour; Wear the Rose at the O2 London for the Rugby World Cup and all of last summer’s concert events at Hyde Park. Video Design Founder Alex Leinster said: “Yes, you could say it’s been a busy start. In fact we’ve only now found the time to launch our company website. But for a young company we have a solid base of experience and frankly there’s nothing we like better than engaging with a variety of demands. “What we’ve done for Marina and the Diamonds and Duran Duran…
UK festival industry group Powerful Thinking launched an incisive environmental impact report, The Show Must Go On, detailing a cross-industry response to the global environmental challenge, with a vision for change, 26 November 2015. The Show Must Go On was presented to the UN Climate Change Conference, Paris, December 2015, where 196 countries met to sign a new climate change agreement. It was first launched at the UK Festival Conference, 26 November at London’s Roundhouse. The report’s authors hope that by presenting a concise overview and proposed roadmap for reduced carbon impact at festivals in-line with international targets, that the UK…
Award-winning Lighting Designer Bruno Poet felt privileged and inspired when offered to work in Verona Arena with the spectacular live show Intimissimi On Ice. At the same, this was his first opportunity to deploy SGM’s LED luminaires in his creative design. Show Director, Francisco Negrin, describes the elegant ice-skating show as “a generator of the energy of shadows and light”. The two acts depict very different aspects, where Act I starts with the dark energy in violent and chaotic forms exploring the dark sides of male/female relationships with both loneliness and desire. The desire turns into passionate lust and then…
Profession: Production Designers Date & place of birth: Louis: 02.08.1987, UK. James: 30.11.1989, UK. How did you get into the industry – were you formally trained or did you opt for the more DIY route? L: I fell into the industry. Whilst studying a Music Business degree at university, I took on a part time job at a local lighting company with the aim of making some additional funds. That company was Siyan. After a week, I started taking a real interest in the designers and technicians and their roles on productions. Shortly after, I started going on various introduction courses and…
