An Avolites Arena console was recently used as part of an extensive Avolites lighting control network for Dutch rock giants Kensington, at Pinkpop, the world’s longest-running pop festival, in Landgraaf, Netherlands. The Arena console was supplied by Belgium-based rental company, Phlippo, to the band’s Lighting Designer Jop Kuipers. Fairlight supplied two Titan Network Processors (TNP) and an Optical Titan Network Switch (TNS), whilst Kuipers brought in his personal Titan Mobile console as backup. “I have been using Avolites for over a decade,” said Kuipers. “The Arena desk is great for large set-ups like Pinkpop, because it has a lot of…
Author: Stewart Hume
Maestra London has hired Leonie Cumisky as PA and Office Manager, Paul Hayes as Assistant Technical Manager and Frank Uhl as the new Warehouse Manager. Maestra London Director, Justin Hammond, said: “We’ve had a fantastic year and it’s very exciting to strengthen the team with more excellent personnel. Leonie, Paul and Frank come from a diversity of backgrounds and their dynamics, vitality and excellent personalities will be a great asset to our collective vision and goals.” They will all be settled in ahead of an action-packed autumn season for Maestra’s operations in the UK and Middle East. Cumiskey will be…
Absen Europe has announced the appointment of Liam Winter as Product Director and Michael Scott as Technical and Project Manager. Winter joined Absen Europe in July from PSCo, Absen’s UK distribution partner, and as such is perfectly poised to take up this brand new role. With more than 15 years of experience in the AV industry in a variety of senior sales, business management and product management roles, he has a wealth of knowledge to draw on thanks to time spent with leading manufacturers of cutting edge video wall display technologies, as well as with users and channel partners in…
American musical theatre star, Idina Menzel, recently played the Royal Albert Hall, as part of the UK leg of her 2017 world tour. Production, lighting and video design for the tour was taken care of by Abigail Rosen Holmes, who has also designed shows for artists such as Miley Cyrus, The Cure, Shakira and The Pet Shop Boys. Working with Holmes on the design and programming of the tour were Felix Peralta, Lighting Programmer, Dan Scully Video Content and Editor, and Eric Marchwinski Programming Video. Lighting and Video Director, Teddy Sosna commented: “Abbey and I have worked on numerous projects together—we…
Lifting equipment manufacturer and supplier Hoist UK has appointed General Manager John Ball with immediate effect. Ball will manage the business’s sales and marketing teams, contribute to overall business strategy and lead business development activities which include delivery of Hoist UK’s sales, commercial and customer strategies. With over 25 years in the lifting equipment industry, Ball is recognised throughout the market and a welcome addition to the growing Hoist UK team. Commenting on the new appointment Paul Jordan, said: “Having known John professionally for many years I’m delighted to welcome him to the role of General Manager and have every…
Silent concerts are an interesting alternative at open air concerts in residential areas, allowing bands and DJs to play throughout the night without a loud, intrusive PA. One of the biggest silent concerts ever staged in Germany took place at Marienplatzfest in Stuttgart recently, where an enthusiastic crowd donned more than 1000 headphones to listen and dance to the sound of German band Adulescens. Responsible for the 3D listening experience was Tour Manager and FOH Engineer Tobias Raunigk, who adapted the concept of silent concerts for the band utilising and Allen & Heath GLD-80. “With the 3D listening experience we want to deliver something special for the audience and the organiser alike,” explained Raunigk.…
Production Futures – TPi’s annual collaboration with Production Park – brings the biggest names in the live events industry, and the production professionals of the future together under one roof. The event presents a recruitment marketplace, offering real employment opportunities for students, graduates and freelancers under the age of 30. Attendees will benefit from an education zone and an industry forum with a relevant, topic-led programme of panel sessions, demonstrations and networking opportunities. The event will also host the second TPi Breakthrough Talent Awards, the younger sibling to TPi’s annual, world-renowned awards ceremony. The Breakthrough Talent Awards were created to reward…
Academy Music Group (AMG) once again enlisted Liverpool based Adlib to design and deliver a completely new, full touring specification, audio system for its most recent venue acquisition, O2 Forum Kentish Town in North London. The 2,300 capacity venue is one of the most popular live music destinations in the capital. The brief was to future-proof the venue’s technical infrastructure, bring it up-to-date and give incoming productions the flexibility and facilities they need to stage world class performances with the convenience of using the house system. Adlib’s vast experience in live touring and venue installations coupled with detailed research of…
CAST introduces wysiwyg Lighting Design Software Release 39 which packs improved security to protect user investment as well as a rich new feature set for every wysiwyg mode: CAD, Data, Plots, Reports and Previsualization and more! Created with the lighting designer in mind as well as a futuristic workplace, wysiwyg’s powerful and integrated improvements result from the direct feedback from wysiwyg users and the wysiwyg beta testing program. Users will be able to be more creative and dynamic in their lighting design workflow from the design and presentation to clients as well as on site, saving valuable time and resources.…
Legendary disco act, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, performed an acclaimed set on Glastonbury’s Pyramid stage using Allen & Heath dLive S Class mixing systems. Supported by F1 Sound, John Ryan, Tech Production Manager and FOH engineer, used a S7000 Surface linked by FibreACE to an onstage DM48 MixRack, whilst monitor engineer, Marco Dellatorre, used a S7000 and DM48 with MADI for recording. John Ryan, who has been mixing for Nile Rodgers and CHIC for the past 13 years, said: “From the first moment I turned it on, I immediately became friends with dLive. The system proves to be fast and easy to…
The annual London Club and Bar Awards has been celebrating the city’s thriving hospitality industry since 1994. This year’s event, which was held at The Intercontinental Park Lane, served up more sizzling glitz than ever, thanks to a stunning lighting design by Halo, which featured eight Maverick MK2 Spots, eight Maverick MK2 Washes, four STRIKE 4’s and 12 Rogue R1 FX-Bs from Chauvet Professional. At the heart of the design was the brilliantly lit main stage that was used for the awards ceremony. Yann Guenancia, Halo Project Manager, drew on the intense output, rapid movements and brilliant colours of the…
CODA Audio has appointed Rich Rowley to the position of Managing Director of the newly created CODA Audio UK. A vastly experienced industry professional, Rowley brings a wealth of technical and commercial expertise to the role, having enjoyed a 30-year career that has endowed him with a comprehensive understanding of the sector. Beginning as an engineer to legendary producer Trevor Horn, Rowley’s journey progressed through assisting in the design of game-changing products such as BSS Audio’s Omnidrive, Varicurve and Soundweb platforms, to an impressive list of sound design credits in EDM, theatre, touring and festivals. These creative credentials are supported by…
British pop-rock outfit The 1975 have been touring virtually non-stop since 2015, having just wrapped up the seventh leg of their ongoing run with shows across North America. As their audiences continue to grow, so does the importance of pristine, powerful sound, and so for their latest dates, the band’s longtime audio production provider, Eighth Day Sound, recommended a switch to a substantial Adamson Systems Engineering E-Series and S-Series FOH loudspeaker system. “Eighth Day had invested in Adamson and we’d had some fantastic festival gigs using their systems,” began Jay Rigby, FOH engineer for The 1975. “So we thought we…
On the heels of the announcement of the appointment of Contact Distribution as EM Acoustics’ exclusive Canadian distributor, the British loudspeaker manufacturer continues to strengthen its presence in North America with its first rep firm appointment, Cardone, Solomon & Associates (CS&A), based in New York. Jim Shearing of EM Acoustics North America is pleased to be working with CS&A. “A year down the line since the launch of EM Acoustics North America, we are now in a position to appoint a well-known rep firm, and we have been very methodical in looking at all the options available to us,” he…
Nearly 50 Chroma-Q Color Force II 48 luminaires were a central feature of the Pyramid Stage lighting rig at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, providing powerful coloured illumination and eye candy during both daytime and evening performances from high-profile artists including Foo Fighters, Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Craig David, Chic, Barry Gibb, The National, First Aid Kit and many more. Mark Cunniffe, LD for Sunday night headliner, Ed Sheeran was impressed by the output of the fixture, commenting: “I loved the Color Force IIs. They worked really well in a daylight application.” Kirk J Miller, lighting director for Katy…
Parklife Festival and Manchester City Council are proud to announce a partnership with The 10,000 Hours Foundation as part of the initiative’s launch in the city. Designed to organise volunteering projects in partnership with dance music festivals, the collaboration aims to enable fans to be a part of positive social change – launching with a volunteer-led renovation of Harpurhey Community Centre and Garden on Saturday 1st July. Volunteers are needed this Thursday, June 29th and on Saturday 1st. Parklife Festival will be utilising its social media influence to recruit volunteers from its fanbase. The helpers will engage in all sorts of activities as part of…
A perfect example of ‘calm before the storm’ can be found on the Rimini beach in Italy, where LITEC has constructing a sophisticated LIBERA series Alusfera II roof for upcoming concerts to be held during the Summer Beach Arena event. Running from 24 June to the 30 July, the Summer Beach Arena concert series features exciting live and DJ sets by national and international artists from sunset until late in the evening. More photo and video updates to follow after the event kicks off! www.litectruss.com
Colour Sound Experiment has invested in 100 new LightSky AquaBeam waterproof beam moving lights in readiness for the 2017 festival season which will see the west London based lighting and video rental specialist supply over 60 different events with equipment, design services and crew. MD Haydn ‘H’ Cruickshank said they have been looking for a couple of years for a product that is water resistant and bright enough. The IP44 rated LightSky AquaBeam is designed especially for outdoor live events and productions, and has been rigorously tested in the most exacting conditions, including enduring months of continuous extreme weather like driving…
