UK - Some of R&B's most successful '90s artists were reunited at London's Wembley Arena in February for a mega-concert, lit by Tom Grant using Clay Paky Sharpys and Alpha Wash 700s.

The R&B Superstars show - which featured En Vogue, Blackstreet2 and Teddy Riley - offered up an evening of soul and smooth tunes in the capital's 12,500-capacity venue.

Birmingham-based DMX Productions managed the project, with support from LD Tom Grant who provided a high-impact, super-star style lighting design that reflected the size and popularity of the show and Siyan Ltd, which supplied the lightin

UK - Ampetronic is celebrating being named a winner of the Queen's Award for Enterprise. The award is for International Trade, in recognition of achieving sustained high export growth in the company's sector of hearing assistance. Ampetronic, based in Newark, Nottinghamshire, is the world's leading manufacturer of hearing loop products, having doubled its export sales in the last three years, and continuing to grow rapidly overseas.

The company's hearing loop products help millions of people around the world, allowing people with hearing loss to communicate easily in difficult noisy e

UK - London-based sound hire specialist Podd Sound, using a QSC WideLine-8 PA with associated Shure UHF-R and ULX-D wireless microphone systems, provided PA and commentary facilities for Sony Music's first UK playback of the new Michael Jackson album, Xscape, on March 31st.

Held in the main ballroom at the stylish five-star Bulgari Hotel in Knightsbridge, London, the exclusive playback was attended by international media and assorted celebrities, supplemented by video messages from album producers LA Reid and Timbaland, and hosted by Radio 1 Xtra's Trevor Nelson.

With rooms starting

USA - Community Professional Loudspeakers has announced the appointment of Millar Electronics as the company's new sales representative for the Southeast United States. Founded in 1924, Millar Electronics has a focus on building quality relationships through exceptional customer service. Millar will cover the states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama for Community from their headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina and their branch office in Nashville, Tennessee.

"We're pleased to welcome Millar Electronics as our Southeast representativ

Europe - Despite only having been together for four years, indie rockers Bastille stormed this year's BRITs, winning the award for British Breakthrough Act, as well as being nominated for British Group, British Single of the Year and British Album of the Year. Their current European and US tour is proving equally successful, with Sennheiser microphones and in-ear monitors playing an integral part in their sonic achievements.

Front of House engineer Paul Cooper has been working with the band for the past two years. "I've been using Sennheiser drum microphones, the 900 series in pa

UK - The irreverent new musical based on the X-Factor, I Can't Sing, recently opened at The London Palladium, featuring an innovative sound design by Gareth Owen, who specified the d&b audiotechnik J-Series for the first time in a West End production, as well as building a one-of-a-kind 256-channel mixer and a proprietary surround sound system.

The FOH system is configured with seven J8s with two J12s per side, complemented by V-Series cabinets in the gallery and T-Series for the centre cluster. Describing it as a "challenging show", Gareth explains why he chose the J

Italy - After years without shows and fairs devoted to the business, the Italian world of show technology can finally count on an event that brings together some of the most important international companies in the industry. Several of the top Italian companies in the fields of lighting, sound, video and rigging were at Live 2014, which took place at the Pala de André in Ravenna on 13 and 14 April. Among these, Clay Paky is definitely one of the most representative Italian brands in the world. It is the Italian company that has been setting the benchmark for show lighting technol

USA - MGM Resorts International techs see it all. Sound system requests can be for a single lavaliere microphone setup for a business meeting in the morning, a DJ-fuelled and bikini-filled pool party at lunch, a prize fight weigh-in with a mariachi band in a ballroom in the afternoon, and then a headline act in an arena in the evening. When the biggest chain of mega resorts in the Entertainment Capital of the World needed a new system that was both versatile and stellar sounding, it turned to L-Acoustics and a system based on the compact Kara line of loudspeakers.

It's no exaggeration

Spain - The Vicente Calderón stadium in Madrid has recently been outfitted with D.A.S. Audio professional sound systems. Home to the Club Atlético de Madrid, the stadium has hosted the team's games since it opened its doors in 1966. With approximately 55,000 spectators packing the stands for these events the stadium needed a powerful yet precise system and the D.A.S. Audio systems distributed around the venue more than fit the bill, providing crystal-clear sound for fans in the Calderon's four main stands.

Due to the stadium's design, D.A.S. Audio technicians were unable to ha

USA - Robe Robin Pointe moving lights hit new highs in a series of rooftop concerts at the 2014 South by Southwest (SXSW) music conference in Austin, Texas.

Felix Lighting of La Mirada, California, provided the Pointes for The Guitar Center Sessions at SXSW which took place in March. The event captured a series of incendiary live performances by Soundgarden, Snoop Dogg, Damon Albarn, Phantogram, The Wild Feathers and many more for exclusive future viewing on the Audience Channel.

The show's longtime lighting designer/director of photography, Victor Fable created the lighting design

Finland - Celebrating its 28th year, April Jazz brings the world's top jazz artists to the Finnish city of Espoo from 22-27 April. This year, acts such as Snarky Puppy, Angélique Kidjo, Tiempo Habana, and The Kenny Garrett Quintet are supported by more than 100 Meyer Sound loudspeaker systems at all three principal venues located in and around the Espoo Cultural Centre.

2014 marks the April Jazz debut of Meyer Sound's new MJF-210 stage monitors, 10 of which were recently purchased by the Espoo Cultural Center, and will remain in its permanent inventory. Sound reinforcement supp

UK/France - Audio-Technica France is named as the authorised distributor of Audient's interface and microphone preamp products. With immediate effect, dealers in this key European territory can purchase these, which include newest arrivals: the USB interface, iD22 and the 8-channel mic pre and ADC, ASP880, directly from the Paris-based distributor.

Richard Garrido, president of Audio-Technica Europe, says, "The development of Audio-Technica is conditioned by our customers' satisfaction. It seems relevant to propose a more complete range of products to our partners. Audient brings

UK - PLASA Focus: Leeds 2014 will throw open the doors of Leeds' Royal Armouries Museum this week, welcoming more than 150 exhibitors and a raft of expectant visitors. On Tuesday 29 and Wednesday 30 April, the picturesque, canal-side setting of Clarence Docks will be transformed into an entertainment technology showcase. The industry will be out in force, making the show a must-attend event for lighting, audio, video and rigging professionals, both in the north of England and beyond.

PLASA Focus: Leeds 2014 offers unparalleled ac

UK - In an industry that can sometimes be a slave to technology and budgets, it is always reassuring to be reminded that the entertainment business is primarily still driven by the people and the relationships that are forged over years of mutual experience and respect.

When asked how Chaos Visual Productions UK were selected to provide the video element of Alison Moyet's latest live performances, tour manager Bob Ward doesn't hesitate, "Over the years I've developed a close working relationship with John Wiseman, president and CEO of Chaos in the USA. The story of John flying to

UK - In order to provide English folk/punk singer-songwriter, Frank Turner, with an intricate lighting solution on his most recent tour around the world, Shaun Moore, lighting department director at Nitelites, implemented Martin Lighting fixtures. Moore deployed 14 MAC Viper Washes, 24 MAC Viper Profiles, 48 MAC Aura's and 20 Atomic 3000s.

"Frank Turner presents an interesting quandary for me as a lighting designer," Moore explains. "He likes his music to do the talking. He is not an extravagant man and, in many ways, this can be seen in his none-flashy on-stage product

South Africa - Energy efficiency and practicality were top of the list for the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) when Robe Robin LEDWash 600 moving lights were chosen as a solution for the renowned Breytenbach Theatre in Pretoria.

Affectionately known as 'The Breytie', the new lights form part of a recent technical upgrade. The lighting elements of this project also included new dimmers all of which was delivered by Johannesburg-based DWR Distribution, Robe's South African distributor.

The re-fit was co-ordinated by the Breytie's technical manager Wandile Mgcodo and DWR's Eazy

USA - With just over two weeks until the doors open at PLASA Focus: Baltimore 2014, organisers PLASA Events have confirmed new exhibitors and seminar speakers. The event is taking place at the Reitz Arena, Loyola University, Maryland on 8-9 May 8-9.

The latest exhibitors to sign up include d&b audiotechnik, Ushio, A.C.T Lighting, Nemetschek Vectorworks, Stagemaker, Parlights, Robe Lighting, Neutrik, PixelFlex, Nicolaudie, Navigator Systems, Shadowstone, Look Solutions, Group One, Core Lighting, Applied Electronics, and Absen America, to name a few.

Five new sessions have been added

UK - Black Light has announced that it has achieved certification for the ISO9001, ISO14001 and OHSAS 18001 quality, environmental and health and safety management standards. The company reached these milestones in March after a comprehensive process of auditing and assessment.

"These certification awards mean a great deal to us," says Barclay Dakers, who leads the integrated management team at Black Light. "They prove that we have the systems in place to deliver internationally-recognised levels of management in the areas covered by the standards."

"I never

Qatar - Showforce has won a prestigious four-year contract with leading event agency, Sports & Entertainment Solutions FZ LLC, the company licensed by Feld Entertainment for the next five years to deliver Disney Live! and Disney On Ice in the Middle East.

The relationship began with Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival in February and March in which Showforce supplied a host of event staff, crew and skilled labour to the exciting new stage show.

The hugely successful Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival featured an all-star line-up of more than 25 Disney

UK - The live dance action at the heart of the newly released British movie Cuban Fury directed by James Griffiths and starring Nick Frost was given additional visual dynamics by S+H Technical Support's Video Floor product.

Thirty-six panels of the Video Floor were delivered and installed as a dancefloor surface at north London venue Koko by S+H for production company Awesome Effects. All the riveting salsa sequences were filmed there over the course of a week.

The floor brought colour, animation and plenty of WOW factors to the party, and is clearly visible in the scenes as

UAE - Most High Productions, a Dubai-based AV rental and installation provider, has purchased the Meyer Sound Lyon linear sound reinforcement system and become the first supplier of the new system in the Middle East.

Closed during the Prolight + Sound 2014 trade show in Frankfurt, the sale includes 24 Lyon linear line array loudspeakers, 12 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements, a Galileo Callisto loudspeaker management system, and four of the new MJF-210 stage monitors.

"I had the opportunity to experience the exceptional headroom and coverage of the Lyon system at a demo an

Australia - The MLC Centre, rising 67 floors above Martin Place in Sydney, Australia, was designed by renowned Australia Architect Harry Seidler. The MLC Centre has become an iconic Sydney landmark since the building - ahead of its time in its design - was opened in 1976.

Today, the complex - jointly owned by The GPT Group and Queensland Investment Corporation - includes a major commercial office tower, a retail precinct, and the Theatre Royal. The building over recent years has suffered from external degradation and a project worth 300m dollars was undertaken to fix it.

The buildin

Slovenia - Accordionist Jure Tori is using DPA Microphones' d:vote 4099 Instrument Mics to bring extra energy and quality to the sound he achieves on stage. The internationally acclaimed musician recently bought two d:votes from DPA's Slovenian distributor, Sonus, and is now using them for all of his live performances.

A charismatic musician, Tori has performed on stage all over the world, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians, such as Austrian double bass player Ewald Oberleitner and guitarist Ariel Cubria. He also plays as part of the group Orlek and recent

Latest Issue. . .