The former Shades has been converted by new owners Benning Bros Ltd at a cost of £160,000, with an upgraded sound system. Mark Damon's sound and lighting company was originally brought in through a contact with the venue's previous manager.
As with the recent fit-out at the exotic Sugar Hut in Brentwood, Cosmic Electronics turned extensively to the catalogue of Lighting Effects Distribution. The real success has been the way he has used LEDs to illuminate the bar areas. Two sets of Alkalite Riva 80 8-pod sets overhead wash down onto the granite-type bar top, while 12 Solar L80's - on their own dedicated DMX controller - wash the stainless steel front, reflecting unusual shapes down onto the floor.
But the most striking effect is reserved for the bar optics themselves. Behind each of the clusters are further Solar L80s - six in all - 'washing' the bottles and producing a striking effect. "The Rivas work in tandem with the L80's so that the whole bar will change colour at the same time - all run off DMX," says Damon. "We are very pleased with the L80's which we also used extensively at Sugar Hut."
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
