Europe - As the professional entertainment lighting industry continues to seek an exemption for specialist lighting from the European Union’s Ecodesign regulation, an industry task force has said the situation is “far more positive” and “greatly improved” following the latest round of talks with the EU.
The EU DG Energy has now passed a revised draft of the regulation, with its content expected to be revealed in a few weeks as it progresses through the committee stages of the process.
The Professional Entertainment Lighting Products Ecodesign task group – the body representing the industry during the public consultation – has confirmed there will be a ‘comprehensive’ list of exempted lamp base types, but some specialist lamps used for non-entertainment purposes may not be included.
The full content of the regulation will be publicly available from November and the directive is set to become law in September 2020. A further update on Ecodesign will be given during the PLASA Show taking place at London Olympia on 16-18 September.
The industry task group comprises Adam Bennette (PLASA), Christian Allabauer (OETHG), Randell Greenlee (VPLT) & Silke Lalvani (PEARLE). It released the following statement:
“On 20 June 2018, the period of public consultation for the proposed Ecodesign regulation – that will affect lighting products of all types – expired. The EU DG Energy department has passed on a revised draft to the next st

USA - At Lightfair 2018 ETC debuted EchoTouch, a controller designed to give customised lighting looks for a variety of spaces. A stand-alone or integrated controller in ETC’s Echo line of architectural lighting solutions, EchoTouch also offers advanced lighting controls like sequence programming and colour tuning, all from a 7-inch touchscreen.
EchoTouch works in an Echo control system. All Echo control and power products are compatible: control stations, responsive controls, interfaces and EchoDIN power controllers. Integration and control for DMX and sACN fixtures and devices is also straightforward.
Building managers can use EchoTouch to programme Echo zones and preset looks so day-to-day use of a space is easy. Special sequences can easily be created via the intuitive interface with easy-to-use faders and buttons displayed on a vibrant seven inch screen. Native RDM makes discovering and managing lighting fixtures even easier. Colour control is simple and accessible with a colour picker and customisable colour chips to let users take full advantage of their system.
(Jim Evans)

UK - Folk punk singer-songwriter Frank Turner recently played four sold-out nights at London’s Roundhouse venue, performing four different sets and presenting lighting designer Tom Mason-Smith with the task of creating four totally different lighting designs.
Tom’s company Dragonfly Lighting provided a Robe specials package including 12 x MegaPointes, 24 x BMFLs, 24 x PATT 2013s and 12 CycFX 8s to cover the four shows and assist him make each one “a personal and memorable experience for Turner’s eclectic and loyal fanbase”. Tom also used elements of the house rig including 18 x LEDBeam 100s.
The first night featured a snappy touring set – they have recently finished a UK tour - for which Tom needed flashy, bright, punky and folky lighting and chose a mix of traditional and contemporary lightsources as specials, with 12 x MegaPointes on a large box truss in lines of six, a concept he’d used successfully on the tour, rigged as two 10 metre back trusses, one sub hung below the other.
The second night was the 10th anniversary of Turner’s Love, Ire & Song album, for which he and his band played the complete album.
The visual focus was a large new backdrop inspired by the original album cover artwork which was far upstage, initially covered by a black and revealed via a kabuki drop.
The third night, Turner performed solo. Stripped back and raw in appearance, visual features included a smaller backdrop with a circular logo and a black behind it, surrounded by a square grid of PATT 2013s leaving a space in the centre.

World - British progressive rock pioneers Marillion are currently delighting fans with their hit world tour, which marks over three decades of the band's music. A celebration of musical storytelling, the show is enhanced by a theatrical lightscape created by the band's long-term lighting designer Yenz Nyholm, who selected the Claypaky Scenius Spot to deliver key animation lighting effects and rich, vibrant colour onstage.
Integral to Nyholm's design is an intricate back wall of light that surrounds an 8 x 5m projection screen. Above the top edge of the screen, Nyholm places a row of Scenius Spots to create a varied web of jewel coloured beams and wide, saturated washes. Supplying the fixtures for the UK leg was British lighting hire specialist Siyan.
"The band as a whole is very theatrical," says Nyholm. "You don't just 'light' them, but play along with the music and in that, you become part of the band. The music of Marillion ranges from very soft acoustic sounds to full-on grunge and rock. The Scenius Spot is highly adaptable so it can always produce a look that fits with the mood of the music."
A long-term fan of Claypaky products, Nyholm found the selection of the Scenuis Spot for this design a simple decision. He says, "I have used Claypaky products for the last six years, since the Claypaky Alpha series. I have always felt they were reliable and easy to work with. The optics and zoom range are exceptionally good and the added feature of the Scenius' animation wheel means that I can get everything I need from the one fixture."
Marillion

USA - The future was on full display in Manhattan early this May during Digital Content NewFronts, a week-long showcase for media buyers of the latest digital and video creations from the leading names in entertainment, news and information technology.
A must-see venue for the executives who descended on New York for the event was Pier 26, where Oath, a division of Verizon that reaches over one billion people worldwide through its digital media brands, introduced an exciting array of new content.
Hosted by Jamie Foxx, Oath Digital Content NewFronts offered guests a smorgasbord of live entertainment options to go along with the chance to preview upcoming productions from brands like Yahoo and Huffington Post.
Taking place on two main stages, along with a half dozen smaller satellite units, the evening event featured performances by stars like DJ Irie, Broadway dancers, bucket drummers and other artists. Adding to the magical atmosphere on the pier was a lighting design created by Barrett Hall that featured Chauvet Professional Maverick and Nexus fixtures, supplied by WorldStage.
“This project came about for me through First, a global creative agency that produced the event,” says Hall, owner of Magic Hour East. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with First in the past, so I was excited about this opportunity to help create a large-scale immersive and illuminated environment. Having everything from musical acts to theatrical style performances filling an entire pier over the Hudson made it quite unique.”
At the heart of Hall’s

UK - On a high from last year’s 40th anniversary celebration, PLASA Show returns to London Olympia on 16-18 September, providing a stage for the world of live entertainment technology. The show continues to explore the cutting-edge of innovation and creativity and brings the biggest brands to thousands of visitors.
Audio heavyweights L-Acoustics, Peavey and Adamson, and lighting pioneers Robe, DTS, ETC and Philips are among the 200+ brands exhibiting at the show. And, with last year’s showfloor selling out, extra stands have been released for smaller companies representing all sectors of the industry, from DJ and club, to worship and education.
The show provides invaluable opportunities for those with an interest in working with lighting consoles and loudspeaker systems by providing dedicated training sessions and demos. There will also be more hands-on experiences than ever before, where visitors can sharpen their skills on the latest products guided by expert brand representatives.
New features include a showfloor seminar theatre that will serve as an epicentre for production specialists and riggers looking to elevate their knowledge. This is in addition to the lighting, pro audio and AV, and Fast Track theatres on the Gallery level, delivering continuous next-level content throughout the show.
The Gallery will include an enhanced bar area, a PLASA Members Zone, and a photography display of the Lightpower Collection which shines a light on live rock 'n' roll performance.
PLASA’s internationally recognised Awards for Innovation

UK - Cross 5 is the latest in a new range of high-performance cable protection ‘crossover’ products launched by Penn Elcom this year. It can be used for any temporary installation or working environment where safe ground-based cable protection is required.
Cross 5 is manufactured from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), chosen for its recyclability, and has been developed to provide a five-channel cable protector with unrivalled strength, abrasion resistance and flexibility. It is also fire retardant to DIN EN 13501-1.
Serious weight capacity ensures that all types of vehicles - including a standard 44t artic - can safely drive over Cross 5.
The Penn Elcom Cross system is made from two elements - the base section and the ramp.
The base section acts as a connector piece from which numerous variations and combinations of crossover can be created. The ramp section features a 15° angle of inclination which is the optimum for vehicles driving over it.
Key features include being tear-proof, stable and resistant to most chemicals, fats and oils and other liquids that can be potential slip-hazards.
The first product in the new Cross series, Cross 3 was launched at the start of the year and has been very successful, so Penn expects a similar scenario with CROSS 5 and other subsequent Cross products.
“With health and safety being paramount at every event, there is a demand for high quality, well-priced technical solutions like Cross in all sectors,” concludes Penn Elcom’s commercial director Rob Platt.
(Jim Evans)

USA - LifeWay Students, part of LifeWay Christian Resources, holds summer camps that travel across the nation. The annual X. WKND kick-off event is an opportunity for all the summer camp staff members to come together as one before heading out on the road.
Held inside the Shocco Springs Conference Centre, production designer Jake Brantley wanted to give the 2018 event an in-the-round worship experience, so he worked with Elite Multimedia Productions who provided a full rig of audio, lighting and LED video.
“This year we wanted to do something a little different, so we started talking about what was possible in a gymnasium with very limited rigging points,” says Brantley. “We started playing around with the idea of doing it in the round, but one of the challenges was that the highest point in the ceiling is only at 26ft, so we decided to push our LED video surfaces to the outside of the room, facing in. In this set-up, no matter where you were in the house, when you were looking at the stage, your LED visual surface was in the background. It was a unique challenge, but it turned out really well
“Elite Multimedia Productions knows that when I am coming up with a design, it’s going to be ambitious and a little different,” adds Brantley. “They do a great job of helping us find the right gear that fits both our dream design and our budget. When working to fill out a gear list, you have to be willing to give-and-take a little bit, and Peter Streiff at Elite Multimedia did a great job helping us turn our vision into a successful event.

USA - The Firefly Music Festival wrapped this weekend with Bandit Lites once again providing the lighting package for multiple stages where more than 60,000 people took to the forest for the seventh year.
The weekend’s line up was packed with a wide array of performances with Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, The Killers and Arctic Monkeys headlining. Odesza, Lil Wayne, Logic, Martin Garrix, SZA, Alt-J, Foster the People, MGMT and Cold War Kids also took to the stages.
Bandit Lites supplied more than 200 fixtures for the main stage system including Clay Paky Mythos, Robe BMFLs, VL 3500 Washes, VL 3000 Spots, GLP X4 Bar 20, Solaris Flare Strobes, Lycian M2 spots, and grand MA 2 Full consoles for control.
“Lambda Productions Scott Cadwallader, Brian 'Tuffy' Knight, Kat Harris and Joe Gordon worked long and hard on this huge festival and really pulled out all the stops,” comments Bandit’s Dizzy Gosnell. “Firefly really has become a benchmark festival on the summer circuit now. It’s been so great to be involved from day one of the first Firefly to see it grow to the massive annual event it is now.”
The Backyard Stage featured Claypaky Sharpys, Chauvet Illuminarc Panels, Chauvet Nexus AW 7x7, Elation CuePix WW4 Blinders, VL 3000 Spots and Bandit’s exclusive GRNLite LED Washes along with a grand MA 2 Full console as control.
One pleasant surprise for a completely open-air festival is the weather cooperating, but there was not a single drop of rain to be seen over Firefly, and while Bandit’s rigs and crew were prepared for all manne

Australia - Eclipse Lighting and Sound recently secured multiple Martin by Harman MAC Quantum fixtures from Show Technology to supply music festivals, concerts, musical theatre shows and more.
Eclipse Lighting and Sound is an all-in-one production house that provides audio and lighting solutions for music festivals, concerts, corporate dinners, and musical theatre shows of all sizes across eastern Australia. MD Chris Neal was preparing for the upcoming festival season, and decided it was time to replace his aging Martin MAC 2000 fixtures with something that could deliver sensational lighting on stages of all sizes.
In order to meet these needs, Neal contacted Show Technology to find a powerful yet versatile fixture. Show Technology suggested the MAC Quantum, which combines the latest in LED technology with Martin's proprietary optical design.
"The Quantum fixtures are a great addition to the Eclipse Lighting and Sound family,” says Neal. “It’s been great sending such reliable fixtures out on gigs and not having people calling me for lamp replacements. We’ve already used them at the Canberra's main NYE celebration and recent CAT Awards - we were very impressed."
"Eclipse Lighting and Sound had been using MAC 2000 fixtures for a long time,” says Mike Gearin at Show Technology. “Chris wanted to upgrade to with the latest, most advanced Martin technology available, so we suggested the MAC Quantum fixtures. They were immediately impressed by how bright and sharp all of the fixtures were.”
(Jim Evans)

USA - August Hall is following in some giant footsteps. Opened this spring in the heart of Union Square, San Francisco, the 1000-capacity club is only a short distance from legendary music halls like the original Fillmore West, as well as leading current day entertainment sites like the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, The Masonic, and Great American Music Hall.
Building on this tradition, while adding new lighting and sound technology, the venue, which has a partnership with Live Nation, is hosting artists from every musical genre as well as comedians and corporate events.
Providing visual support for the diverse mix of performers that appear on its stage is a flexible lighting rig installed by Don Lynch of Commercial Audio Video Solutions, Inc, that features a collection of over 100 Chauvet Professional fixtures and LED panels.
“We worked closely with house LD David Belogolovsky of OwlVision to design a very rider-friendly rig that could work as well for an EDM artist as a rock band or spoken word performer at a corporate event,” says Lynch, who was also responsible for installing the hall’s audio, video, surveillance, and networking systems. “Our lighting rig had to be bright and punchy enough for some of the most intense acts, while still being able to provide subtle washes when needed. At the same time, of course, it also had to fit within the budget of a venue this size.”
After evaluating different options, Lynch and Belogolovsky put together a rig that includes: 16 Maverick MK3 Washes, 38 Rogue R2X Spot fixtures and eight STRIKE

UK Aurora Lighting is collaborating once again with lighting designer Gurdip Mahal plus gaffers James Tinsley and Adam Mitchell on Channel 4’s hit reboot of TV cult classic The Crystal Maze.
Following the production’s hugely successful format, Maze Master Richard Ayoade is back in the driving seat, guiding teams of intrepid adventurers through various themed ‘zones’ to take on a variety of dastardly challenges.
Filmed on an expansive set created by original series designer James Dillon at The Bottle Yard, Bristol, the show captures the charisma of the 90’s maze whilst incorporating a number of contemporary twists to update and enhance the look of the individual zones.
The sheer scale of the set requires a truly flexible lighting package that can both maintain ambient levels and shift easily between the moods created to accompany each specific area.
Combining creativity and versatility, the crew have installed a variety of automated fixtures including Martin MAC Viper Profile, Claypaky Sharpy and GLP X4s which allow swift alterations between moods or the addition of colour and movement to assist in highlighting action. The crew have also incorporated a number of Fresnels into the design, used to cleverly mirror the tungsten warmth of the original show.
Aurora have made key investment in products specifically for the show, in particular to build further on the growing inventory of LED products they are able to offer. Aurora has furnished the Crystal maze with a variety of low energy solutions. Of note are the numbers of C

Qatar - Losail International Circuit hosts the Grand Prix of Qatar every year, one of the flagship events of the MotoGP season. In 2008, the race became the first to take place by night, at a more advantageous time for television broadcasts but also in order to benefit from milder temperatures.
Thanks to a permanent lighting system, riders can ride on the 5.4km track at any time of the day. Since 2016, the Losail Circuit Sports Club team relies on Airstar to light up the paddocks where teams prepare and adjust their motorcycles.
The Airstar balloons have also provided lighting for the public area, where additional entertainment and attractions are offered to visitors, such as camel riding, falconry, or traditional Arabic coffee making. This year, the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani attended the event for the first time.
“The Grand Prix of Qatar is the only MotoGP race that is held under floodlights. However, the lighting has to be perfect to ensure the safety of the riders, as if they were riding in day time. In addition, we wanted to give a nice and pleasant atmosphere to the place, and that is exactly what Airstar balloons offer,” comments Juan Baquero, CEO of the Losail Circuit Sports Club. “We know and work with Airstar for three years now, they are part of our MotoGP event.”
For this first race of the 2018 MotoGP season, the Airstar Middle-East team has deployed 50 Pixocom balloons. Measuring 3m in diameter and with a power of 9kW, the Pixocom provided a glare-free, efficient and aesthetic light to the 32,000 spec

Germany - With 35 acts performing across three floors over 14 hours to around 18,000 dance aficionados, the traditional Mayday EDM event in Dortmund followed a familiar theme.
For LD Thomas Gerdon, who has provided production design for five of the last seven events, the only important aspect was that a radical change, relocating the stage from the end of the hall to the long side of the rectangular room, gave him a massive 24m wide performance area to light.
This he accomplished with well over 200 fixtures from GLP - predominantly GT-1 and JDC1 hybrids - but also around 36 of the powerful impression X4 XL. This huge inventory was provided or sourced by Wiesbaden-based schoko pro.
This year Gerdon lit not only the main Arena stage but also the second Empire stage for promoters, I-Motion GmbH - commending their CEO Oliver Vordemvenne for his vision in endorsing the new stage position in his quest to keep the event fresh. “It gave us a totally new perspective and instead of placing lights over the audience, I could have them engage more closely with the lighting on stage.”
The designer relied heavily on the GLP catalogue to populate the giant 40m rig, both for the economy of being able to use versatile hybrid fixtures as well as performance reliability over such an arduous duty cycle.
“It was clear I would be using a lot of GLP equipment from the outset,” he says. “It is important to be cost efficient, so a hybrid fixture is very attractive. The GT-1 is a genuine hybrid with low weight, and having no base is a real plus.”

USA - Hall & Oates have hit the road with Train co-headlining a North American arena tour this summer.
Lighting designer Paul ‘Arlo’ Guthrie from Minneapolis-based TOSS Film & Design has selected a large complement of Claypaky Sharpy Washes and Mythos 2 fixtures for the rig.
For the new show, Hall & Oates and Train each do a set then the bands join forces for a dynamic finale. The tour launched 1 May in Sacramento and will conclude in Seattle in mid-August.
Guthrie has designed a look for the tour that “feels modern but harkens back a bit to Hall & Oates’s legacy,” he says. “The lighting is reminiscent of rigs past with newer fixtures and more modern equipment. The video component is also larger than before.”
Downstage a front-projection screen has the form of a curved theatre proscenium. Mid-stage is an upside-down ‘U’ composed of LED tiles. Upstage is a rectangular LED wall and simple scenic elements. “The lighting supports the scenic elements and adds depth between the video components,” Guthrie explains. “The show is lit very much like a TV show with very consistent levels. We’ve modelled the guys to look good to the eye and on camera for the IMAG displayed on the side screens throughout the show.”
Morris Leasing in Nashville is the lighting vendor for the tour.
Guthrie chose 86 Sharpy Wash 330s, which are configured in clusters in pods that move up and down on a hoist system.
The lighting designer also has 64 Mythos 2 fixtures in the rig. “One of the big considerations was

Singapore - Show production and equipment hire company The Show Company (ShowCo), supplied 120 Claypaky Scenius Unico fixtures for Katy Perry's performance at the Singapore Indoor Stadium as part of her current worldwide tour Witness: The Tour.
Designed by production designer Es Devlin and lighting designer Baz Halpin, who also produced the tour, Witness hooks in audiences with its whirlwind of rich video content, large-scale props and wide-eyed lighting effects, delivered in part by the powerful capabilities of the Claypaky Scenius Unico.
"The production is large format and makes a bold statement with its enormous 'eye-shaped' LED screen," says Halpin, "I wanted to make sure that the lighting design complemented not just the screen's shape, but was also able to compete with the incredible amount of light emitting from it."
After discussion with associate LD, Eric Marchwinski, Halpin chose the Claypaky Scenius Profile alongside the newest addition to the Scenius range, the Scenius Unico as the key fixtures in the Witness rig.
"The Scenius Unico has a wide application as a spot, wash and beam with great framing capabilities," says Joseph Gan, director of ShowCo, technical partner for the tour in Singapore. ShowCo invested in the Scenius Unico fixtures ahead of the show date to ensure that Halpin's lighting team did not have to settle for less than ideal alternatives. "Discussion about investing in the Scenius Unico fixtures started some time ago and the Katy Perry show was the deciding factor in making that next step," he says.

USA - The Hangout Music Festival, a three-day event that takes place on a sandy beach on the Gulf of Mexico, served up a diverse line-up featuring The Killers, The Chainsmokers, Kendrick Lamar, The Man and a host of other stars.
Supporting the music on the popular Surf Stage was a rig that included Rogue RH1 Hybrid moving fixtures from Chauvet Professional and Ilumipanels from sister company Iluminarc, supplied by Bandit Lites. Put together by lighting designer Dizzy Gosnell and project manager Gene Brian, the rig was run by festival LD Alexandra Gagnon.
A key element of the Surf Stage design was a series of overhead curved truss structures that conveyed images of rolling waves. Riding on those “waves” and adding movement and colour to them, were 18 Rogue RH1 Hybrid fixtures. The Rogue units were arranged in groups of six, flown on the three curved truss formations.
“The RH1 lights were used most often as beam fixtures,” says Gagnon. “Their fast colour scrolling really went well with the wave configuration of the truss. Our visiting LDs favoured the intense colour scrolling and the prism effects on the Rogues. They found the internal speed and effects to be a great asset. It gave them a different punch within the rest of the rig.”
Included in that rig was an impressive collection of beams, washes, blinders, strobes and four Ilumipanel units that were used to colourise the stage left and stage right scrim. Gagnon drew on the entire rig to create an array of powerful and engaging looks when she ran the board for supporting bands.<

Israel - Moshe Kimchi Lighting Design has recently invested in Robe technology, with an initial purchase of 60 x Halo RGB LED rings, quickly followed by 18 x MegaPointes. The purchases were made via Robe’s Israeli distributor, Danor Theatre and Studio Systems.
Company owner Moshe Kimchi is an Israeli lighting designer whose work typically involves designing the project as well as supplying the lighting kit. He used the Robe fixtures for his Journey into Space installation at the 2017 Festival of Light in Jerusalem where he was one of the contributing artists. The Halo RGBs were an integral element of a symbolic giant spaceship that he created, complete with lighting effects synced to a soundscape.
Kimchi also used them to help light a large sculptural, illuminated menorah (nine-branched candelabrum) built at the Jerusalem municipality square for the Hanukkah holiday.
The 18 x MegaPointes were a substantial investment for a medium sized company and Moshe was the first of two companies in Israel to receive them. Since then, the lights have been out every week on different shows and events.
At a recent Independence Day dance party in Tel Aviv’s Hangar 11 venue, he used both sets of fixtures.
“As with every show we do, lighting has to send out a strong message to the audience and our goal is for them to go away with a lasting good impression of how the evening looked and felt atmospherically,” he says.
(Jim Evans)

Brazil - Avolites has struck a new partnership with HPL Light Company, who will represent the British brand's Titan products in Brazil.
Sāo Paulo-based HPL has a 15-year history as a distributor of entertainment lighting and sound products in the country. The company has announced it will be holding a series of workshops on the Titan range for its customers.
Andrea Nascimento, CEO of HPL, comments: "Avolites is a renowned company with lots of market and industry know-how. Partnering with them brings value to both our company and to our clients in many ways. We hope that this partnership will strengthen ties with the market, increase the demand and supply of Avolites in Brazil and bring many benefits to us all."
Larissa Gaeta, marketing director for HPL, adds: "HPL offers the Brazilian market a lot in the way of professional lighting solutions, but until now we have not stocked a premier lighting console brand. This new partnership with Avolites means that we can offer a complete high-end lighting solution to our customers."
Javier Pastor Moreno, LATAM area manager at Avolites, adds: "HPL is one of the most important distributors in Brazil, not only because they have one of the best technical teams, but also because of their incredible reputation and position in the market."
(Jim Evans)

UK - Live coverage of the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was viewed by millions worldwide - and ‘attended’ by four Hogs.
UK lighting designer and programmer Bill Peachment, Gaffin Riley and Will Plenty supplied four High End Systems Road Hog 4 consoles for Sky News’ live coverage of the 19 May event in Windsor.
It was a marathon for everyone watching and for the media covering it. While Peachment’s day started at 4am and stretched to midnight, he’s used to long days and was “proud to be a part of it." Activities surrounding the wedding were scripted to the minute, but anything could happen at a live event. Peachment wasn’t worried. He’s trusted Road Hog 4 consoles to see him successfully through his career of television and musical events in the UK.
"Live TV is a fast-moving environment," says Peachment. "We don’t get rehearsal time, so button pushing has to be minimal to get the desired effect and the Hog is good for that."
Peachment, Riley and Plenty own and supplied the Road Hog 4 consoles, positioning two at each of two locations: at the top of Windsor Castle for the site of the wedding, and along the Long Walk - a two and a half mile (4km) path that served as the main part of the open-air carriage parade after the ceremony. Midway along the Long Walk, Sky News set up an open-air tent where the reporters interviewed special guests.
"We needed the consoles because we were constantly adjusting the lighting from sunrise to sunset. I spec'd Road Hog 4 because I and other programmers on the event use them

Europe - A-ha are currently out for an extensive tour of the UK and Europe, running from early June till late August, playing a variety of headline shows in UK stadiums and European festival appearances.
With the band revisiting their original trademark electronic sound, show designer Stu’ Farrell has conceived a thought provoking staging for the band that sees specialist supplier Video Design provide some unusual LED and a distinct degree of autonomy for Julien Hogg, Farrell’s long-time collaborator and custodian of all things video.
“The visual concept is intended to make the audience think about what they are seeing,” Hogg began. “Stu’s design sees three long strips of LED on the front of double wide risers approximately three-foot tall, one for each band member. The Vanish25 panels we have from Video Design are chosen to allow the lighting behind to shine through, and for the LED to be part of the effect. We also have an eight-foot tall screen of V25 across the back of stage.
“The Vanish panels as the name suggests, are all see-through; we have what we call Sabbath Pods, square frames of lighting that are set behind the LED. With fewer pixels in a shine through panel (25mm pixel pitch) you have to be careful about what you put through the LED. The panels have 50% transparency and were chosen deliberately to achieve the effects Stu’ wanted; they have proved perfect for the design.”
For the early dates Hogg is supported by Rob Stansfield, “Rob is an LED panel specialist,” explained Video Design MD Alex Leinster. “We p

Australia - Novatech Creative Event Technology has given its 12 Elation Proteus Hybrid fixtures some serious punishment over the last few months. First, they left them outside for five weeks in February in Adelaide, copping the full heat of a SA summer. They then migrated north for four weeks on the beach at The Gold Coast for the Commonwealth Games.
The Adelaide Fringe Festival’s Parade of Light saw projection art from creatives including The Electric Canvas and Illuminart light up the heritage-listed buildings along Adelaide’s North Terrace, while Novatech’s Proteus stock beamed colours and break-ups.
“We had the Proteus out in three pods of four, controlled from a PC,” said Ashley Gabriel, director of sales and marketing at Novatech. “We were projecting across a major six-lane road onto buildings, while fighting lots of ambient light and a background LED wash. The Proteus punched through really well. Their light output is chunky and bright, even when using their prism.”
The next challenge for the Proteus was surviving four weeks on the foreshore of The Gold Coast. Four Proteus were mounted on a stage for aerial lighting, a further four mounted on that stage’s FOH tower, and the remaining four used for site lighting and break-up on buildings. Control was courtesy of a High End Systems Hog 4. “All 12 units came back without anything getting in to them,” explained Ashley. “There was no ingress of any sand or moisture from the beach, and no corrosion, which we saw in some other equipment. The Proteus came back in to our w

USA/UK - The latest incarnation of The Killers’ stage set owes much to the band’s Nevada heritage. As the band originally emerged from 20th Century Las Vegas, the design was to reflect an image of the small towns that straddled the American West.
Long-time Killers LD, Steven Douglas explains the process, “Our set designer, Josh Zangen from Fireplay had already put in place a large water tower stage right that harked back to the original look of the small American town and we felt something was required to balance that look on stage left.”
“We talked about something that was reminiscent of old Las Vegas signage and casino awnings. Josh came back with the initial drawings of large lit arrows pointing at a downward angle; the band loved them.” The design was put out to Jon Perry of Perry Scenic who, in turn, subcontracted the project to Specialz.
Specialz MD, Dave Smith fills in the gaps, “We were sub-contracted by Perry Scenic to design and manufacture four lighting trays with conventional E27 GLS 40W bulbs and edge RGB LED lighting to the periphery of 2 scenic arrows measuring 19’ 4” / 6M and 16’ 5” / 5M respectively. With efficient transportation and ease of rigging in mind, we opted to split each arrow in two with each of the four sections having a six circuit mains Socapex input and an RGB LED input.”
The choice of light source was down to Douglas and Zangen. “Using conventional 40W GLS bulbs may seem a little old fashioned but it was a very deliberate retro choice,” comments Douglas. “Again, it all harks back

UK - The Knight of Illumination Awards, which in 2018 marks its 11th year of celebrating the achievements of show lighting and video designers in Television, Theatre, and Concert Touring & Events, welcomes eight new additions to its judging panels this year.
The judging panels for each of the three disciplines consists of a range of critics and specialists with expert knowledge in their field who, once nominations have closed, will meet to select the three final shortlisted designs and one winner for each award.
David Benedict's theatre panel welcomes three new judges: Zoë Anderson, critic for Dancing Times and author of The Royal Ballet: 75 Years and The Ballet Lover's Companion; Michael Billington, chief theatre critic of The Guardian and author of State of the Nation: British Theatre since 1945 and The Life and Work of Harold Pinter; and opera critic George Hall who has written for The Guardian, The Stage and Opera magazine.
David Benedict comments: "I am delighted that Zoë, Michael, and George have joined the panel for this year's KOI Awards. Their extensive experience writing about each art-form across all areas of print journalism and beyond will prove invaluable in our fierce, often long-argued deliberations."
New to the Concert Touring & Events (CT&E) panel this year is Jo Beirne, video specialist from Colour Sound Experiment; Christopher Knowlton, lighting designer and director of design specialist 18 Degrees; and David Smyth, chief rock & pop critic f