USA - English rock band Asking Alexandria is out on tour promoting their latest album with a lighting system provided by Bandit Lites. Comprised of guitarists Ben Bruce and Cameron Liddell, drummer James Cassells, lead vocalist Danny Worsnop, and bassist Sam Bettley, the band released their eighth studio album Where Do We Go From Here? on 25 August.
Following the band’s European tour, lighting designer Corbin Alvae sought to utilise fixtures that would offer a host of functions to supply the band big, stadium style lighting that would translate to clubs and theatres.
“The band has such a groovy and heavy rock ‘n roll style that I needed to provide a design that really highlighted that and bring those moments to life on the stage even more,” explained Alvae.
“When Corbin reached out to me about his design for Asking Alexandria, I was beyond exc

USA - Showing there is plenty of gas left in the tank, rockers Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard had one of the biggest grossing tours of 2022. The momentum carried into 2023 with the summer culminating in a string of U.S. stadium shows lit using Brutus and Rayzor 1960 fixtures from Elation’s IP-rated Proteus series. The bands were supported by shock rocker Alice Cooper.
Mötley Crüe lighting designer Michael Cooper has been working with the band for 10+ years and collaborated with Def Leppard LD Kenji Ohashi on the world tour design. Originally started back in 2019, the design was put on the back burner when Covid hit but eventually saw the light of day on the successful 2022 tour.
“It was the longest design process we ever had,” Cooper noted before delving into the requirements for the co-headline outing. “We wanted something that would work for both bands but

UK - J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings has been reinterpreted numerous times over the years, from cartoons to films to even a West End musical. First performed at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2007, the musical was recently revived and reimagined at The Watermill Theatre in Berkshire. The lighting designer for this new production is Rory Beaton who approached White Light (WL) to supply his lighting equipment.
“We were very conscious that, as the first ever non-replica production of the original musical, we wanted to bring something new to the table,” says Rory. “As such, we have created a brand new production that takes place both inside the actual theatre itself as well as outside in the beautiful grounds. Our version is about celebrating ‘The Shire’, the story, the phenomenal music and, of course, the beautiful Watermill Theatre. Our aim was to pro

USA - ETC has introduced Hyperstar, a new, companion to the popular Lonestar automated luminaire.
A powerful, compact moving light optimised for projection versatility, Hyperstar will help create designs for a wide variety of venues. Hyperstar is the same size as Lonestar, and is just as bright, compact, and affordable.
Lonestar is recognised for its projection capabilities and framing; with Hyperstar the framing modules have been removed to provide even more versatility when using patterns and aerials. With nine rotating patterns, 11 fixed patterns, an animation wheel, dual frosts, and dual prisms, designers have an almost endless choice of breakups, aerials, radial patterns, and gobos specialising in morphing and texture. And by layering the fixture's effects, a vast collection of custom visuals are available to achieve your desired look.
Market manager Tania L

Australia - Reflecting the myriad passions in Jubin Nautiyal’s music can be a challenge for a lighting designer, but it is one that Roosevelt Dsouza, his longtime LD, excels at, thanks in part to his inspired use of colour. “Every song has its own way of conveying emotions, so I treat every song differently in terms of colour,” said Dsouza. “Colour choice is closely connected to feeling.”
Helping Dsouza create evocative palettes at many stops on Nautiyal’s tour of Australia is a collection of Chauvet Professional Color Strike M motorised strobes. Although he uses the fixture’s two bright white LED tubes for strobing and audience lighting, Dsouza relies heavily on the fixture’s RGB pixel mappable face to create colourful effects that capture the spirit of the music being performed on stage.
Dsouza divides the 16 Color Strike M fixtures in his rig evenly

Albania - Prolights fixtures lit up Skënderbej Square in Tirana, setting the stage for the Ricky Martin Symphonic concert. This performance featured the Puerto Rican singer alongside the musicians of the Albanian National Opera.
Prolights local distributor, ASLV Albania, supplied the sound and light system contributing to the success of the show. Thanks to the combination of cutting-edge lighting solutions and pyrotechnic equipment, the stage execution was treated in every detail by event company Kuadr Events.
ASLV Albania’s rig comprised approximately 307 Prolights luminaires. This impressive array included the PanoramaIP Spot, PanoramaIP WBX, Stark 1000, Razor 440, Sunrise 2IP, LumiPar 12IP, LumiPix 16H, and Lumipix 15IP.
The Prolights lighting solutions played a pivotal role in shaping the concert into an immersive visual experience. Their technology and ve

France - Naostage K System beaconless 3D tracking system for live events and interactive experiences, was the cornerstone of the lighting effects on the recent live tour by So Floyd, France’s leading Pink Floyd tribute act.
Created by Fabrice Di Maggio, So Floyd's musical director, and Laurent Begnis, technical director of local hire company Pan Pot, the five-part show immerses audiences in the musical universe of the progressive rock band. Enhancing So Floyd’s music is a mesmerising AVL show.
For So Floyd’s most recent concert tour, comprising 17 dates in France, the band’s technical team used Naostage K System to automatically trigger the lighting cues key to recreating the authentic Pink Floyd live experience.
“K System was ideal for automatic head-on tracking,” comments Begnis, who also served as the tour’s lighting designer and operator, accomp

UK - Bristol-based production and rental company SLX has invested in a comprehensive stock of Ayrton lighting fixtures as part of its new focus on environmental sustainability. The fixtures, which include Ayrton Diablo, Mistral, Eurus, Perseo, Karif and Cobra, were supplied by Ayrton’s exclusive distributor for the UK, Ambersphere Solutions. The choice was made on shared philosophies as much as on the practical and technical suitability of the products.
SLX used the hiatus of the pandemic to reassess and reset its aims, choosing to focus on environmental and social sustainability, as CEO Alastair Currie explains: “We examined how we operate within a circular economy, what we expect from our manufacturers and suppliers in terms of sustainability, and aim to give opportunities for minority and disadvantaged groups to work within the industry. We set out our goals leading u

France - The PLASA-hosted technical lighting event, PlugFest, returns to Lille, France from 16-19 April 2024, bringing together lighting professionals from across Europe to test products and learn about protocols and standards.
Together with the expert hosts, Hamish Dumbreck (JESE Ltd), Wayne Howell (Singularity UK) and Peter Willis (Howard Eaton Lighting), PlugFest provides an opportunity for lighting manufacturers, developers, and technicians to test and debug their designs, as well as improve the connectivity of their products.
Besides interactive testing, PlugFest offers a programme of educational seminars, unpacking the most widely used protocols. And the organisers are pleased to announce that the 2024 event timetable has been extended for more in-depth testing time, without compromising the valuable conference offerings.
Further, attendees can join techni

UK - The Netron EN6 IP, one of three devices in Obsidian’s new IP65 range of signal distribution, won a PLASA Award for Innovation at the 2023 exhibition.
The PLASA Award judges recognised the EN6 IP as a “device that brings lighting control distribution and format conversion to the outdoors at an accessible price point.”
"I'm incredibly proud of our team's tireless work and relentless pursuit of innovation as we continue to push the boundaries in entertainment controls,” stated Matthias Hinrichs, product manager at Obsidian Control Systems and Elation Professional. “The Netron EN6 IP, along with the entire IP65 range, represents a significant step forward in addressing the needs of the entertainment industry. A rugged IP-rated lighting data node that aligns with our leading Proteus range has been truly missing from the market and now lighting professionals c

UK - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera was delighted to win a coveted 2023 PLASA Award for Innovation for its new PlutoFresnel product.
The Awards - which recognise and reward next-generation products and those behind them - were announced during the three-day PLASA Show entertainment technology expo staged at Olympia London last week. Astera’s award was received by R&D director, Simon Canins.
Astera’s sales and marketing director Sebastian Bückle was delighted to win the Award and states: “We're honoured to receive a PLASA Innovation Award for PlutoFresnel, which is a groundbreaking lighting solution designed for film, studio, and event settings.
“The cutting-edge technology complete with built-in battery gives three hours of operation on max brightness, and its full-spectrum Titan LED Engine sets a new standard in lighting innovation. Thi

UK - Robe received two more PLASA Awards for Innovation - for its Footsie and iForte LTX products - at the 2023 PLASA entertainment technology expo staged in London last week, capping off another busy three days for the Czech moving light and LED manufacturer.
Robe also celebrated its acquisition of leading lighting console manufacturer, Avolites, now officially ‘A Robe Business’ and premiered its new expo live show Power of Imagination that will run through 2023-24, designed to show off Robe’s newest technologies in situ in a high energy live performance spectacle.
Two other major new products were officially launched at the expo in addition to the iForte LTX - the Forte Fresnel and Forte PC - while a range of other popular and current luminaires featured in the show were demoed in two closed studio spaces filled with people and interest throughout.

USA - Over the course of his career, Scott Holthaus has created some extraordinarily impressive shows with large centre stage video screens. But sooner or later, most things in life run their course, and at this point, the designer was ready for a change.
“I have said it a hundred times... I’m bored with the big TV in the back,” remarked Holthaus, when discussing his design for Disturbed’s just concluded 36-date Take Back Your Life North American tour, which began 27 April at Bell Centre in Montreal and ended 2 September at the Ruoff Music Center outside Indianapolis.
On this tour, Holthaus achieved his vision, going outside the box (or wall!) to create a design that flowed seamlessly with the musical narrative on stage without the use of a central video wall. In place of the familiar video component were three rows of automated truss that changed positi

UK - Built around the theme of ‘Frame Your Control, Bringing Immersion Into Frame’, ChamSys’ exhibit at PLASA Show 2023 engaged enthusiastic crowds of attendees with innovative products and ideas designed to help them take their creative visions to new heights.
Visitors got an up close and personal look at products like the MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, a standout console that seemed to be everywhere at Glastonbury earlier this year and is currently making waves touring with the likes of Ed Warren for Mumford & Sons, and Will Thomas on Bonobo’s Fragments Tour.
Also garnering attention was the ChamSys MagicQ Compact series, including the new MagicQ Compact Connect, a lightweight USB control surface that connects to a PC or Mac to deliver robust and flexible control of lighting, media, and LEDs. Visitors were universally impressed with this product, which is

The Netherlands - Unlimited Vision & Sound is a busy full production and rental company based just outside Den Bosch, known for its flair, innovation and dedication to quality service. The company has recently invested in Robe T1s and LEDBeam 350s.
The core business is servicing mid-to-high end B2B events and corporate activations, across the Netherlands and sometimes wider afield, and there are some very well-known clients on the books including the city of Den Bosch.
The business was started by Pascal van Engelen in the 1990s, initially servicing his own DJ shows whilst studying electrical engineering at Den Bosch University, to which he started adding corporate clients, a process that’s never stopped! He’s currently joined by 13 full time employees plus a raft of regular freelancers.
One aspect that has consistently underlined Unlimited Vision & So

The Netherlands - The 10th edition of the Op Dreef music festival took place at the BillyBird Park Drakenrijk in Reuver on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. Ritmo Productions supplied a large number of lights by Showtec and Infinity for the event.
The festival, which plays house, r&b, techno, urban and hip hop music, was attended by thousands of people over the course of two days and saw more than 60 artists perform across five different stages.
More than 200 lighting fixtures by Showtec and Infinity, supplied by Ritmo Productions, were in use at the festival and 175 of these were fixtures by Showtec. Bright, colourful and dynamic lighting came in the form of 14 Spectral M800 Q4 spots, 36 Helix S5000 Q4 washers, 45 Sunstrips and 80 Pixelstrip 40 lights.
The Pixelstrips were controlled by seven Showtec Pixel Controllers. Infinity added to the atmosphere with 19

France - The Théâtre du Splendid, an emblematic Parisian venue known for its rich artistic past, has chosen to convert its fleet of Robert Juliat 600SX tungsten profile fixtures to LED using Robert Juliat Sully LED modules, to comply with the fast-approaching regulatory requirements for energy transition.
With a capacity of 300 seats and an eclectic programme, the Théâtre du Splendid is well served with Robert Juliat equipment. This includes a set of eight Robert Juliat 600SX profiles rigged across the front-of-house and over stage, which were recently converted to LED using the Sully LED 115W module in warm white. The LED source with its colour temperature of 3000K and 98 CRI is perfect for the Théâtre du Splendid.
"It's a cost-effective, long-lasting solution that maintains the level of technical excellence expected of a profile," explains Thomas Rouxel, the Th

UK - In step with the welcome return of the British summer, PLASA Show made a triumphant return to the Grand Hall of Olympia London from 3-5 September, spanning a third more floor space with a striking 28% increase in visitors.
Lee House, operations director for Ambersphere Solutions, says: “I was struck by a sense of nostalgia and excitement - PLASA Show has made a triumphant return! The hall was bustling with a diverse array of exhibitors and, most importantly, visitors who were eager to engage in meaningful conversations about their technological needs for the present and future. It was a jam-packed, unforgettable three days that left us eagerly anticipating what next year will bring."
Tom Mowat, hire account manager for Encore, concurs: “PLASA Show 2023 was absolutely incredible. It was fantastic to see the whole of the hall used by exhibitors. The attendance a

Chile - Lighting designer Deivid Rojas used a large complement of Claypaky fixtures when reggaeton stars Zion & Lennox marked their 23rd anniversary as a musical duo with a spectacular show at the Moviestar Arena in Santiago.
“We aimed to impress the audience with a massive setup where the artists would be the center of attention,” says Rojas. “We incorporated extensive LED screens and lights, including Claypaky fixtures, to achieve a striking show. Our goal was to provide the audience with the best experience while keeping the focus on the artists.”
He designed the rig with 40 Claypaky Sharpy Plus, 30 Midi-B, 27 Sharpy and eight Alpha Wash 1500 fixtures from Iluminacion Chile.
Rojas chose the Claypaky fixtures for “the vibrant colours they offer, their focus and zoom capabilities, and their speed. They stand out with their bright and vivid colours

Belgium - ETC’s Source Four LED Series 3 fixtures have been selected to upgrade the Cultural Centre (CC) in Koksijde.
The popular centre has state-of-the-art facilities in its theatre and concert hall which regularly host a variety of performances including dance productions, comedy shows, arthouse film screenings and more. ETC dealer FACE led the successful installation of the fixtures at the venue with account manager Koen Ceulemans and team, alongside head technician at the CC Miguel Rooms and his technical team.
The CC previously used conventional tungsten lighting and made the change to LED lighting as part of a plan to reduce their environmental impact by 75%. The upgrade to the space includes 63 Source Four LED Series 3 fixtures placed Front of House alongside 40 ColorSource PARs and additional CYC fixtures to create beautiful smooth washes to enhance the stag

USA - Electronic dance music pioneers Odesza launched their The Last Goodbye Tour last summer to critical acclaim and the popular duo continue to mesmerise audiences with dates on the schedule into October 2023. Lighting design is by Kyle Kegan who complements an array of captivating backdrop visuals using a rig that includes 78 Smarty Hybrid and 26 Artiste Monet moving heads from Elation Professional.
Kegan, who has been lighting the duo since 2017, works on the design process with creative directors Luke Tanaka and Sean Kusanagi, as well as artists Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight themselves. Programming started early last year and after months in pre-vis and two weeks of tech rehearsals, the first string of sold-out shows launched at Climate Pledge Arena in the duo’s hometown of Seattle last summer.
Video content is the driving visual force in the show an

Poland - GLP German Light Products has appointed the Warsaw-based company AV Light as its exclusive sales partner in Poland. A corresponding agreement was signed last spring. The cooperation aims at increasing the availability of GLP products and gives Polish customers sustainable access to technologies and products that were previously not available locally.
AV Light was founded in 1988 by brothers Rafał and Michał Mrzygłocki, who are already managing directors of leading Polish design and production service provider ARAM and A-Rental, the largest dry hire company in Eastern Europe. In addition to the GLP portfolio, AV Light also sells LED displays and audiovisual technologies for production companies, dry hire and fixed installations.
Within the sales division of the group, a dedicated team from AV Light will work closely with Polish customers. The founders are c

Serbia - Belgrade-based Light and Sound Design (LSD) is Robe’s new exclusive distributor for Serbia and Kosovo and will also be a project partner for business in the neighbouring Balkan countries of Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Led by Milan Scepanovic and a highly enthusiastic team, over the last decade, LSD has focused its operation on sales and more specifically on the relatively new market in the region for premium products, for which there is a growing appetite.
Light and Sound Design has also put huge effort into developing and offering unparalleled technical and after-sales support alongside sustainable training and educational partnerships with international brands who are connecting the industry.
Having been musicians and a rental company, LSD totally understands the concept of ‘the show must go on’ and the need for good 24-hour tech s

The Netherlands - Kino Flo has made immersion the critical element of design of its stand at the IBC Show, building its presentation around the theme Bringing Immersion Into Frame.
The stand will showcase a collection of Kino Flo, Chauvet Professional and ChamSys products that make it easier for designers to create immersive, camera-friendly looks.
An area of the booth that is certain to capture attention is the Kino Flo MIMIK system demo area. Created with the team at Halostage, this section of the booth will provide real-life demonstrations of how the award winning MIMIK system creates stunningly immersive environments. This magic is created with the full spectrum image-based MIMIK lighting tiles that mirror video and apply a higher tonal and colour rendering range, as well as extended spectral bandwidth and cinematic colour fidelity.
Another eye-catcher is the

Latest Issue. . .