The Ancienne Belgique's main hall and three smaller spaces have played host down the years to artists from Jacques Brel to Lou Reed and Herbie Hancock to U2. The popular venue had a major £13m rebuild and refit in 1997 to reinforce its reputation as one of the best loved venues on the midsize European tour circuit. Now its facilities are being upgraded once again and the motorised WARP/M automated zoom profile spotlight - winner of the 2005 Showtech Product Award - has been chosen as the centrepiece of its lighting rig.
The new lights are not the venue's first experience of ADB technology - ADB Eurodim digital dimmers are used throughout, and the existing lighting rig includes: an ADB Tenor control desk; eight ADB ACP 1001s; eight ACP 1004 Cyclo Lights; 24 PCs; 20 1, 2, and 5k fresnels; 38 1k and 2k profile spotlights and a pair of HMI 1200 Niethammer followspots.
Dirk De Corte, lighting manager of the Ancienne Belgique, explains that although the venue boasts a comparatively large lighting rig with two types of moving lights, automated profile spots were required to replace conventional lights at the stage front.
"Sometimes we might have two or three bands on in one evening and previously we would refocus the stage front profiles from up in the rigging between bands. Now it's very easy for us to refocus with the motorised WARP/Ms, and they're really fantastic spots. The movement is really smooth and silent, and the quality of the beam is wonderful. We have a lot of lighting here - moving heads, moving mirrors and now WARP/Ms - every band that comes here is very happy because we have so much stuff!" He adds: "I love ADB equipment - the lights, dimmers and desks - and the backup service is great, too."
Among the first international artists to use the new luminaires will be John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Ray Davies and Jools Holland.
(Chris Henry)
