UK - Taking in selected venues, Tokio Myers, who stunned the judges to claim victory on Britain's Got Talent has been showcasing his genre straddling fusion of classical and contemporary musical experiences on stages across the UK. Collaborating closely with Vision Factory show designer, Sam Tozer, the VER London operation has supported the tour with a comprehensive video, projection and lighting package that helped realise the designer’s creative vision for the shows. Set against a 9 x 4m upstage LED wall, the show blends live performance with filmed footage, cutting edge graphics and intense colour that silhouettes the artist at work. Speaking about the show’s visual elements, Sam says: “Tokio Myers Our Generation tour design revolved around the basic idea of cinematography and immersing Tokio in a halo like parallel cube of light. I found using VER high
France - Every year, the future graduates of the French school of architecture of Tournai organise the JNDA (Journée et Nuit de l’Architecture), an event that gathers over 4,000 visitors. A disused industrial site is specially transformed to host conferences as well as artistic and cultural performances. At dusk, the venue becomes a concert hall with three stages, where renowned and emerging bands entertain the crowds until late. For this 34th edition, the event took up residence in the former 7,000sq.m Louis Carton industrial workshop. In order to cater for an eclectic crowd, three stages - each dedicated to specific music genres - were set up in the three workshop warehouses: EDM, Urban and Alternative. For the technical side, the organisers trusted YES Event to manage the audio set up of all three stages. The event service provider turned to French manufacturer o
USA - The brainchild of The Who’s guitarist and primary songwriter, Pete Townshend, Tommy – a rock opera that tells the story of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who achieves a personal breakthrough when he becomes an expert pinball player – was first performed on stage in 1969. Featuring some of Townshend’s best-loved songs, including Pinball Wizard and See Me, Feel Me, Tommy has enjoyed remarkable creative longevity as a staple of The Who’s live repertoire, as well as multiple theatrical and touring productions and a celebrated film directed by Ken Russell. For the musical component of the new production currently being staged at Colorado’s Denver Centre, director Sam Buntrock and sound designer Ken Travis had several motivating ideas in mind. “This is not to criticise some of the more recent stage productions, but we wanted to get
South Africa - Cape Town production company Intello Acoustics has invested in a DiGiCo S31 mixing console from DWR Distribution. In the hands of Divan Dirker, head of audio at Intello Acoustics, the console has already been hard at work at #Imagine 2018 Cape Town, where workshops, talks and worship, directed at thousands of teenagers and youth leaders, encourages them to be the agents of change in their communities. The S31 was also be used at Harvest 2018, an annual praise and worship event hosted by the CRC Church at the Grand West Arena in May. Grant Olivier, spokesperson for the company, comments: “The S31 is our first DiGiCo console and there is talk of adding another one to our stock soon. We’ve been looking to replace and upgrade our existing consoles for a while now and we wanted something that would be tech-rider friendly, easy to use and powerful at the s
Norway - AudioLight AS has made a major investment in Martin Audio’s new products, purchasing a package that includes 32-box WPC PA, 12 x SXH218 subwoofers and 16 x XE 300 monitors, all powered by the manufacturer’s iKON iK42 amplifiers. The order was placed with Martin Audio distributors Atendi AS on the opening day of the ISE Show in Amsterdam, and fulfilled by head of sound Øystein Wierli. After fulfilling last year’s festival season, the company required a bigger PA and approached Atendi. “First we talked about buying more W8LC but decided we wanted a bigger system that we could split in two smaller set-ups,” says Thomas Nordvik Olsen, co-founder of AudioLight. “So we started to look at what the market could offer, and after getting offers from all the major PA manufacturers we decided that Martin Audio still had the best system for our needs.”
Norway - Peavey Commercial Audio (PCA) has appointed Audiens Norge AS as its exclusive Norwegian distributor with immediate effect. Audiens, based 16 miles northeast of Oslo, will be responsible for all PCA brands, supplying MediaMatrix, Crest Audio and Peavey PA products. James Kennedy, PCA operations manager, comments: “Audiens are clearly very well-established in all the markets that relate directly to our products. They go out of their way to provide end-to-end solutions where possible, accompanying and supporting their clients throughout the duration of the project. They have an extensive network of trusted consultants, architects and installers with whom they work very closely - in short, their approach closely mirrors our own and their portfolio is complementary, so I’m convinced that this is an excellent decision for both companies.” Audiens CEO Tho
West End Live - Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Strictly Ballroom and Chicago are among the new shows announced in the line-up for this year’s West End Live. The free event, which is organised by Westminster City Council and the Society of London Theatre, will take place in London’s Trafalgar Square on 16-17 June. Other shows to take part this year include Eugenius!, Brief Encounter, Little Shop Of Horrors, Heathers the Musical, Knights Of the Rose, Six, Circolombia, Madagascar – A Musical Adventure, and Kiss Me, Kate. Julian Bird, chief executive of SOLT and UK Theatre, said: “We are delighted to be continuing our partnership with the City of Westminster to bring the casts of London’s great shows to Trafalgar Square, giving theatre fans the chance to see exclusive perfo
South Africa - Quest Engineering distributor DWR Distribution is hosting three Quest open days across its three offices. Taking place in Johannesburg (18 June), Durban (20 June) and Cape Town (22 June), the events will enable attendees to meet Quest’s Frank Andrewartha and view the range of the company's loudspeakers and amplifiers. Robert Izzett from DWR comments: “We will have the bulk of the Quest range on display for our customers to view. A 40ft container has arrived and demo kits will be delivered to each DWR branch in time for the Quest open day.” Izzett adds: “Quest is an excellent solution for smaller events and conferences in the rental market, when a large line-array is not required. It really is the perfect product, backed up with fantastic service from the Quest team.” The Quest Open Day, which runs from 9am to 5pm local time, will
Canada - Trends Electronics International has been appointed as the exclusive distributor for Apart Audio products for Canada. “Apart is the perfect addition to our commercial offering. It offers a complete range of electronics, speakers and processors,” says Grant Daoust, CEO of Trends Electronics. “Our integrators will love the quality, value and profitability of this brand.” “We believe that the Canadian market offers great growth opportunities for Apart Audio,” says Kris Vermuyten, sales & marketing director of Apart Audio. “With Trends we are convinced that we have a long-term partner that is extremely well respected in the Canadian market. They have a proven track record on how to position a brand in the market and build it from there in a sustainable way.” (Jim Evans)
Poland - Audac has announced the appointment of ProAUDIO-AVT as its exclusive distributor for Poland. ProAUDIO-AVT has been operating in the audiovisual market for almost 30 years and has always been focused on high quality products, engineering and after sales services, both for live and install markets. Tomasz Kwiecień, CEO, ProAUDIO-AVT said: "We want to offer a complete audio product range when we create audio-visual projects. And I believe Audac represents the highest quality available at a competitive price. The Polish audio market needs this kind of solutions and we are really looking forward to a successful cooperation." Audac’s export manager, Mark Asselberghs, adds: “ProAUDIO-AVT is a well-established distributor who knows their market inside out. They understand the importance of not just selling a product, but the added value of excellent service and
UK - The north Bristol warehouse of lighting and rigging supplier Utopium has suffered a fire on the night of 21-22 May, destroying the entire lighting and rigging inventory, the company reports. An investigation has been opened into the cause of the fire. The whole team are said to be devastated by the fire. Utopium founder Colin Bodenham comments: “It is heart-breaking to see everything we have created destroyed in one devastating event. The main consolation is that nobody was hurt in the blaze. We are focused on fulfilling our commitments to clients approaching a busy summer season working with trusted partners in the industry. I am allowing myself a little time to grieve the loss of some treasured artefacts amassed over the years.” More news is expected soon. (LSi Online)
Italy - The AES Milan 144th International Convention, taking place 23-26 May, opened on Wednesday under this year’s theme of The Power of Sound. AES executive director Bob Moses welcomed attendees and praised volunteers and staff during the opening ceremonies. He introduced AES president David Scheirman, who highlighted the attraction of the Milan region as a historically significant centre of technological innovation, led by visionaries including Leonardo Da Vinci and Marconi - such innovation continuing today with a concentration of professional audio manufacturers. Scheirman said AES Conventions fulfil the AES’ mission of promoting advancements in the science and practice of professional audio, “bringing leading people and ideas together." As 2018 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Society, Scheirman reminded that in 1948, five individuals gat
USA - The ESTA Control Protocols Plugfest, the event that enables manufacturers and developers to test their lighting products for network interoperability, is scheduled to take place from 20-23 July at the D/FW Marriott Solana in Westlake, Texas. Plugfest offers delegates an opportunity to connect their lighting product with those of other manufacturers to test and resolve network compatibility issues. The event also offers a chance to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the Control Protocols Working Group - one of the Technical Standards Program’s largest working groups. ESTA invites the industry to drop in and experience Plugfest. Attendees can bring controllers, intelligent lights, control protocol analysers, and other network connected components. The event is open to both ESTA and non-ESTA members. Full details are available at
Germany - From 13-15 June 2018 the international trade show and conference for theatre, film and event technology will be represented at the Stage Technology Conference (BTT) of Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft (DTHG) at the Ostrapark in Dresden. The BTT is an advanced training event organised by the theatre and event technology industry in German-speaking countries. A total of 84 companies will be represented there, including established family-run firms and innovative enterprises, ranging from small start-ups to major market leaders. This year, the Stage Technology Conference is taking place for the 59th time. At the same time DTHG will be holding a ceremony to celebrate its 111th anniversary. Dr. Günter Winands, ministerial director and head of department at the government representative's Office for Cultural and Media Affairs, Marc Grandmontagne, managing d
The Netherlands - Cymatic Audio has launched a new website (www.cymaticaudio.com) and an online store. The move embraces a fresh new look for the company including a new logo, downloadable from the website as part of the online media kit. The new website embodies a fully updated look and feel with responsive design that works on any platform. Accessibility has been improved, with special emphasis on customer support while an improved ‘where to buy’ section enables users to find their nearest dealer at a glance. “I’m absolutely delighted with the new site,” comments Cymatic Audio sales & marketing manager, Conny Kensy. “It looks really attractive and it’s extremely easy to use. All of the user interfaces have been improved, and we have a really comprehensive ‘Community’ section where users can easily find all the support they need.” (Jim E
USA - The Knight of Illumination Awards USA (KOI-USA) is now open for nominations. The KOI Awards, launched in the USA in April, have been celebrating the achievements of lighting and video designers working in a range of entertainment genres in the UK for 10 years, with the first US edition set to coincide with LDI 2018 in Las Vegas. Nominations for KOI USA are rolling in across all three categories - Theatre, Concert Touring & Events, and Live for Broadcast - with five awards in each category up for grabs. To be eligible for nomination, productions must have been performed or broadcast in the USA between 1 August 2017 and 31 July 2018. In the UK, the organisers have reported “a record number of nominations” ahead of the 30 June deadline.
Visit the relevant website for more information on how to nominate: KOI UK:
UK - Lighting and rigging specialist Nexus Dry Hire has added 30 of Chroma-Q's flagship Color Force II 72 LED fixture to its stockholding. The purchase of the 1.8m battens was facilitated by Mike Docksey at Chroma-Q UK dealer, A.C. Entertainment Technologies. Nexus' managing director, Tom Agar comments: "At Nexus we are always looking for leading technologies which we believe will become the next industry standard and product of choice amongst our production and rental clients. After studying the market, we chose Color Force II as it is exactly the right product for our requirements. It's a very high-quality light source, covers multiple applications and is well made, so we believe it has great rental potential amongst our client base." Agar adds: "I can't fault Mike and A.C.'s support with getting the deal through, which happened really quickly to meet our cust
UK - Central Presentations (CPL) has invested in six new Barco UDX-4K 31,000lm laser projectors which were deployed on their first event at Arcadia London last weekend. The vibrant two day alt.culture festival, music and performance extravaganza celebrated the 10th anniversary of the birth of the Arcadia concept, and was staged in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the famed Spider at the hub of the performance action. CPL has been involved with Arcadia since 2013 when the 50 tonne Spider - the conceptual brainchild of Pip Rush and Bert Cole crafted from reimagined military hardware and other recycled industrial waste - first landed at Glastonbury festival. For the last few UK appearances of the arachnid, CPL has been part of a dedicated production team delivering crisp, detailed projections onto both sides of the three giant legs, which are fundamental
Thailand - MediaVision of Thailand has invested in a pair of Robert Juliat Merlin followspots supplied by Total Solution Marketing Pte. MediaVision provides equipment and services for local and international concerts, as well as corporate events and conferences. Robert Juliat’s Merlin 2500W HMI touring followspot was ideal thanks to its rugged body, powerful output and 3°-12° zoom range, making it suitable for venues of all sizes. “We chose the Merlin after Total Solution brought it to our attention in late 2016. We needed a followspot that was reliable and versatile enough to adapt to the many demands of a rental company,” says MediaVision’s Joe Thanaruch. “Robert Juliat’s reliability and build-quality is well-known, and Merlin turned out to be surprisingly light-weight for a followspot of its size. “We were also happy that it proved easy to use
Lebanon - Clair Brothers has added Boujikian Bros. Co. to its growing list of distributors. Established in 1984 as a supplier of a wide range of electronics accessories, Boujikian Bros. refocused its attention towards audio, lighting, rigging, staging as the company recognised the potential in the Lebanese market, as well as other expanding markets in their greater region. The company serves educational and religious institutions, corporate, governmental, and military sectors Gary Boujikian, president and general manager, comments: “The quality products we provide are central to our success. It’s why when the opportunity arose to represent Clair Brothers, we didn’t hesitate. Loudspeakers don’t get any better than what Clair Brothers designs and manufactures, and the people at Clair Brothers couldn’t be nicer or easier to work with. I could tell right away whe
Billboard Awards - Ed Sheeran was the big winner at the Billboard Awards in Las Vegas. The singer took home four awards - top artist, top radio songs artist, top song sales artist and top hot 100. Other artists used the ceremony to pay tribute to Avicii, the Swedish DJ who died last month aged 28. Andrew Taggart from The Chainsmokers said the DJ's death was "a great loss for the music world and for us. He was an artist who inspired so many in so many ways and simply put he meant so much to us and so many in the EDM community." Halsey added: "Everyone who worked with him would agree he was such a joy and it makes this tragedy all the more painful. And it's a reminder to all of us to be there and to support and love all of our friends and family members who may be struggling with mental health issues." The annual awards show, which celebrates artists' achievements
UK - PSCo, trade only rental supplier of display technologies, has invested in Absen’s new 3.9mm indoor / outdoor LED product within the Polaris range. The PL3.9 Pro LED is exclusively available in the UK from PSCo. This new product from Absen is part of their High Brightness Black (HBB) range, an innovative new series which utilises Common Cathode technology. This provides dedicated voltages for individual RGB sub-pixels to substantially improve their efficiency. This results in 20% less power used and 20% less heat generated, allowing for more brightness output with total stability & reliability. This technology means that the PL3.9 Pro with HBB can achieve 5000nits brightness with a 1921 black-face SMD - using less power and without compromising on brightness or black levels. This is delivered in an IP65 rated chassis allowing for excellent visual performance
UK - Event production company VisionEventsManchester (VE-M) has upgraded its equipment inventory, adding a selection of Doughty equipment to its stock. Darren Howard, director, VE-M explains: "As VE-M has expanded, we found we were regularly hiring in stands and so it was really a natural choice that we should purchase some Doughty kit." The company which was born out of Vision Events back in 2011 focuses on bringing together various elements of event design under one roof, making its clients' lives easier when organising often complex events. The addition of Doughty items to the company's stock is part of a major overhaul of VE-M's video, lighting, audio and rigging stock as the company continues to grow. Keen to invest in high quality technologies, Darren turned to A.C. Entertainment Technologies (AC-ET) – one of Doughty's UK distributors to handle the entire upgra
UK - Fifteen years ago The Prolight Concepts Group moved from its home in Bury to its current home in Darwen. It has now outgrown the 37,000sq.ft premises and is set to move. Situated less than four miles away in the neighbouring town of Blackburn the new premises will see a tenfold increase in office and workshop space and treble the amount of warehouse bays. With the M65 motorway also being within such close proximity it allows excellent transport links to the M6 and the rest of the country for fast and efficient distribution along with easy access for visiting customers and suppliers. “We are delighted to be able to secure the future growth of our business with this key property purchase. We have been actively seeking a location to build on the growth we have already accomplished and it was important to achieve this in the local area so we could maintain our high
