Halo Live's lighting scheme was co-designed by Steve Marley and Yann Guenancia, who utilized a diverse range of fixtures and programming techniques to fulfil Radio 1’s demanding brief, and to create a stunning visual show. With the Radio 1 Open Air Stage being purely a DJ environment, it was very much down to Marley and Guenancia to use their imaginative savvy - and plenty of artistic licence - to create a colourful lightshow with a full range of peaks and dramatic effects.
The core of the rig was Studio Due City Color fixtures, used to produce large swathes of colour. Flexi-flash strobe tube was used on the ground to define the contours of the pyramid-style stage (supplied by Gallowglass). A whole range of different beam effects were used - from Vari*Lite VL6C profiles, Martin MAC 300s, exterior Par cans, 4-lite blinders, Maxi-brutes and fresnels - rigged onstage, blasting out into the audience as the night fell. All fixtures were controlled by an Avolites Pearl, operated by Steve Marley and Mark Tigwell.
The lightshow was crucial to the vibe. It reached out from the stage into the audience, uniting the two elements, wrapping party-goers and performers together and creating a visual context for the Radio 1 Dance Party. The design and programming ensured the lighting constantly mutated to avoid sequences being repeated.
Halo Live is also lighting the Radio 1 stages this summer at Creamfields, the Mardi Gras, Glastonbury and three Radio One Dance Parties in Leeds, Newquay and Sheffield.
(Lee Baldock)
