The building now houses a downstairs front bar, with all day trading, linked via a removable partition to the rear bar, which is available for private lets and trades alongside the upstairs nightclub. Ian Kirby's Lighting Effects Distribution have specified the effects and architectural lighting to all the main feature areas, using Coemar, Geni and proprietary LED-based fixtures. Six Solar M100b RGB LED units positioned on each side of the building, project columns of colour changing light up the walls.Illuminating the ground floor dancefloor are six Ayrton EasyColor 1 LED moving lights, set in two rows of three and divided by a 40cm mirrorball and rotator. Control is via Geni PC Brain - a simple playback unit suited to bar staff operation.
Coemar automated head lighting is used extensively over the main dancefloor - suspended from two 12m long lighting bars, which curve out to the centre of the dancefloor to form a lazy 'X' motif. A mirrorball has been placed in the centre and the lighting plotted along the bar lengths. To achieve the desired effect, 12 ProSpot 250LX fast-moving heads have been set along a specially-fabricated truss, to create a sharp beam and similar movement to that of a scan.
These are complemented by four Geni Burst scanners, offering full 360° mid-air rotation to radiate 14 spinning coloured images, while a further eight Coemar ProWash 250LX effects provide slabs of colour over the dancefloor. Lighting Effects Distribution have also provided the special effects in the form of two wall-mounted Hungaroflash EUDMX 5kW strobes, facing the mirrorball, while haze and special effects are generated from Antari X-310 smoke machines.
Eight Solar MR16 6W high powered LEDs provide the buttress lighting effect while the main club bar lighting is based around a further four Solar 15W LED fittings - all running full colour-change RGB - to highlight the chandelier on the entrance stairs. Other LED illuminated areas include the free pour risers behind the bars and two Coemar-powered large glass panels behind the DJ and separating bars. The entire lighting operates under ShowCAD computer-based control.
TMC director Miles Marsden commented: "LED offers low maintenance, low power consumption and long lamp life. And while it is becoming more viable as a projected effect it is especially useful as a wash light and great for external use."
(Lee Baldock)
