The Netherlands - The inaugural edition of Deviate Festival took place on Saturday 26 August at Abbey Hotel Rolduc in Kerkrade. With a number of techno heavyweights on the bill, the sound and lighting had to be spot on. SL Productions’ Glenn Weckseler was on hand to help put together an optimal setup that included many products by Infinity, Showtec, DAP and Showgear. For this event, the Deviate organisers managed to secure names such as Héctor Oaks, I Hate Models, Klangkuenstler, Lee Ann Roberts and Patrick Mason, among others. The location chosen to host the event was the Unesco-listed Abbey Hotel Rolduc. The main stage was built in the courtyard with SL Productions putting together a lighting setup with more than 100 fixtures that covered the entire 104-metre length of the Rolduc building. There were 60 Infinity B401 Beam moving heads that combine fast, precise m
China - Wireless LED lighting manufacturer Astera has announced the creation of a new group CEO position with the appointment of Carl-Johan Sköld. Carl-Johan will be based in Hong Kong and collaborating closely with both the German HQ and design centre and Astera’s Chinese manufacturing teams to shape the company’s medium term and future growth strategies. With extensive expertise in long-term business development and strategy, Carl-Johan will outline some ambitious goals for Astera’s future, whilst also fortifying the brand’s current standing as a market leading lighting technology brand. Astera’s sales director Sebastian Buckle commented: “It’s hugely exciting to have someone of Carl-Johan’s calibre onboard as our company moves to the next phase of its development. Carl-Johan brings great expertise, a huge enthusiasm for our industry and a bri
USA - Verge Aero has unveiled the Verge Aero X7 drone at the 2023 UP.Summit, a gathering of innovative minds rethinking transportation. Drone shows are one application of the new technologies transforming mobility. The Verge Aero X7 is a breakthrough product that delivers exceptional performances and smashes the barriers to entry into the drone show industry with a price designed to accelerate adoption, says the company. Now, almost anyone can create and perform drone shows with Verge Aero’s integrated, all-in-one drone show solution. Venturing into the drone show industry has presented aspiring providers with a maze of mismatched hardware and software components creating disjointed workflows, at higher price points, making entry a daunting task. But Verge Aero, driven by a dedicated development team committed to making drone shows accessible to everyone, has flipp
USA - In a historic night of volleyball and music, Proteus Lucius profile moving heads and Proteus Rayzor 1960 wash effects from Elation Professional, supplied by TMS, illuminated the stage for a captivating post-match concert by country music artist Scotty McCreery. The event took place on 30 August at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, as part of the Volleyball Day in Nebraska celebration. The University of Nebraska is known for its passionate support of its women’s volleyball team and the event drew an astounding crowd of 92,003 spectators. It marked a significant milestone for the world of women's sports and, according to the University, broke three records: Largest Volleyball Game Attendance Ever, Largest Attended Women's Sporting Event in the U.S., and Largest Attended Women's Sporting Event in the World. Production company Theatrical Media Services
The Netherlands - Prolights EclPanels TWC were successfully used in the creation of the new DRM Multimedia Lounge in the Zandvoort circuit. The main objective of this project was the transformation of a space into a multimedia lounge, which could ‘combine the emotion of Formula 1 racing with the possibilities offered by the most advanced technologies’. For the lighting of the room, DRM Showtechniek has chosen to rely on Full AVL, Prolights distributor in the Netherlands. Full AVL supplied a set of EclPanel TWC, softlight LED known for their versatility in lighting, adapting perfectly to each specific need of the room. When the lounge is used as a meeting room, the EclPanels ensure intense and uniform light. Instead, when the room is not used as a workplace, these panels can beautify the environment, adapting their colour harmoniously to the general style of the room, tha
UK - The Architect is a celebratory and stirring immersive theatrical experience, taking place entirely on a London bus. Commemorating the murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence 30 years on, and inspired by his ambition to become an architect, the show uses performance, music and spectacle to explore the lives of black Londoners, imagining the potential of uninterrupted black lives and the hopes, ambitions and dreams that accompany this. The lighting for this special project was designed by Chris McDonnell, who approached White Light, a d&b solutions company, to supply her lighting equipment. Unlike more traditional pieces of theatre, The Architect sees its audience members board a London double-decker bus which then travels to different parts of the city, as well as back and forth through time. So how did Chris approach such a different production? She explains:
Italy - More than 70 Claypaky lights were used to illuminate the inaugural Eurovolley match at the Verona Arena. The project was conceived by Mequadro Service’s lighting designer Andrea Coppini and the company owner Emanuele Mazzi, with support from Claypaky product specialist Alessandro Melegaro. The event marked the return of top sporting events to the temple of Italian opera, which was transformed into an open-air sports stadium in less than 24 hours. Emanuele Mazzi explained how the idea for this rig came about: “We were asked to include something awesome for this unusual event. In addition to illuminating the field, we put together lighting effects on the stalls and the audience, and created beams visible from afar to make the Arena look even more impressive.” “To create these effects, we chose the Skylos and the Arolla Aqua," Andrea Coppini continued. "We
Spain - Lightware Visual Engineering has announced significant changes to the operation of its Lightware Iberia office, effective from this month, further strengthening Lightware’s presence in the Iberian region. Donald De Witte, a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the ProAV industry, will take on the role as regional director Spain and Portugal for the Lightware Iberia office. De Witte joined Lightware as the director global partner strategy in May 2023, bringing with him over 25 years of experience gained while working as a business development manager at Cisco, where he specialised in collaboration services. Lightware has had a successful presence within the Iberian market since 2017. Thanks to the consistent growth in the region, the company has decided to establish a dedicated office to serve the Iberia market. With a commitment to further expan
USA - ADJ has appointed Image Marketing as its manufacturer’s representative for Southern California. Image Marketing was founded by Bob Rufkahr in 1980, and since then has represented some of the most prominent manufacturers in the AV and lighting industry. The company offers a variety of services tailored to meet the needs of their dealers and manufacturers. Since inception, Image Marketing's mission has always been to represent quality products from manufacturers and to act as a conduit between manufacturer and dealer with the end goal being to ensure that both entities achieve sales and profit growth. Today, Image Marketing is led by Bob’s son, Tony Rufkahr. “At Image Marketing, we are thrilled to partner with the ADJ Group and represent ADJ, Eliminator Lighting, Avante Audio, Accu-Cable and Accu-Stand in Southern California,” comments Tony Rufkahr.
South Africa - Rental and production company Sound Stylists has invested in 24 Robe Painte moving lights, the first part of an order that has been delivered via South African Distributor DWR, with more to follow soon. The new moving lights join around 300 other Robe luminaires in the Sound Stylists inventory and will be used on their diverse mix of corporate shows and events. Owner and founder Kevin Glover explained that they are in the process of consolidating and rationalising the lighting kit as work has steadily returned after the pandemic. They specifically wanted a compact LED fixture with shutters, and “something bright, reliable and with plenty of features to service indoor venues with a headroom of around 6 or 7m”, a size and level that constitutes a lot of their work. They have also enjoyed a long history with Robe, purchasing the original Co
UK - The original Sugababes made their moving O2 homecoming on 16 September. The 15,000 fans in attendance on that Saturday night not only eagerly embraced that chemistry, they expanded on it as well, creating a warm, emotional glow that transformed the entire arena. Ed Warren felt the energy too. “I just loved how the whole thing came together,” he recalled. “It wasn’t just the lighting, but also the choreography, the music, the lasers, the confetti - and most of all, the beautiful harmonies of the three iconic singers.” As the show’s lighting and stage designer, he supported the stars’ performance with a production that reflected the redolent moods that ran through every song in their 90-minute set. Running his Colour Sound Experiment supplied rig on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium, Warren created myriad looks that ranged from flashy disco-like
USA - Joshua Schultz wasn’t overly enthused about lighting a show against a large, deeply rippled curtain background for his client, Turnpike Troubadours when they performed at New York’s historic Beacon Theatre. That quickly changed, however, when he saw how this billowy background played off against light. “I was sceptical, but I quickly fell in love with having another canvas to incorporate looks onto, said Schultz. “Too many times having just a black backdrop deadens the stage. This curtain added another dimension.” A big reason why the curtain worked magic for this Top 20 country rock band from Oklahoma can be found in Schultz’s inspired colour mixing. Overlaying light in subtly different shades of the same colours, he created deeply nuanced and redolent monochromatic looks that beautifully complemented the music and the venue. “I like to think
USA - Lighting designer Kyle Kegan of Voyage Productions enthusiastically embraced a full grandMA3 platform for lighting control whilst DJ duo Two Friends delivered two hi-energy sets in the Sahara Tent at the 2023 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Kyle, who works with many high-profile international clients, adapted the lighting design and showfile he had created for Two Friends’ recent tour to work with the Sahara Tent production lighting rig, collaborating closely with Michael Sheck who was the LD and helped program the show. Their show was based around the same spaceship DJ booth designed by Kyle and built by Dark Moon Design for the tour, complete with over 3,000 LED pixels across 24 DMX universes all running through their grandMA3, plus some onboard practical lights. All of this was integrated with Coachella’s house rig which was coincidentall
UK - When Entec Sound & Light was asked to provide technical services for Afrobeats legend Wizkid at the near 63,000-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, it found itself making one of the first deployments of the new weatherproof impression X5 IP Bar from GLP in a concert setting. The Nigerian Made In Lagos star became the first African artist to headline a concert at London’s largest club stadium. But it was his LD, Shepherd Lowrey, who had specified GLP battens. Expecting to see the older impression X4 Bar 20s, he discovered Entec had gone a step further and lined up the next-generation impression X5 IP Bars: “What a pleasant surprise when I arrived to a rig full of X5 IP Bars… like stomping the gas pedal of a Porsche 911!” Referring to it as “the spice”, he adds: “It provides that little sizzle of excitement.” Entec project manager Patch Cle
Hungary - The Sziget Festival celebrated 30 years in 2023, earning its place as one of Europe’s largest, most popular and diverse music and cultural festivals which is staged annually in August on Óbudai-sziget (Old Buda Island), a leafy green 108-hectare island on the Danube just a stone’s throw from central Budapest. Robe moving lights had a big presence this year across three major performance areas - the Main Stage, the massive FreeDome Tent and the dropYard rap stage - as well as on some of the other venues around the site that hosted over 1,000 performances on the ‘Island of Freedom’ as it’s known for the duration. Headlining the Main Stage this year were a host of internationally acclaimed artists like Imagine Dragons, David Guetta, Billy Eilish, Florence + The Machine, Lorde and Macklemore, plus a plethora of other top level artists, together with ev
Switzerland - Follow-Me has partnered with Swiss company cast Switzerland SA. Formed in 2009 and established as an independent trading company in 2021, cast Switzerland SA has two locations in Switzerland to provide sales and support to both the Swiss German and Swiss French regions. Managing director Michel Vuilleumier and business development manager Swiss German area, Peter Häusler, head the team at cast Switzerland AG. With his extensive background in lighting and technical operation, Häusler approached Follow-Me seeing the advantage in Follow-Me systems for both designers and operators, merging art and technology for follow-spot and tracking solutions. Luca Idone (Swiss German) and Lionel Métraux (Romandie) strengthen the team for cast with their technical knowledge and support in assisting all customers. Follow-Me systems give you full independence and creativ
Italy - The Tones Teatro Natura, a former quarry in Crevoladossola provides stunning scenic surroundings for concerts and other performances. Work on this distinctive venue, which is located in the former Cava Roncino, began in 2020 during the pandemic lockdown. The permanent open-air site, which is a project by Tones on the Stones, opened in July 2022. Surrounded by the roughhewn quarry, the beauty of Tones Teatro Natura was on full display during a recent concert by the CM Orchestra, an ensemble of 60 musicians with a repertoire that crosses various eras and styles. Enriching the occasion was the guest of honour, Mario Biondi. Accenting the scenery were the colours of a refined lighting design by Nicolò Damiani of MG Service, using Chauvet Professional fixtures distributed by Zalight. Service was provided by Marco Gervasio and the team at MG Service. “I used
Spain - ETC distributor Stonex selected ETC stage machinery and lighting to complete the Lekuona Fabrika Cultural Centre in northern Spain. Prodigy P2 hoists, QuickTouch+ controls as well as ETC luminaires were selected for the project. Based in Errenteria near the north coast of Spain, the Lekuona Fabrika is a multifunctional cultural venue which frequently hosts exhibitions, festivals, productions and more. The venue is a 613m² open-plan flexible space that can be divided into three rooms offering up to six different configurations using movable walls and retractable seating bleachers. Due to coastal laws the Lekuona Fabrika has a height restriction as it is located next to the river. In addition to this, its technical director and creator of the project Javier Cruz explains: "There is also the issue that we lose even more height because of the movable walls that cl
Georgia - A wide range of Claypaky lighting fixtures dominated the rig at the recent Imagine Dragons concert at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi. 62 Claypaky Arolla HP, 32 Sharpy Plus, 12 Mini B Aqua and six Sharpy Plus Aqua were provided by Black Sea Arena for the event. Grammy Award-winning Imagine Dragons are currently on their fifth world tour. Their appearance in Tbilisi was part of Starring Georgia, a two-year campaign promoting the country as a venue for entertainment events. It showcases diverse visiting artists who demonstrate the ability of music to unite people of different generations. Bruno Mars is the next to appear in the Starring Georgia series. Imagine Dragons performed before an audience of more than 30,000 at the stadium. The new stage, also from Black Sea Arena, was transported to the venue on 35 trucks for the show. “Imagine Dragons wa
Italy - The Mario Del Monaco Municipal Theatre in Treviso was an appropriate venue for the Angels for Angela charity concert, which took place on Saturday 24 June 2023 and featured Angel City Chorale. K Service provided audio and lighting products for the occasion, including eight Showtec Phantom Hybrid 12R moving light beams. The concert was organised by La Musica di Angel Onlus with proceeds going towards music therapy projects at a local hospital. Angel City Chorale is a choir that hails from Los Angeles and is perhaps best known for its performances on the 2018 edition of America’s Got Talent where it reached the semi-finals. With more than 180 members, the choir performs songs in a wide variety of music styles including classical, gospel, jazz, pop and world music. The programme for Angels for Angela included gems This Is Me from The Greatest Showman<
UK - Gary Numan, celebrated reaching an impressive 1,000th gig milestone by performing three consecutive shows at London's Electric Ballroom. To mark this remarkable journey, lighting designer David Howard was enlisted to create an immersive backdrop that encapsulated every essence of Numan's career. Independent lighting designer David Howard boasts a diverse portfolio spanning music tours, special events, and more. From working with artists like Jo Quail and The Hoosiers to contributing his expertise to prestigious events like Glastonbury and MCM Comic Con, Howard's creative flair knows no bounds. First introduced to wysiwyg whilst studying at university in 2013, David Howard instantly recognised its transformative potential. The lighting design software opened doors to unprecedented creative possibilities, enabling him to turn abstract design concepts into tangible
Australia - Prolights' Astra Wash37Pix lights illuminated DJ Golden Features tour, a project curated by lighting designers Nicholas Bechen and Ben Kocsis. This collaboration was made possible thanks to the contribution of Ei Productions, the supplier of lighting equipment for the tour. "Golden Features, his manager, and I spoke a lot over probably two years about ideas and thoughts and what his intentions were for this tour," commented Nick. "We had a fair idea we would have to scale it back from the get-go, so we didn't go big and made it work pretty well in the end. I'm really happy with it. We seem to have walked away from the tour with a pretty decent show; the quality of the music being delivered helps make big lighting look and feel easy." Ei Productions provided the gear for Sydney's Hordern show, giving Nick a chance to use Prolights Astra Wash37Pix with 11 uni
USA - Vari-Lite has announced that the premium Neo X5 console is now shipping, making the entire line of consoles from Vari-Lite available to purchase. The Vari-Lite Neo X Series is a family of high-performance lighting consoles designed for mixed-use applications such as performing arts centres; stadiums and arenas; houses of worship; studios; schools; touring rental; and more. The Neo X Series includes the 15-fader Neo X15 and the newly shipping Neo X5. “Feedback on the Neo X Series has been great,” says Jon Hole, global product manager, Vari-Lite Controls at Signify. “Customers speak highly of the professional-quality hardware and premium features of the X15, with a strong response across a variety of markets, and we’re excited to begin shipping the smaller X5 to our customers as well.” The Neo X5 is a high-performance lighting console running the powerfu
Germany - NicLen continues to rely on Cameo: with its latest investment in the Zenit Z180 G2 LED PAR spotlight, the leading dry hire provider is expanding its lighting technology portfolio with a powerful and versatile PAR all-rounder with RGBW COB LED, motor zoom (10°to 40°) and an IP65 protection rating. The RDM-enabled Cameo Zenit Z180 G2 is based on a long-lasting 180W RGBW COB LED, which, in combination with 16-bit technology, enables homogeneous, high-resolution colour mixing and seamless dimming behaviour. The motorised zoom operates in the range from 10° to 40° and effortlessly covers both sharp, narrowly focused beams and broadly diffused areas. Thanks to its six selectable PWM frequencies and IP65 rating, the Zenit Z180 G2 is suitable for use with film cameras as well as in outdoor applications. The complete PAR package is rounded off by colour temperature corr
