Lighting designer Dave Gibbon decided to buy the XT 250s himself, having used them extensively last year on the Hadley vs Cox tour and other events. "There's absolutely no doubt that they are the most reliable and cost-effective fixtures available for the type of work I do" he says - which ranges through a variety of touring artists to corporate and special events.
It was important that Beddingfield's lighting rig was adaptable and flexible as it's visiting a great variety of venues, from student union gigs and clubs to large theatres. It also had to fit into an expedient amount of truck space.
Gibbon chose the six Spot 250 XT's for their small size and large brightness. They are the workhorses of the rig, mounted on the rear truss and used for rear beams, upstage colour sweeps and effects and contrast work, "The optics are excellent" he says, "Definitely amongst the brightest fixtures for the money currently available".
Entec supplies lighting equipment and Beddingfield herself takes a keen interest in how the stage looks for her performance, she is particularly specific about colours. Four of the ColorSpot 1200 ATs are on the front truss - giving even stage coverage right across the space, and two are upstage on floor-mounted Manfrotto stands, adding some low, back-lighting to the stage look. These are particularly effective in the moodier moments of Beddingfield's fast paced performance.
Gibbon also purchased an Avolites Pearl 2004 for the tour. This is his second Pearl. His first was bought two years ago, and is currently out on the 4 month Hadley vs ABC tour, being operated by Andy Emmerson.
"I love the Pearl for all those elements that everyone else does" declares Gibbon, "It's the best console for live operation, the most buskable, reliable and easy to programme. You just can't beat it for small to medium shows of all types."
The decision to buy the second desk was taken when Gibbon found himself in the middle of designing and specifying lighting for both the Beddingfield and Hadley tours which were due to run concurrently. In addition to knowing the desk inside out, it was an obvious move to get another console and have it as a constant production element taken everywhere. So even if fixtures and rigs change around as they move to different territories or use house systems - with the Pearls onboard, Gibbon and Emmerson are always running the show from familiar consoles. The tour also features Avolites ART 2000 dimmers.
Sound equipment is supplied by Britannia Row - featuring the first Turbosound 'Aspect' system to be toured. FOH engineer is Anthony King and John Lewis mixes monitors. Tour and production manager is Craig Duffy.
(Sarah Rushton-Read)
