Robe - LEADERBOARD - Feb 2025
LSi 40 - Banner - July-Nov 2025

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UK - The production values on the X-Factor Live Tour certainly maintain the look and feel of the TV show. Video plays a large part in this with two IMAG screens stage left and right reminding the audience of the journey the performers have completed prior to each acts' performance.

On the stage itself, part of the video wall is used as a sliding reveal for the artists' entrances while the TV dynamic is continued in the design of the stairs, the independent stage thrust and the hi-gloss flooring. Add to that a lighting rig that begins with fifty nine Clay Paky Sharpys just for starters and it is clear that a for a followspot to cut through and make its mark, it would have to be something powerful, very bright and with a clarity of focus to work with the camera work effective

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UK - HSL continued its productive and creative working relationships with award-winning lighting designer Davy Sherwin on tour with alt rockers The Foals, who have just finished the latest UK leg of their ongoing Holy Fire album campaign.

This was Sherwin's second world tour for the band who have earned much critical acclaim for their incendiary live performances and won the 2013 Q Award for Best Live Act. Lighting was an integral part of the show and lead singer Yannis Philippakis in particular had some very clear ideas about how certain things should look.

The look and feel of the UK tour, which culminated in two sold out nights at London's Alexandra Palace, was an evolution of their summer festival floor lighting package which was highly effective and presented with Sherwin's characteristic imagination, style and flair.

HSL's project manager Mike Oates commented: &

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Canada - Mantracourt has announced that its BroadWeigh wireless load monitoring system has recently been employed for the safe installation of a large overhead multi-screen display system at an ice rink in North Bay, Canada. The BroadWeigh system was used initially to monitor the loads on four electric chain hoists during the lifting operation, and then to confirm the loads on the final rigging hardware for the multi-screen display.

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point.

Central to the design of the BroadWeigh system are Crosby shackles equipped with a high accuracy, wireless load pin that reports data remotely to a computer or a handheld display. The system is able to moni

PLASA Show 2025 - Banner - June-Aug 2025

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UK - The first ever Brighton Music Conference hosts some of the world's most exciting electronic artists as well as over 150 luminary industry speakers, and is slated as being the 'UK's answer to the Miami Winter Music Conference'.

Sennheiser UK is both a sponsor and exhibitor and will be showcasing its new range of DJ headphones and HD 25 headphones as well as a variety of its wireless microphones, plus Neumann monitor loudspeakers, Rane's acclaimed DJ interfaces and mixers, plus the new LimitEar HDM Pro - a Sennheiser Solutions product which integrates HDM Pro technology into HD 25 headphones, delivering the most audible, safe hearing experience possible.

Designed for the most demanding users and punishing pro environments, the new HD8 DJ, HD7 DJ and the HD6 MIX DJ headphones have been developed in conjunction with some of the world's top DJs.

Another highlighted will be t

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UK - Stage Electrics delivered the lighting, audio and video systems to Milton Court, Guildhall School of Music and Drama's multi-million pound facility near its premises in Silk Street.

To ensure that it continued to offer students incomparable training in exceptional, modern facilities, the School's aim was to update and expand its site, 'future-proofing' it for the next 25 years. The result is a venue which houses three rehearsal rooms, a television studio, a studio theatre, a 227-seat theatre and a 608-seat, world-class concert hall.

Stage Electrics supplied, installed and commissioned the lighting, audio and video infrastructure venue-wide which includes dimmer racks, data distribution, paging and show relay, plus custom-manufactured stage management desks, facility panels, lighting bars, 'raceways' and loose equipment.

The physical challenge of cramming so much into a

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Germany - When Bernhard Paul and André Heller founded Circus Roncalli in 1975, they certainly did not expect to reach such great success. Their first tour began with a world premiere in Bonn on 18 May 1976. Over the years, Circus Roncalli has always been committed to maintaining the classical circus tradition, and its numerous successful tours in Germany and abroad are proof of the exceptional quality of its shows.

The circus was hosted yet again this season by the Musical Theatre Bremen for the event Roncalli meets Classic. During the show, the acts are accompanied by the sound of the Norddeutsche Hanse-Philharmonie (North German Hanseatic Philharmonic). The audience enjoyed a show consisting of several performances revolving around a common theme - fire and ice. They involved top artists and a sophisticated lighting design.

As in previous years, the equipment w

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The Netherlands - Following Elation Europe's popular PRO Theme Day seminars in October of last year, Elation Professional is inviting technicians and all interested service professionals to PRO Service Days to be held 6 May (beginner) and 7 May (advanced) at Elation's European headquarters in Kerkrade, Holland.

As Elation continues to expand its market presence across Europe, the company has put in place the service infrastructure needed to support the higher demand for its products. The company says: "Elation is committed to educating service technicians and other lighting professionals in optimal methods of servicing and maintaining Elation products, an initiative the company is supporting with the upcoming PRO Service Days."

May's PRO Service Days will focus on providing in-depth technical knowledge of Elation's Platinum Wash and Spot moving light series. The full

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UK - BSc (Hons) Lighting and Live Event Technology students from the University of South Wales have showcased their best work at the successful Innovation Expo 2014 event, held at the Wales Millennium Centre. The two-day event, held on Tuesday and Wednesday 1-2 April, saw 27 students present nine different products to industry employers.

Each group were tasked with developing and building a product prototype and creating their business model before marketing their product to potential buyers. This was a six-month process in their final year of study where students took their existing skills and interests and then sought out new knowledge and techniques to enable them to realise their products.

Rob Locke, award leader for Live Event Technology BSc(Hons), said: "This is what makes our students stand out - the ability to learn new techniques and to deliver creative technical

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USA - Following the extremely successful HedgeHog 4 launch at LDI 2013, High End Systems has further broadened its Hog 4 family with the addition of the HedgeHog 4N. This version adds the ability for the popular compact platform to network with other all other Hog 4 consoles and peripherals and will make it a perfect backup or dimmer city console.

Along with the RackHog 4, which was launched at Pro Light and Sound 2014, HedgeHog 4N will be shipping in Q2.

"We listened to our existing Hog customer base and HedgeHog 4N delivers exactly what they want," says Chris Ferrante, director of product management, "a compact console which can be moved easily, with the additional power of HogNet."

(Jim Evans)

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Sweden - One of the last examples of neo-classical architecture in Sweden, The Stockholm Concert Hall was designed by Ivar Tengbom and completed in 1926. Sited near Hotorget Square, the building's monumental facade cuts an impressive figure with its 10 huge Corinthian columns. Its interior is similarly impressive, decorated in part by the work of renowned artists Isaac Grunewald and Edwald Dahlskog.

The Konserthuset comprises three separate halls, the largest of which seats 1770 people. In 1971 the venue was renovated by Tengbom's son Anders with a focus on improving its acoustics. Home to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concert Hall is the principal venue for orchestral music in Sweden as well as being perhaps most famous for hosting the annual Nobel Prize Ceremony.

The principle issue to be resolved in the Main Hall at the Konserthuset was the need to quite literally l

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USA - Sixty Robe Robin Pointes and five Robe Robin DLS Profile fixtures 'rode the rig' at the 2014 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas throughout the month of March. Locally based LD Systems provided products, technical management and production for the entire Reliant Park and fairgrounds, using new Robe products for nightly performances by star entertainers.

Performers included Brad Paisley, Eli Young Band, Reba McEntire, Usher, Chris Young, Selena Gomez, REO Speedwagon, Jason Aldean, Jake Owen, Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Hunter Hayes, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line, Blake Shelton, Easton Corbin, The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band.

For 20 consecutive nights, the LD Systems lighting team of lighting designer/programmer John Dickson, programmer Nathan Brittain and crew chief Jim Brace worked with a number of guest lighting designers to cap off each

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UK - OneRepublic's headlining Native Tour wrapped in the UK 24 March after spending last year circling the globe and breaking new ground as the first tour to utilize Clay Paky's A.leda B-EYE K20 innovative, LED-based moving lights. A complement of Clay Paky Sharpys was also on hand.

The American pop rock band toured Europe, North America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand last year in support of its third studio album, Native. OneRepublic's tour has continued in 2014 with more dates in Europe and the UK.

On this final leg of the tour lighting designer Chris Lisle has carried over a diamond-shaped theme from last year, which features trusses, video screens and even some of the same fixtures. "The show has some big visual moments, so I had to come up with a design to meet that need," he says. "The band likes cutting edge, so using the latest technology

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Sweden - Rave reviews greeted the Scandinavian premiere of the musical Rebecca at Malmö Opera in spring 2014. Based on the book by Daphne Du Maurier and Hitchcock's famous thriller, the stage version features a backdrop of sweeping landscapes, crackling fire, wild seas, shattering vases and spinning moons - all created with a four-projector setup under the command of Dataton Watchout multi-display software.

Rebecca: The Musical by Levay and Kunze is heavily influenced by the film version of the original book, with swift cuts to new scenes and sets. To maintain that feel and pace, lighting and set designer Bengt Gomér worked with Malmö Opera's AV coordinator, Joakim Täck, and production company Visual Relief to create a dynamic digital set using Dataton Watchout. The 6m by 17m stage is filled with stills, effects and video footage for the entire performanc

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USA - Having worked with the Arnold Sports Festival as its exclusive provider of lighting and staging systems for over 20 years, Live! Technologies, LLC recently took the show to a new level with an array of lighting elements from Martin Professional.

The Live! Technologies team, including Michael Farrell, business development and marketing executive, and Michael Hesmond, lighting programmer, deployed a rig of over 100 Martin lights including 12 Viper Performances, 12 Viper Profiles, six MAC III Performances, 36 MAC Auras, 22 MAC 101s, 12 RUSH MH3 Beams, four Atomic 3000 DMX strobes, 60 EC-10 video panels and one P3-200 Video Processor/Scaler.

The Arnold Sports Festival 2014 took place in Columbus, Ohio in early March, and featured over 800 exhibitors showcasing the latest sports equipment, apparel and nutritional products. The main stage was the centre for non-stop entertainm

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USA - LED tape may not get the attention that high beam moving heads or flashy LED backdrops enjoy, but it certainly has its place on live sets as a visually important - and highly cost effective - decorative element. Take Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Jon Secada's show at the Wynn Resort's Encore Theatre in Las Vegas as an example where the Cuban-born singer performed with full backup on a stage composed of seven different levels and custom staircases.

Production/lighting designer Demfis Fyssicopulos used hefty amounts of Elation Flex LED Tape to outline the multi-tiered stage and accentuate the flowing form of the set, lining every curve of the stage and staircase in strips of color that matched the shades coming from the rig and LED backdrop. Besides highlighting the set in dynamic color, the LED border added both height and depth perspective to the stage.

Elation

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UK - The PLASA Focus: Leeds show (29-30 April, Leeds, UK) will see the UK and IE launch of the brand new and exclusive range of Infinity moving heads. There are seven products in the range - five are LED units and two are lamped units.

All the fixtures have a built in Gravity sensor, making it easy to use the menu in any position, all units have a built in battery allowing for setting up of your fixture without mains power, all units are fixed with Neutrik powercon connectors and also three pole and five-pole XLRs and all units are equipped with quick lock brackets, which can be mounted in any position.

There are three new LED RGBW wash fixtures: the iW-715 (7 x 15W RGBW 4-in-1 LEDs), which has manual zoom from 7° to 50°; the iW-720 (7 x 20W RGBW 4-in 1 LEDs), with electronic zoom from 7° to 50°, with four section control on the LEDs; and finally the iW-915 (19

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UK - Shure Distribution UK (SDUK) has announced the promotion of Kirsty Lamport to UK head of marketing. Kirsty joined Shure Distribution in 2007 as marketing communications manager, the function of which she retained when taking on her next title of marketing manager - systems & broadcast. This position saw her play an important part in the communication and delivery of the company's new selective distribution structure, which heralded the restructuring of the sales function into three divisions: Music Retail, Pro Audio & Systems.

In her new role, Kirsty takes overall responsibility for the marketing needs of the company and its full portfolio of brands. She will have a key focus on managing the internal team to drive cohesive and innovative marketing programmes across each of the three sales divisions, and assist with the integration of these across the wider European market.

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UK - Push The Button Ltd (PTB), the specialist electrical contractor for the entertainment industry, has announced the appointment of Gary Burrows as project manager.

Burrows joins the core PTB team of managing director Nick Ewins, designer manager Andy Phillips, operations manager Adrian Veale and finance director Jenny Ewins, based at the company's Bristol HQ.

Though new to PTB, Burrows and the rest of the PTB team already know each other well. "I've known Gary for a long time; he served a full apprenticeship with me back in the Stage Electrics days and we worked together there for a decade or so," notes Nick Ewins. "He's been off doing other things in the time since, but we're delighted to have lured him back. He's incredibly organised and not just a really good electrician, but a really good electrician who knows and understands the world of theatre. He's go

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UK - Congratulations to the winners of the Lighting, Sound and Set Design categories at this year's Olivier Awards, which were presented at The Royal Opera House last night. The White Light Award for Best Lighting was won jointly by two lighting design teams - Paul Pyant and Jon Driscoll for Charlie & the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, and Tim Lutkin and Finn Ross for Chimerica at the Almeida Theatre and the Harold Pinter Theatre.

The Best Sound Design Award also saw two winners - Carolyn Downing for Chimerica and Gareth Owen (on his third Olivier nomination) for Merrily We Roll Along at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

For the XL Video Award for Best Set Design, Es Devlin collected her second Olivier Award, for Chimerica.

Congratulations also to lighting designer Michael Hulls who was awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Da

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UK - Maidstone-based production and dry hire specialists, Phonophobia, have made a further investment in the Harman Professional brand portfolio - spearheaded by a Soundcraft Vi1 mixing console.

This is in addition to the slew of Soundcraft products already in inventory. The purchase of an Si Compact 32 was quickly followed by another (to keep up with demand). Then came a Compact Stage Box, a 16-channel Si Compact and a Mini Stage Box.

"These Soundcraft systems have literally been flying out the door," says Phonophobia owner, Mark Chant.

He has now added a 64-input Vi rack to accommodate the increasing capacity requirements, and at the same time is in the process of replacing his wireless mic stock with AKG's frequency agile and securely encrypted DMS700 digital system.

Mark has been running Phonophobia for around 15 years, developing two large warehouses of hire

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Voices Off - Kylie Minogue has quit The Voice after one series. The singer joined the BBC talent show last year, replacing Jessie J, and was credited with boosting viewing figures during the first few episodes. However, she said touring commitments meant she would be unable to return for a second series. "Due to timing of my tour I won't be back next season for The Voice UK," she wrote on Twitter. "Thanks to all who supported!"

Common People - The Pulp hit Common People has been voted the top Britpop anthem by listeners of BBC Radio 6 Music, beating Oasis, Blur and Suede to take the title. DJ Steve Lamacq revealed the top 30 as part of a week-long celebration to mark the 20th birthday of Britpop. More than 30,000 people voted, with The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony second and Oasis tracks Don't Look Back in Anger and Wonde

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