This kicked off by supplying lighting production and crew to all stages at the Field Day / Applecart event in east London and for the Main and Second stages at the 2012 Rockness Festival in Dores, near Inverness, Scotland.
The new purchases included 26 of Robe's new Robin 1200 LEDWash fixtures - the largest model in their current LED wash series - which are generally reckoned to be the best on the market at this moment in time! They went straight out on these two initial festivals.
Field Day is a celebration of alternative music now in its fifth year, and staged in the luscious green environs - particularly this year with the wettest June on record! - of Victoria Park, Hackney.
CSE was working for event organisers Loud Sound and technical production co-ordinators LarMac LIVE. They lit the main stage - headlined by Franz Ferdinand - plus eight other performance stages and areas of varying sizes.
The main stage production lighting rig was designed by CSE's Fletch, and based on Franz Ferdinand's plot, submitted by LD Cormack Jackson.
Eighteen of the new Robe LEDWash 1200s were on it, together with eight Jarags, 18 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1500s, eight Atomic strobes and various generics - PARs, Molefeys and profiles.
The console provided for the 'house' lighting was a Chamsys MQ300, with a Road Hog Full Boar for Franz Ferdinand.
CSE also supplied assorted band 'specials' packages including for Modeselektor, SBTRKT and Sleigh Bells.
Again renewing the synergy with Loud Sound and LarMac LIVE, Colour Sound provided lighting production and crew for the Main and Second stages at Rockness, staged on the shores of Scotland's most famous Loch.
CSE's house rig was again designed by Fletch to accommodate the main requests from all three headliner's touring rigs - a tricky balance to achieve, requiring plenty of forethought and pre-planning.
On the Main Stage, the moving lights included 12 of the new Robe LEDWash 1200s, 24 Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1500 HPEs, 12 Robe ColorWash 700s, 16 Atomic strobes and eight Martin Professional MAC 250 Beams - all controlled by a Chamsys MQ300 console.
For the tented Goldenvoice Arena (second stage), CSE installed a large ground support system measuring 45 feet wide by 18 deep, and flew a front truss from the tent's king poles.
Headliners included Justice, Ed Sheeran and Knife Party - all of whom raised the roof and made some serious noise.
Moving light fixtures included GLP Impression zooms and Spot Ones and Martin MAC 250 Beams, joined by a selection of Atomic strobes, JTE PixelLine LED battens, Sunstrips, PARs and blinders.
This was all run from an Avolites Pearl Expert console, and once again the rig was designed to satisfy all headliner specs and be versatile enough to light the myriad of other acts appearing there over the three days.
(Jim Evans)
