Bestival is a truly eclectic and eccentric universe of entertainment, fun, sociality, music and live performance - from psyco-chic afternoon teas to Bollywood, wooded grottos, numerous fantasy worlds, banging dance environments and a diverse main stage live line up, this year headlined by Pendulum, The Cure and Bjork. There is something for everyone of all ages and tastes at one of the final events on the UK festival calendar, staged in the fabulous grounds of Robin Hill Country Park curated by BBC Radio 1's Rob Da Bank.
For Colour Sound, it topped off a super-hyperactive festival season, with lighting, scenic LED screens and crew supplied to over 50 events throughout the summer.
It was the second year that CSE has supplied equipment to the main stage at Bestival, after being brought onboard in 2010 by the LarMac LIVE production management team led by Jo MacKay on behalf of festival organisers, Loudsound Events.
Colour Sound produced an overall production lighting design for the benefit of all artists, which as far as possible encompassed the requirements of all the headliners - Pendulum (LD Andy Hurst), The Cure (LD Angus Macphail) and Bjork (LD Paul Normandale) - all of whom brought in their own floor specials packages.
The Colour Sound crew flew five trusses below the main stage structure supplied by Star Events, and onto these were hung Clay Paky Alpha Spot 1500 HPE, Martin Professional MAC 250 Beam and Robe ColorWash 700E AT moving lights, 20 of each type, together with 40 x active SunStrips, Molefeys, strobes, PARs and Source Four profiles.
Two control options were provided - a Road Hog Full Boar and a Chamsys MagicQ 300 (with Pendulum & The Cure bringing in their own). Colour Sound's Dave Kyle ensured that everything ran smoothly and beautifully throughout the festival at FOH, with Stuart Picton and Marc Callaghan looking after everything onstage.
Says Colour Sound's Haydn Cruickshank, "Once again Bestival was hugely enjoyable for all of us to work on. It is a completely different vibe to other festivals, and has retained the friendly and accessible atmosphere that we all love, as well as expanding and being massively successful due to great management and organisation."
(Jim Evans)
