HSL enjoys the Global Spirit of Depeche Mode
- Details
Blackburn-based HSL is the worldwide lighting vendor for Global Spirit working with a travelling crew headed by production manager Tony Gittins.
The asymmetric lighting design was created by Sooner Routhier and Robert Long of SRae Productions in Nashville and is being directed on the road by their associate LD, Manny Conde.
The industrial production design was imagined by the band’s creative director Anton Corbijn, who has always pioneered video as an essential vehicle of live production. This is no exception with a large video screen upstage.
HSL’s project manager looking after the tour is Jordan Hanson who comments, “It’s brilliant to be working with Tony, Sooner, Manny and an amazing production with a great band that is literally the tour of the moment and the one the industry is talking about.”
Chiefing the HSL crew on the road is Ian Stevens. He is joined by Jake Jevons, Harrison Cooke, Ben Eastham and Andy Whittaker.
Ian comments, “We are having an incredible time on the road. I know you hear people say this sometimes on a long tour, but this really is like family.”
The lighting rig is more complex that it might appear at first glance, there are a lot of moving elements and it requires plenty of attention to detail to get it looking just right in the different variations. “We are all very proud of how it looks and the part it plays in bringing great entertainment value to many fans,” concludes Ian.
For Tony Gittins, having a single lighting vendor for the whole tour has not just made sense financially, it’s made the whole process more efficient in terms of the equipment maintenance and having it permanently pre-prepped at HSL for the duration of the tour.
“Having the continuity of one supplier to work with for lighting, a familiar crew and a dedicated office co-ordinating everything at base ensures we get the best attention at all times,” he comments, adding that “It’s been a fantastic experience working with HSL.”
(Jim Evans)
