This has kicked off in the UK and Europe with a mix of four dynamic visual mediums - lighting, digital lighting, video and movement .
The imaginative force behind this show comes from Davy Sherwin (lighting & visuals designer), Robin Haddow (live visuals director) and video director Blue Leach. The aim of their seamless teamwork is to ensure that all the lighting, video, visuals and movement cues contrast, compliment, match and juxtapose in complete harmony.
Project manager Mike Oates says, "It's just brilliant to be involved on a show that looks this good. An incredible amount of hard work, ideas, imagination and intelligence has gone into making it work, and the end results speak for themselves."
Sherwin's design start point was running a few ideas by the band, and coming up with a general LED and moving light 'vibe' that he felt suited the mood and music of the new album. That concept extended to the metalwork layout, and he chose to have five raked upstage/downstage trusses referencing back to the sun rays of the album title.
These are hinged down at the upstage end, allowing them to be flown in and close up to the performance space for the subtler and more intimate moments.
Upstage, behind eight columns of Barco O-lite video screen, are five lighting pods each continuing four Vari*Lite 3500 Wash fixtures and two Martin Professional Atomic Colours. These pods are also rigged on Kinesys motors so they can glide in and out during the show for "powerful old skool ACL effects" explains Sherwin.
For control, HSL is supplying three WholeHog 3 consoles. One, complete with USB wing, is operated by Sherwin, the other by Haddow, triggering three Catalyst media servers running all the video playback content and sending all video sources to screens or to four Barco digital moving lights, and the third is a backup.
The Kinesys system (which also lifts the eight columns of O-Lite up and down) is piloted by Rupert Reynolds. Also onboard is another very experienced crew from HSL - featuring Ian Lomas, Tim Oliver, Rob Starksfield, Tom Wright and Andy Hilton, chief'd by Johnny Harper.
(Jim Evans)
