The festival lighting systems at both venues were exact duplicates of each other - with a pretty standard four horizontal truss set up featuring an array of moving lighting, strobes and generic fixtures. Each band had the opportunity to add to the rig, but the only one that took advantage were - The Lost Prophets.
LD Mark Scrimshaw, who has been in the business since 1990, had six mega pods hung from the upstage truss. Within each of the pods there were six PixelLine 1044s and an Atomic strobe. Each of the pods was hung on two motors and at various points during the set - the pods were moved up and down to various pre-set positions creating a constantly moving blinding wall of light.
Scrimshaw enthuses: "I was looking for a fixture that was both bright and had a good range of colour mixing - as well as the ability to create a large strobe effect. The load-in time for these gigs was very tight, so I had to use a product that was reliable. The 1044s filled all these requirements. I have used the 1044s on previous tours and have found that the built-in effects are extremely useful and very effective."
The two venues were Manchester's MEN and London's Earls Court. 14 bands played Manchester on the Saturday night, then London on the Sunday - whilst a further 14 bands did the reverse. This is a dramatic rise in the size of this festival, as last year it was just one night at London's Alexandra Palace.
The festival proved so successful in both London and Manchester that there are rumours it will be extended to three nights at each venue next year.
All the crew and lighting at both venues was supplied by PRG Europe.
(Chris Henry)
