UK - A full lighting rig, motion control system, sound control, monitor system and stage set was supplied to Blur by Middlesex-based Entec Sound & Light, for five incendiary performances at the Astoria in Charing Cross Road, London.

Blur marked their return by showcasing work from their new album ‘Think Tank’. The Astoria dates were essentially a one-off event, but lead singer Damon Albarn wanted a distinct visual feel for the show. His brief to LD Dave Byars was to come up with the essence of Morocco and Devon - warm, inviting, peaceful, positive. From this starting point, Byars designed both lighting and video (the latter supplied by XL Video) and decided to take an ambitiously large rig into the Astoria to realize his ideas - an imaginative gamble that certainly paid off.

The first part of the show saw a false ceiling formed by a drape lacerated by a series of

The Netherlands - The latest technical innovation from Prolyte Products, ProTrac is designed as an upgraded fly-bar system for the theatre or related fields, with several extra options. Developments in theatre branch have led to new demands on the existing fly-bar systems: a combination of higher loading requirements, due to a growth in the size of productions, and the introduction of the mechanical operated fly-bar systems, have made the existing fly-bar system, in many cases, not suitable for the job. ProTrac has been developed to fill this gap, say Prolyte.

If the uniformly distributed load needs to be upgraded from 300 to 500kg and the point load from 40 to 150/200kg, a normal fly-bar will not have the required strength, and the single round tube is often replaced with ladder beams, usually made from steel. ProTrac offers an alternative to the steel ladder beams, specially d

UK - The current Paul McCartney tour is a predictably large production befitting the legend, with extensive rigging required for the moving video screens from Nocturne Inc, an Audiolease PA system and lighting by LSD, Fourth Phase and Vari-Lite, all suspended in a semi-circular arrangement above the stage.

When the tour visited Manchester’s MEN Arena, Star Rigging ensured an efficient production build by assembling a team comprised of the cream of the northern riggers. The team of 16 riggers showed their experience and competence, rigging 45 tons across 72 points, which they finished the morning rig an hour ahead of schedule. Following the rigging of the McCartney production, the Star Rigging team all attended an induction regarding the use of the ‘Latchway fall arrest system’ recently installed into the MEN Arena. The course instructed the riggers how to work

UK - Continuing their increasing involvement with live sporting productions, Elstree Light and Power are currently providing location lighting, rigging and power services for the Four Nations Boxing Championships.

Working alongside lighting designer John King and the BBC outside broadcast team, ELP crew have recently visited various boxing venues across the UK, including Nottingham, Brentford and Cardiff.

"Each venue has its own set of challenges," explains crew chief Toby Dare. "For example the most recent venue in Cardiff was the Welsh Institute of Sport which had a restricted power supply and only two 63A sockets on the wall to run 70 channels of dimming! This meant we had to provide a whole range of practical lighting solutions for BBC Sport including lighting temporary broadcast studios, lighting the boxing ring and providing light over the audience."

Latvia - A new rigging innovation, the Verlinde CyberHoist, made its début recently at the Eurovision Song Contest in Riga, Latvia. The system’s designers, Dutch lighting and rigging company Flashlight, who worked closely with lead lighting contractor Spectra+ of Sweden, say the CyberHoist is the world's most intelligent hoist motor system, capable of a high level of accuracy under the control of Flashlight's Ethernet-based 3D HoistShowControl programming and control software system. At Eurovision, it was used to perform intricate movements of six circular truss ‘pods’ containing large LED video panels and lights around the Eurovision set.

Flashlight's R&D team, headed by its engineering manager Fried Buttstedt and Anne Bokma, developed the CyberHoist around a Verlinde Stagemaker hoist body as well as creating the 3D HoistShowControl software. A truly 'intelli

UK - For the recent all-Italian UEFA Champions League final between AC Milan and Juventus at Manchester United’s Old Trafford football ground, rigging specialist Summit Steel rigged 20 4m diameter inflatable footballs at a height of 30m above the pitch.

Summit was asked to realize this audacious feat of rigging - it was a world first for objects to be flown above a football pitch during a match - by their clients Production Team, led by Dave Keighley. The project was co-ordinated for Summit by Ken Nock. Summit used catenary technology, a method they’ve pioneered and perfected in the past, including at the M2002 Commonwealth Games.

The starballs, each weighing 20kg, were suspended in four lines of five, each row attached to a 240m length of catenary wire running lengthways above the stadium. The catenaries were anchored to the main supporting structure of the venue&

Australia - "Using our equipment enabled the filming of ‘Matrix Reloaded’ to continue in Sydney even when all the other studios were booked out," said Iain Barclay, ESS’s managing director in Australia.

ESS was contracted by Graeme Dew, through Tri Point Rigging, to provide arched structures inside a number of traditional-style warehouses being used as film sets. "Our archways were used to strengthen the roof of three buildings so that various flying scenes could be shot," added Barclay. Three different warehouses were rigged by ESS over a 12-month period, all in the Sydney region. The first installation formed part of a blue room at the Fox Studios where the majority of filming took place. The other two installations were more traditional, being used to fly heavy set pieces when the roof was unable to take their weight. ESS built the arches

UK - In response to popular demand, PCM is re-launching its Leatherman Wave Supertool promotion - with a free rigger’s accessory Leatherman given away with every order of eight Lodestar hoists!

The Supertool is a multi-purpose accessory, similar to the famous Swiss Army Knife, offering a variety of appendages including screwdrivers, knives, pliers and a sharp saw. It also has everything you might need to disassemble and fix a Lodestar motor - all apart from a corkscrew -not necessary because it was designed in an era when ‘real’ roadies would not have been caught dead drinking wine!

"Hopefully, recipients of the PCM Leatherman will never have to use it in such extreme or dramatic circumstances as Aron Ralston, who amputated his own arm with a similar tool after becoming trapped under a boulder during a hike in the Canyonlands national park in Utah,"

UK - Star Hire (Event Services) Ltd provided the stages and ancillary site structures recently as rock music returned to Donington Park for the new Download festival. As the name suggests, Download also introduced a new concept to festivals, as fans who bought tickets could download free tracks from the festival’s website. 54 acts appeared on the main two stages over the two days, which ranged from new act Evanescence, to the more established ‘Manson’, to Iron Maiden and a surprise performance by Metallica on the second ‘Scuzz’ stage.

The main Radio 1 / Kerrang stage was Star Hire’s Vertech 20m festival stage, which created a suitably ‘larger than life canvas’ for the show. In addition to the performance area, the stage housed the PA monitor system in the wings and gave the production team room at the rear to prepare equipment to e

France - Opera de Lille one of France’s most prestigious performing arts venues is currently undergoing a complete refurbishment. Stage Technologies have recently been contracted to work on the project by French engineers Tambe Sarl who are responsible for equipping the venue with both mechanical and automation control systems.

Having built a reputation for designing technically advanced automation solutions for venues from the Gothenburg Stadsteater to the Lyric Opera in Chicago Stage Technologies are delighted to have the opportunity to provide automation for Lille. The supply includes the control of an impressive 66 winches (50 variable speed and 16 fixed). Stage Technologies integrated drive technology, MaxisID is at the heart of Lille’s control system and will be controlled by Nomad and Solo consoles. Modular in design this system will allow the Opera House to e

UK - Visitors to next week’s ABTT Theatre Show in London (18/19 June), will have the opportunity to try for themselves Harlequin’s new Liberty floor panels. The British Harlequin plc stand (No. 93) will be using ‘touring’ panel versions of Liberty sprung dance floors as the main floor covering. Permanent versions of Harlequin’s Liberty floors have recently been installed at Laban, London’s new purpose-built (and Europe’s largest) contemporary dance facility, as well as a growing number of centres throughout the Continent. In addition, a new storage cart will also be introduced to facilitate easy transportation and storage of Liberty panels.

Also premiering at the show is a new version of Harlequin’s Activity Floor, but now with a choice of three standard hardwood finishes - oak, beech and maple - ideal for dance studios and halls,

UK - With turnover predicted to grow by more than 20% this year, litestructures, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of custom aluminium structures, truss and staging, has announced significant management changes. In order to meet the demands such growth places on the company, it has realigned the management structure for both its manufacturing and the hire divisions.

In a move which recognizes that the sales and marketing function has equal importance for the two divisions, Simon Taylor has been appointed sales and marketing director for both manufacturing and hire, while Peter Turner, previously production director for manufacturing, becomes operations director for both divisions. Adrian Brooks remains managing director.

Announcing the restructuring at a company meeting in the Wakefield head office last week, Simon Taylor told staff: "litestructures is bucking

L&SI tracks the staging and flying system upgrades at one of Sweden’s most established theatres . . .

Sweden - The Stadsteater is one of Gothenburg’s most historic theatres. Its origins (though not the actual building) date back to 1918 when it was founded by a group of individuals keen to promote theatre to a wider audience. At the time they were based at Lorensbergsteatern, located across the street from Göteborgs Stadsteater, but in 1934 the theatre company moved to the newly constructed building situated at Götaplatsen. The building was and remains notable for its impressive functionalistic architecture. Its position at the top of the Aveny - one of the city’s fashionable streets - makes it one of Gothenburg’s most striking landmarks.

During the early part of 2002, its staging and flying systems were significantly upgraded, allowing it to r

UK - Out Board’s CM-Series Motor Control distros for CM chain hoists have been purchased for a variety of applications in the current 2003 season’s touring and events. Star Rigging has acquired three units of the compact CM12 (12-channel) controllers to manage 28 axes of CM Lodestar hoists deployed on a massive 200ft x 40ft “flying stunt support truss.” Designed by Phil Broad and Gavin Weatherall for veteran boyband Westlife’s current arena tour, ‘Unbreakable’, the structure comes complete with I-beams along its length and breadth, used to float a substage out over the audience during the performance. A further CM12 is used on the main stage to animate five flying video screens, automated by an Ibex programmable hoist controller system. Star also purchased two CM6 six-channel controllers for rigging duties at the Albert Hall book launch of

Italy - Sir Paul McCartney broke from his Back in the World European tour to give a memorable free concert to around 500,000 people gathered outside the Colosseum in Rome during May.

ESS built the main stage, a major undertaking since the sightlines needed to be kept clear to the Colloseum, yet it had to be capable of carrying the 60 tons of flown equipment. Big screen specialists Screenco meanwhile, joined forces with Nocturne Productions - the tour’s contracted video production company - to provide an inventory of 25mm LED displays, which were staggered down the Via dei Fori Imperiale in front of the famous landmark.

The former Beatle played for almost three hours, and for the majority in the audience, their main contact with the legendary performer was via the five 18sq.m screens, the stage action being relayed to the Screenco displays via Nocturne’s production

Germany - Bon Jovi kicked off the European stadium leg of their Bounce World Tour in Eurfurt Germany on 25 May with a new stage design. The satellite dishes from the first US leg have been retired, and the stage now features a moving high-resolution video screen, along with three bands of fixed low-resolution video across the complete width of the stage. The new stadium stage design was created by Doug 'Spike' Brant. The video screen was provided by Nocturne Video, and the specialized video screen support system was designed and manufactured by Brilliant Stages and Tomcat UK.

Brilliant Stages designed the vertical tracking system to support the six sections of moving high-resolution video screen. Four towers and a header truss pick up the screen sections, which are arranged three wide by two high. The towers transfer a portion of the weight of the video screen down to the stage

Hong Kong - Stage Technologies has announced that it has been awarded the contract to refurbish the flying system at the Grand Theatre in Hong Kong Cultural Centre. A servo motor powered counterweight assist installation will be controlled using the company’s Nomad consoles.

The inauguration of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in 1989 marked a new era in the development of performing arts in Hong Kong. Still highly relevant today, the centre attracts an array of world-class performances, from concerts and operas to experimental theatre and musicals.

(Sarah Rushton-Read)

UK - Autograph Sales, UK distributor for ATM Flyware overhead structural products, has announced the launch of the SB Series Swivel Beams, an economical solution to suspending a loudspeaker from two fixed structural attachment points. The Swivel Beam can be suspended well below the structural attachment and will allow the adjustment of pan and tilt.

The SB Series is ideally suited for individual loudspeakers suspended in a left and right configuration where the building structure is not in alignment with the proper pan of the loudspeaker. The top section of the SB Series can be attached to a joist in the building, and the lower section can be rotated to align the dispersion of the loudspeaker. There are additionalattachment points on the lower section that accept pull-back straps for adjusting the down-tilt of the loudspeaker.

There are four Swivel Beams in the SB Series: SB-1

UK - LAMDA, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, has sold its base on Cromwell Road, near Earls Court, to move to the old Royal Ballet School venue just up the road on Talgarth Road, near Hammersmith.

As an ex-ballet school, the five rehearsal studios in LAMDA's new building have dancers' mirrors around the walls, which are not ideal for acting classes. However, Luke Rittner, chairman of the board at LAMDA, recognised that the mirrors were not something to simply rip out, they render the rehearsal spaces multi-functional and add to the potential opportunities for renting/selling-on of the building.

To conceal the mirrors, Rittner called in Triple E to design and install a track system to enable the curtains to be drawn or opened easily. The tracks had to be unobtrusive yet strong enough to withstand being swung on! The solution was 180m of Triple E's E66 track throug

South Africa - In May this year, The National Ports Authority of South Africa (NPA) hosted the 23rd International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) World Conference in Durban, South Africa - Gearhouse SA was engaged by Global Conferences to supply the audio-visual and other equipment necessary for this event.

This is the first time in the IAPH's 46-year history that this prestigious biennial Maritime conference was held on African soil. More than 14 countries confirmed their participation in the conference, which was held from 24 - 30 May at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Durban. The theme was: 'Ports - The Catalytic Impact: Uniting World Economies through Ports and Harbours', the conference aims to facilitate discussion and debate among the world's port community.

Belinda Loockx, branch manager of Gearhouse SA Durban branch, says she and her team were &qu

Russia - When Sir Paul McCartney gave his memorable concert in Moscow's Red Square on 24 May, ESS were right there with him, providing the staging, roof and towers. "It took seven days to rig the stage and peripherals, but only two to de-rig," said John Hetherton, ESS crew chief. "As well as our own team, we worked with a large local crew who operated cranes and fork lifts," continued Hetherton, "and we had a team of five interpreters, although many of the Russian crew spoke English."

Besides the stage and roof, ESS built two towers joined together, each with eight crow's nests, and two 25m high delay towers, 60m distance from the stage. Working in Russia was no more difficult than working in other countries, says Hetherton: "I've worked there before and there's no doubt it's getting better." The heat was the crew's biggest problem. "

Canada - Matt Stoody has joined Fourth Phase, PRG's Toronto subsidiary, as account executive. Working out of PRG's Fourth Phase Toronto location, Stoody will sell and manage all Group services - including lighting, audio, projection and scenery - to new and existing accounts throughout the Northeast United States and Eastern Canada.

Prior to joining PRG, Stoody played key sales and operations roles in projects as diverse as last year's Papal visit to Toronto (World Youth Day 2002), Disney's The Lion King and concert tours by Alabama and Styx.

Jere Harris, chairman and CEO of PRG, commented: "Matt's background and experience with a broad range of clients and markets will help PRG and its affiliates to further expand their presence in vitally important markets such as automotive shows, corporate events and trade shows."

(Ruth Rossington)

Denmark - Seelite has supplied lighting, project management and design for The Roskilde Festival's two largest stages - Orange and Arena - for many years, and will return again this year. Metallica, Björk and Iron Maiden will all perform on the Orange stage, for which Seelite will supply the lighting and truss systems, plus two large PA support wings.

The company is also supplying lighting and roofing installations to include more than 35 moving lights and 230 generic lights for The Midtfyns Festival 2003. Among this year's artists are REM, Moloko, Badly Drawn Boy and Swan Lee.

In another recent project, John Svendsen of A/S Corporate Events chose Seelite to provide production design for SimCorp's event, held at Odense Congress Centre in June. The assignment was to plan, decorate and light the hall for a conference followed by a gala dinner party, live bands and a huge theatr

UK - One of the more interesting developments to come out of this year's Glastonbury Festival was the launch of a UK trade union for road and backstage crew. The formation of the Roadcrew Provident Syndicate (already short-handed to the Roadies Provy) was announced at a special session at Glastonbury on the Left Field Stage on Friday 27 June.

The union will be a branch of the GMB, one of the UK's biggest trade unions, and will provide financial advice and support to its members, as well the usual union benefits. You can read a full report on this in the July issue of Lighting&Sound International - out next week.

(Ruth Rossington)

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