Robe enjoys glorious Glastonbury 2022
- Details
Arcadia was founded by Pip Rush (creative director) and Bert Cole (technical director) in 2007 on a quest to produce and curate, imaginative sonic experiences for audiences to enjoy DJs, musicians, and live performance art.
Their flame-throwing, laser-shooting spider is one of the most ambitious and enduringly popular of those environments, gloriously returning to Glasto for the first time since 2017.
The massive arachnid made from recycled military and industrial machinery parts once again energised and united music lovers under its magical metal belly for a superlative line up of artists and fun over the festival period.
Pip Rush enthused, “The spider has so much history that we felt it was right and very appropriate to bring it back for the 50th Glasto, and especially so after the years of isolation we have all been through.
“It was amazing to get the Glastonbury community back together, the atmosphere was electric from the moment the gates opened and we had so much support from the audience and artists alike, everyone was up for making it special and it really was!”
Lighting was designed by Dave Cohen from MIRRAD, and co-ordinated by Arcadia’s head of lighting, Katie Davies, who specified and facilitated all the lighting on the rig including all the Robe fixtures which were hired from Cambridge-based rental company, CEG.
The objective this year was to mix it up and do something different, swapping out some of the older elements to keep the light show fresh and contemporary, which resulted in the addition of 18 x Robe Pointes, 9 x Robe Spiider LED wash beams and 12 of Robe’s new iPointe 65s.
There are also around 80 custom Anolis – A Robe business – fixtures inbuilt into the Spider’s metalwork located in the legs, face, eyes, eyebrows, body, inside the DJ booth, and in the belly, all run by remotely located Anolis ArcPower drivers. This allowed 48V low voltage cables to be run throughout the Spider structure, eliminating the need for additional mains cables – for a safer system – and also reduced the physical size of the Anolis fixtures.
Dave Cohen collaborated with Pip Rush on the Spider’s overall show lighting aesthetic this year, and ran lighting fully live each night for the mega-mix of DJ sets, which, as always, included extensive sounds and genres from around the world including some impressive names like Carl Cox, Calvin Harris, Camelphat, Groove Armada, Chase & Status and numerous others who were attracting audiences of up to 50-60,000 across Glasto’s three main nights of music.
The 2022 Arcadia lighting crew comprised technicians Jake ‘Sharkie’ Cawkwell, Charlie Knight and Rupert de Renzy-Martin, Stu Barr who looked after dimmers, power / lighting tech Jack Coffin and lighting interns Sam Kenny and Nat Archer.
SWG Events have supplied the Park Stage with audio and lighting since its inception in 2007, founded in a natural amphitheatre on the ground rising up above the Spider, and famous for its ribbon tower which reveals panoramic views of the site and undulating countryside.
The Park Stage has a high-profile line up – anything from punk to funk and this year including Jessie Ware, Wet Leg, The Avalanches, Four Tet, Arlo Parks, and Dry Cleaning who delivered a string of jaw-dropping performances and brilliant collaborations.
The production lighting design is crafted to satisfy all riders and offer a great show for artists lit with the house rig, all facilitated onsite by production manager Mark Bott and Alex Merrett who designed the set.
Twelve Robe Spiiders, 12 x MegaPointes 24 x LEDBeam 150s and 12 x LEDBeam 350s all chosen for their versatility, ensured that everyone looked good onstage.
The LEDBeam150s and 350s were rigged on the side trusses and LX1 with MegaPointes on LX1 and LX2 and Spiiders on LX2 and LX3.
Tom Campbell lit Arlo Parks on the Park Stage and commented, “This was a very special show for everyone involved. We took a creative decision to focus on scenic and video elements this summer so it was a welcome sight to see the house rig full of Robe products as I know what they can bring to a show! High quality output and colour palettes that add depth and emotion.”
Lighting kit for the BBC Introducing stage was delivered by SWG Events with a production lighting design by Alex Merrett that was programmed and operated by Callam Thom and Will Owen.
Part of the rig this year were eight Robe LEDBeam 150s, 16 x LEDBeam 350s, four PATT 2013s and six Pointes, all of which made a big impact and added colour and movement to the various artists appearing on this popular stage.
Six of the LEDBeam 150s and 10 x LEDBeam 350s were deployed on six vertical trusses upstage, with two LEDBeam 150s on the floor downstage left and right for fill lighting. The remainder of the LEDBeam 350s were on a flown truss.
