Robe Esprites light Arlo Parks UK dates
- Details
Tom started working with the artist mid-2021. The first gig was at Manchester Central for two sold out - socially distanced and masked - nights during Manchester International Festival, for which Tom created an adaptable design that could then be re-scaled in either direction for a string of shows that followed as Parks’ dreamy, relatable, and inspirational lyrics and soulish music and style shot to prominence.
At the heart of creating elegant, structured lighting to accentuate the power and intricacy of her art were Robe Esprite moving lights.
A showcase gig at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire completed a busy year for which Tom utilised 22 x Robe Esprites at the core of the lighting rig.
Eighteen of these were rigged off to the sides - in the boom positions - on four-metre-high modular H-frames deployed as far offstage and out of sight as possible given the limited wing space. The aim was to conceal all the lightsources, which were used for beam effects and for washing the 6-piece band among other tasks.
The other four Esprites were on the rear truss for back lighting onto the band and artist.
“The idea was to keep focus on the artist and her music, so it needed to be beautiful yet sparse, minimal in some ways, but to say so much in others by enhancing the relevance and honesty of each song narrative,” says Tom.
Tom operated all lighting, including LED bars and pendant lights on mic stands using a new Avolites Diamond 9 console, with Jaz Hewitt looking after operating on some shows. A custom cyc was made for the tour complete with an aluminium framed gauze circle in the middle that brought extra depth and dimension to the look.
The lighting vendor was Fareham, Hampshire-based Liteup. Tom comments, “Liteup’s project managers Dan Bunn and Marc Callaghan (also the company founder & CEO) did a fantastic job. Having A, B and C rigs required a lot of coordination and diligence, and they delivered every time - with a smile and that characteristic Liteup friendliness.”
Several lighting technicians worked with Tom over the course of all the shows, including David Peters, James Gardner, Luke Hornbuckle and Nick Moxley. All of them were “spectacular,” he enthused.
