Church enlisted the expertise of TMC - with whom he first worked during his days at First Leisure - and Paul Smith, a director of the Bradford-based technology specialists, was called in. As a result the former Julie's in Newcastle has now been converted to Blue, and The Square Bar in Swansea to Idols, alongside the technological upgrade of Idols in Newcastle.
TMC have evolved a winning formula when it comes to brand selection, and for their automated lighting they return time after time to Futurelight fixtures (distributed in the UK by DiFuzion, a subsidiary of Fuzion plc).
DiFuzion's Graham Barron has a long relationship with the installers, and aside from the product's inherent reliability, Paul Smith knows he is also guaranteed exemplary back-up from Barron's team. "This business is all about relationships and Fuzion provide service par excellence. As a performer, the product range does exactly what we ask of it, the optics are excellent and we will continue to use it."
While the existing sound system in Swansea has been refurbished, all the lighting is new, and illuminates a conventional dancefloor, horseshoe bar, a small R&B room and front-of-house area, situated across two floors As the building is listed, TMC have had to be sensitive with their fixings (generally suspending fixtures from the balcony), and equally with the Futurelight colour-changers, to ensure they are programmed to complement the interior colour scheme.
TMC delved extensively into the Futurelight catalogue (even equipping the R&B Room with six TS255 DMX scanners from the Eurolite range). A number of fixtures wash the horseshoe bar, including two PHS-250 moving heads and four PSX-250 scanners. On the first floor area pair of PCC-1200 colour changing wash lights and two PHS-250 moving heads, while the two large Futurelight Centrepiece 1200's (each with six moving mirrors) cover each of the two small dancefloors on the ground floor.
Meanwhile, over the Front Room - visitors' first contact with the building - TMC have installed a lighting bar from which are suspended further PCC-1200's and two CY-250 moving barrel effects, while a 10ft projection screen shows sport, satellite TV and corporate branding from a DVD. All the lighting is controlled from a Pulsar Masterpiece 216.
At Blue in Newcastle TMC have refurbished some of the existing lighting, adding a colour-changing fibre optic wall as a centrepiece behind the bar, connected to a bulkhead.
Futurelight PHS-220 moving heads and PSX-250 scanners are used extensively over the dancefloor, along with CY200 barrels - along with another bespoke TMC creation, a DMX-controlled LED panel, with a foil wheel, which rotates to produce flame light effect. In the VIP room they have used multiples of another popular Futurelight effect, the EYE18 LED moving head.
Paul Smith says that JI Entertainments are delighted with these new infrastructures as they turn their attention to the next venue conversion - Idols in Sunderland.
(Chris Henry)
