On 22-23 July, they returned to the Royal Festival Hall to once again perform the album for its twentieth anniversary. Lighting designer Richard Godin was tasked with devising an impressive spectacle that would help celebrate such an album. Following his long working relationship with White Light, which included the Glastonbury Festival earlier this year, he once again approached the complete production solution specialist to help create an unforgettable occasion.
"The music is full of sweeping symphonic strings and orchestrations along with heart-pounding drum and bass and breakbeats," says Richard. "The key for me was to integrate seeing the orchestra with the sensation of experiencing the music in a club or a rave".
He continues, "Many of the tracks go on quite a vivid musical journey so I needed to carefully structure the cues to allow a build-up which would capture and entice the euphoria of the audience". In order to achieve his desired effects, Richard cued the entire show as he would a theatrical performance.
"I used a rig which was supplemented with a bar of nine Clay Paky Sharpys. These were carefully positioned so that they could be shot over and under the audience, allowing for an immersive experience". Richard used the Martin MAC Aura and Clay Paky Alpha Spot around the actual orchestra which were then utilised throughout the show, creating the dynamic look he originally envisaged. He also worked with the ETC Eos console supplied by White Light.
Richard spent two days working in White Light's pre-visualisation suite in order to make the necessary preparations for the concert. He states: "Working on such a large show, there is a great deal to programme hence the pre-visualisation suite was ideal to pre-plot many of the numbers."
Rachel Gale, White Light's Moving Light Hire Manager, comments: "This was a great event for us to work on. Not only did it celebrate a piece of British music history, but did so in a special fashion. We were able to offer very specific pieces of equipment to help fulfil Richard's brief as well as provide him with the facilities to make his vision a reality."
(Jim Evans)
