Tag Archive: Concert Lighting

1. White Light sees in the New Year with Craig David at Central Hall Westminster

   6 January 2020 13:39 Leave a Comment

   

   For the past seven years, an impressive selection of high-profile bands and artists has taken to the Great Hall stage at Central Hall Westminster for BBC One’s Live New Year’s Eve Concert. This year, multi-award winning singer Craig David entertained the nation as we counted down to and entered the New Year. As the in-house technical production partner at Central Hall, White Light (WL) provided all lighting and rigging for this very special live show, produced by BBC Studios for BBC One.

   Performing with his legendary band, the ‘Craig David Rocks Big Ben Live’ celebrations kicked-off with a string of Craig’s biggest hits, before the clock struck midnight. Then following the Mayor of London’s stunning New Year’s Eve Fireworks, BBC One coverage returned to Central Hall for one of Craig’s world-renowned TS5 DJ sets to close the party.

   

   WL’s Venue Technical Manager at Central Hall, James Thurlow comments: “With the different sets taking place before and after the fireworks, we worked closely with Lighting Designer Steve Abbis to achieve a slightly different look and feel, to mark the significance of entering a new year and decade. Our sophisticated lighting rig for the show was specifically designed to complement the architectural features of the Great Hall.”

   The lighting specification included 45 Ayrton MAGICBLADE-FX fixtures, vertically rigged behind the performance area to enhance the aesthetic for the camera shots. Ayrton GHIBLI Luminaires were also utilised for aerial gobo effects.

   Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Westminster added: “We were delighted to welcome Craig David and his band to our wonderful venue for this momentous occasion and they certainly gave us a night to remember. As always, we knew that we could rely on our in-house partner and their expertise to transform the venue. The lighting elements really helped to bring the show to life, not just for the guests in the building but also for the thousands of viewers watching at home.”

   

2. White Light Joins Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras at V&A Museum

   18 January 2018 09:42 Comments Off on White Light Joins Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras at V&A Museum

   The three Monteverdi ensembles – The Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique – are a leading force on the international music scene. World-class musicians from across the globe come together to share the distinct vision of Founder and Artistic Director Sir John Eliot Gardiner in ground-breaking projects. Last year, the Choir and Orchestras embarked on an international tour across Europe and the US. This culminated in a final concert at the V & A Museum’s Raphael Gallery and White Light provided the technical support.

   The final concert was overseen by the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras production personnel, who comments: “This concluding concert was the only London date for the Monteverdi 450 Tour so we wanted to make it an unforgettable occasion. It was also a celebration of 50 years since Sir John Eliot Gardiner first conducted at the V&A with his newly formed Monteverdi Choir to mark the Venetian master’s 400^th anniversary in 1967”.

   As an approved supplier to the V&A Museum, WL was approved to provide the production support. WL’s Project Manager Phil Gladman comments: “Our role on the evening was to provide the lighting, PA system, rigging and staging for the concert. We also worked closely with the lighting designer Rick Fisher to ensure we brought his creative vision to life”.

   The evening offered a fully immersive event in which guests entered the Museum and walked around the various spaces enjoying seemingly impromptu performances from the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra performers. WL was responsible for lighting each one. Phil explains: “These promenade performances around the museum were almost like pop-up shows. Along with uplighters, we also drew on guerrilla lighting to ensure each performer had complete coverage in their various positions”.

   The promenade ‘pop-up’ performances were part of the build up to the final performance of the evening within the Raphael Gallery, which was a complete sell out. WL had to provide the complete staging for the Choir and Orchestras. Phil states: “In the Raphael, we supplied a 9 x 8m deep stage on which the performances could take place. The stage needed to be vast in order to fit all of the musicians on and literally took up half of the room. We had to arrive at 8am the previous morning simply to store it all. On the show day itself, we arrived at 6am and it took three hours to construct”.

   

   Across the evening, WL drew on CORE Lighting ColourPoints for uplighting along with Chroma-Q Color Force 72 Battens. The company also supplied ETC Source 4 Profiles and Elation SixPARS; all of which were controlled via an ETC Ion 1K Console. WL also supplied the audio reinforcement, which included EMS121 Loudspeakers and an A&H QU-24 sound-desk.

   The sell-out event was a huge success and had more than 400 people in attendance in the Raphael Gallery, with even more following the pop-up events around the museum.

   Phil adds: “It was fantastic to work in a venue such as the V&A and turn it into an immersive environment. From the bespoke lighting to the custom-made staging, this project showcased the wide range of production support we’re able to offer our clients”.

   The team at Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras stated: “We were delighted with the service we received from WL and for all their help in making the final Monteverdi concert an unforgettable evening”.

   Photos courtesy of Grace Ko and T Max Productions.

    

3. White Light Goes for Goldie on New UK Tour

   28 November 2017 10:22 Comments Off on White Light Goes for Goldie on New UK Tour

   Widely considered as one of the most influential British electronic musicians of all time, Goldie has been creating music for over two decades, with his 1995 album Timeless considered to be an all-time classic. For the first time ever with a live ensemble, the musician recently travelled across the UK with The Journey Man Tour in which he performed tracks from his iconic repertoire along with material from his recently released album of the same name. Having previously supplied Goldie’s Timeless anniversary concert at the Royal Albert Hall, White Light was called upon once again to supply the lighting equipment on this latest tour.

   The lighting designer for The Journey Man tour was Richard Godin. He comments: “The show featured Goldie performing with members of the Heritage Ensemble along with a range of special guests. With Goldie’s music being so expansive, this is essentially a concert, jazz performance and rave rolled into one (!) so my task was to take the audience on an emotional journey through the different genres. As the songs built, this needed to be reflected in the lighting design, with a bombardment of beats and lights combined”.

   To inspire his design, Richard spent a lot of time listening to the show’s set list. He explains: “The music is hugely influential for this design. I would listen to the tracks over and over again in order to pick up on the complex beats and rhythms. Goldie himself talks about sound in terms of colour, light and darkness which I tried to incorporate. For instance, a deep blue felt right for the bass, saturated colours matched the cymbals whereas soprano voices almost felt like light coming from the darkness.

   

   Richard adds: “A lot of the design is about focusing light into the audience but avoiding direct light into their eyes. As a result, I used a lot of the venue’s architecture to send beams into the crowd which will allow them to feel surrounded by light and fully immersed into the music but not blinded”.

   Richard then approached WL and spent a week at the company’s state-of-the-art Studio15 in order to pre-rig his design. He comments: “The rig is based around five booms and a goal post which creates an arc around the band. This then throws light around the performers and into the crowd. Clay Paky Sharpys provided the laser-like light of the rave. The GLP Impression X4s provided texture and colour for the band, which the amazing light quality and zoom of the VL3000s creating a poetic link between the two. I drew on the Arri 2K and Selecon Acclaim Fresnels to crosslight the band and soloists, removing the need for followspots. The SGM X5 strobes deliver the staccato punch when we need to get the crowd moving”.

   

   The practicalities of travelling from venue to venue on tour meant that preparation was key. Richard explains: “The first get in required the rig to go from the truck to be ready and set up inside the venue within an hour. As a result, I needed to build it entirely at the WL warehouse. I also had to time myself and ensure that everything could be fitted up in time”.

   The tour opened at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and visited the Roundhouse in London, Brighton Dome, Wolverhampton’s Civic Hall and Bristol’s Colston Hall.

   Richard comments: “This was a fantastic tour to work on and we received a great response from audiences up and down the country. Roger Deane and the team at WL were once again really supportive and offered a great level of service and equipment”.

   The Journey Man Tour marks another example of WL’s work in concert touring, with the company also supplying the latest tour for the Fleet Foxes, who performed at Brixton Academy last night.

   Photos courtesy of Richard Godin.

4. Rag'n'Bone Man Goes on Tour with White Light

   11 January 2017 09:33 Comments Off on Rag'n'Bone Man Goes on Tour with White Light

   Following a year which featured a number one single and winning the Brits Critics’ Choice Award, Rag’n’Bone Man has now established himself as one of the most exciting artists in the UK. As his popularity continues to soar, the soul singer has just finished a nationwide tour in which he visited venues across the country. With a strong reputation in concert touring, White Light provided the lighting equipment.

   The lighting designer for the tour was Louisa Smurthwaite. She comments: “My role is to look after the visual aesthetics of the show. I have worked with Rag’n’Bone Man from his initial festival and one off performances. This tour has developed from these and it’s been great to finally create a full length touring show that as many fans as possible can see”.

   Louisa worked closely with Rag’n’Bone Man, real name Rory Graham, to create a set-up that was suited for the tour. Louisa comments: “I wanted my design to work with the set and be personal to Rory. Therefore we designed some skull light boxes, created by Howard Eaton, which were based on the Mexican Dias De Muertos masks that Rory has tattooed on his hands. We also drew on a red velour drape. We wanted a modern take on a classical feel and the juxtaposition of the red drape and the skull lights helped to achieve this”.

   To light the show, Louisa drew on WL’s unparalleled range of lighting equipment. This included Martin MAC Aura XBs, ETC Source Fours, an LSC e24 Dimmer along with a Unique 2.1 Haze Machine.

   Throughout the tour, the show has visited a range of venues all of which vary in size. Louisa adds: “Space has been somewhat of an issue with this tour! The skull light boxes are almost a metre high which meant having to pick and choose what we could actually present on stage at some of the smaller venues. As a result the rig had to constantly change to fit the venue’s requirements. Thankfully the equipment I used from WL was able to adapt to any change in circumstance”.

   The Rag’n’Bone Man tour will be back on the road in March when it embarks on a European leg, visiting venues in France, Luxembourg, Italy and Austria.

   Louisa states: “So far the tour has been a huge success. WL was great as always – I was actually flying in from another tour when this one started and they delivered a great tourable system before overlaying a larger rig for our bigger shows. I really appreciate everything they’ve done”.

   Photos courtesy of Louisa Smurthwaite.