UK - The Olivier and Tony award-nominated Blues In The Night has undergone its first revival in 30 years at London’s Kiln Theatre.
Running until 7 September, and originally conceived by Sheldon Epps, Robert Jones’ hotel-based set design, steeped in Chicago 1930’s depression, is brought to life by eminent lighting designer, Neil Austin, with the aid of purpose-selected LED tools from GLP, with whom he has collaborated frequently in the past.
It was Austin who had initially suggested the more theatre-friendly variant of GLP’s popular X4 Bars, proposing an RGBY batten that would deliver warmer tones, which is now available as a custom option in the GLP catalogue. Austin himself has been using quantities of these fixtures on an internationally renowned product

UK - AV distributor PSCo and LED manufacturer Absen will be marking the fifth anniversary of their distribution partnership during the official opening of Innovation House, PSCo’s new, 50,000sq.ft purpose-built premises in Bracknell.
The partnership, dating back to 2014, has given UK customers access to the latest Absen LED displays, with a dedicated local service centre and in-house technical support for both rental and fixed installations. Within five years, PSCo - part of the Midwich Group - has become the top Value Added Distributor (VAD) in Absen’s European partner network.
To celebrate the opening, PSCo is hosting Innovation House Party, a free event for rental partners that on 20 - 22 August from 10am - 4pm at Innovation House, Segro

USA - Six-piece band Fitz and the Tantrums are currently touring with Young the Giant. Lighting design is by Jeremy Lechterman and his team at FragmentNine.
Working with co-designer Jackson Gallagher from FragmentNine, and associate designer Mike Hankowksy from Hemlock Design & Technology, Lechterman uses a collection of 28 Chauvet Professional COLORado Solo Batten fixtures supplied by LMG.
The bright RGBAW linear fixtures are arranged in two layers of semi circles behind the band and in vertical stacks between video panels. From these positions, they backlight the performers, separating them from the upstage area. This seems to bring the band closer to the audience. At the same time, the straightforward geometric configuration of the bright, colourful battens draws the crowd’s attention to the stage bringing them closer to the band.
“Our client’s mus
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Indochine X PixMob Fan Immersion

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's - 40 thousand LED pixels on a ceiling!!! Indochine's whirlwind tour transports fans to another level of the live experience - immersing them from floor to ceiling with PixMob's X4 wristbands, and an LED ceiling made entirely of its NOVA Minis! With the vision of Indochine's creative team, PixMob used its LED fan-technology to turn attendees and venues into an ocean of effects, and a starry sky of LED magic. Très très cool!

Read more about the Indochine tour in the latest issue of LSi

Germany - Active Blue, a Bremen-based service provider for lighting, sound and event technology, recently acquired several components of the Vio system, dBTechnologies' most powerful PA system.
The Bremen-based company is using equipment from the Italian PA manufacturer dBTechnologies for the first time. The purchase includes 20 VIO L212, 20 S218 SUB and 20 L208 modules.
Active Blue has been in operation for 30 years and since and is active Europe-wide. The company is increasingly active with corporate events and conferences, concerts, parties or cultural events. The aim of purchasing Vio components was to expand the stock of large PA systems and to respond even more flexibly to customer wishes. All equipment has to meet the highest standards. After extensive market research, they decided to take a closer look at the Vio system at the dBTechnologies stand during Prolig

UK - Showcasing the latest and greatest music, Hertfordshire festival Standon Calling was the biggest yet, welcoming a record 15,000 people.
This year’s headliners across the three-day July festival included Nile Rodgers & CHIC, and Rag’n’Bone Man. Other acts included Friendly Fires, Echo & The Bunnymen, Róisín Murphy, IDLES, Lewis Capaldi, Mahalia, Kate Nash, The Big Moon, Steam Down, The Japanese House, Band Of Skulls, The Joy Formidable and Sea Girls.
The festival hosts a range of acts across multiple stages. Adamson’s UK distributor The Warehouse Sound Services designed an Adamson sound reinforcement system for the festival’s main stage.
The system consisted of a full complement of Adamson E15 line array loudspeakers and E119 Subwoofers with additional ground-stacked S10 line array loudspeakers on the sides, all powered by Lab Gruppen PL

Mexico - Emmanuel and Mijares, two leading figures in Latin pop, are delighting audiences across Mexico, Central America and the US by performing their popular ballads and pop songs beneath a large rig of Elation Professional fixtures, with lighting design by Hector Valencia and Axel Rebollo.
The Mexican singers’ career that spans over 35 years with millions of records sold and multiple national and international accolades to their credit. As friends, they joined together to create a show of their all-time greatest hits, Two’r Amigos, a performance that has now been touring for almost six years, breaking several attendance records along the way.
The show has been evolving since 2013 with musical arrangements and set lists changing, as well as the stage, video and lighting design. The show has been re-designed four times and this year returned to Auditorio N

UK - White Light has returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it is supplying the lighting and rigging equipment for all of the Gilded Balloon venues for the sixth year running.
WL’s customer service key account manager Dan Last comments: “We work closely with Gilded Balloon across their five buildings: Teviot (nine spaces), The Museum (auditorium space), Old Tolbooth Market (three spaces), Rose Theatre (three spaces) and the newly-acquired Patter Hoose (five spaces). Our role is to supply the lighting and rigging solutions in each of these, ensuring that they are well-equipped and able to host a range of performances throughout the Festival.”
Prior to the Fringe, Last and the WL team work closely with Gilded Balloon to decide on the equipment that will be used in each space. “We initially work with Karen and Katy Koren who each run Gilded Balloon, whi

Early Closing - Peter Pan, the opening production at the Troubadour White City Theatre in west London, will close nearly two months earlier than planned, producers have announced. Sally Cookson’s devised adaptation of the JM Barrie novel began performances at the theatre in July and will have played for just six of the scheduled 14 weeks when it closes on 1 September.
A statement from the producers said: “The production received acclaim from critics and a hugely positive reaction from audiences, however due to ticket sales, we have reluctantly taken the decision to close in September. We’d like to thank our wonderfully talented cast and creative team for all of their hard work, as well as the audiences who have enjoyed the production.”
The production is the first show to play at Troubadour White City, one of two new theatres that were launched last month

UK - MDG has partnered with Arcadia Spectacular for this year’s Glastonbury Festival by supplying two of its Me8 fog machines for Arcadia’s new creation, Pangea.
Named after the Paleozoic-era supercontinent that broke apart to form the seven continents we know today, the Pangea installation replaces Arcadia’s Spider, a prominent fixture at Glastonbury for the past decade. The installation also marks one of the first major installations for MDG’s Me8 fog generator.
“As the first year of a five-year permanent installation, we were able to 'go to town’'with Pangea on a totally different scale from a touring show,” says Arcadia’s head of communications, Cyrus Bozorgmehr. “We wanted to explore possibilities with more scope for upward expansion into three-dimensional space, and investigate how to take over the area above people’s heads to make

UK - Kent-based stage engineering company Triple E has named Lucy Edelstein as deputy director and appointed Tokyo Velludo Co as its distributor for Japan.
This expansion of Triple E’s international distributor network ties in with the longer term aim to increase worldwide representation across key territories, as well as expanding the company’s sub-contract precision engineering services, an aspect of the business which has been reinforced with the acquisition of Thorley Engineering.
“Lucy has been brought in to carry Triple E forward as myself and Brenda begin to step back from the business,” explains Tripple E’s David Edelstein. “After spending three years working in many different parts of the company Lucy has taken on the role of director, deputising for Brenda and myself when we are not in the office. We are delighted as Lucy has already made signifi

Europe - Area Four Industries has announced availability for James Thomas Engineering’s latest aluminium truss, the JTE Quatro (4CF30).
Made from EN-AW-6082 T6 aluminium alloy and designed for medium-duty structural requirements, the truss achieves extended free-spans of up to 20m (65ft) and provides heavy-duty loading characteristics. Compatibility with JTCELL 200/400/600 series cell clamps and Xtruss accessories extend its wide range of applications. The 4CF30 also offers 50mm (2’’) aluminium tubes and anti-twist end brace, whilst powder coat colour finish is available on request.
Area Four Industries’ David Gore comments: “Quick, simple and secure assembly is ensured by its popular conical connection system, and comes with the well-known durability and reliability you’ve come to rely on from James Thomas Engineering.”
(Jim Evans)

Europe - eLumen8 has released a new fixture - the the MP180 LED Fresnel RGBALC, part of the company’s MP series.
With 180W LED source and smooth colour mixing, this luminaire is designed for short to medium throw applications, including use in theatres and studios. It can produce an even field of light thanks to an adjustable 13°- 46° beam angle, while the addition of amber, lime and cyan within the COB LED source makes for “perfect colour on any scene or subject, giving this fixture the edge over Fresnels with only quad-colour LEDs” according to eLumen8.
Andrew Jeffrey, Prolight Concepts Group MD, comments: "Since the inception of this series, the units have proved to be amazingly popular for many applications and this new addition with higher power and six colours will further expand the market for this series."
As with most others in the series, the MP

Europe - Radio Active Designs UV-1G wireless analogue intercom system has passed the EU’s Low Voltage, RoHS, Radio Equipment and EMC directives, the company has announced.
The six-channel intercom system that operates primarily in VHF is now available across Europe.
“We are extremely pleased to have crossed this hurdle,” explains James Stoffo, CTO, Radio Active Designs. “We have been actively working with European distributors who are excited to bring our product to their countries. We think the European production community will embrace the UV-1G as the true problem solver it is for a crowded RF market.”
The RAD UV-1G base station utilises Enhanced Narrow Band technology, which enables the unit to occupy a mere 25kHz of bandwidth in the UHF range, thus minimizing its UHF footprint. The body packs operate in VHF, which has more open bandwidth in Europ

USA - Delicate Productions of Camarillo, California has taken delivery of a large stock of Ayrton Khamsin LED profile luminaires.
“The Khamsins are our first Ayrton fixtures,” says Joe DiCarlo, director of operations at Delicate Productions. The investment came after an enquiry by the lighting director of rock band, Tool. “Lighting director, Mark ‘Junior’ Jacobson, a long-time client of ours for concert tours, was looking for an LED source profile fixture for the anticipated Tool tour. That started us on the path of exploring these types of fixtures.
“Multiple manufacturers sent us demo units and we staged a shoot-out, with Brad Nelms at ACT Lighting supplying the Khamsin fixtures.”
Khamsin stood out from the other fixtures for a number of reasons according to DiCarlo and Angelo Viacava, lighting operations at Delicate Productions. “Khamsin prom

USA - When the Events United team first saw the venue for the Warrior Conference in Waterville Valley, NH, they knew they had to push their design to the next level. The low, sloping ceiling of the Waterville Valley Ice Arena, where the event took place this May, is anything but conducive to creating the kind of dynamic lighting displays that were needed to reflect the spirit of this popular men’s conference. Compounding the task was the arena’s strict prohibition on rigging from the roof, which made the task of getting the adequate trim height for potential lighting even more daunting.
The team met this challenge by building their lighting rig from the ground up. Helping them was a collection of Chauvet Professional fixtures and LED video panels.
“Supporting all the lighting from the floor limited how much gear we could send up and how high we could go,” say

Germany - The new Sprung.Raum trampoline and amusement park in the German city of Kiel features Martin Audio’s CDD speaker series as its featured sound system.
The 4,000 sq.m park is the largest trampoline venue in Northern Germany - but in addition to its primary function as a sports venue, it also hosts kids and youth discos and other events. It was therefore essential that the sound system could create a homogeneous background ambience while at the same time having the characteristics of a club PA for special events.
The lighting and sound system was designed and equipped by Hamburg-based PM White, who met this challenge with the installation of 21 CDD10W white loudspeakers and two CSX118 subwoofers. The trampoline area is equipped with 19 of the CCD10W, run in pairs off a single amplifier channel, while the remaining two CDD10W were installed in the instruction

UK - Singer-songwriter and musician Howard Jones is back on the road celebrating 35 years since his Human Lib hit album, complete with a striking lighting design by Yenz Nyholm from New Illumination Lighting Design.
The moving lights include 12 x Robe MegaPointes, and 26 x LEDBeam 150s which were supplied in the UK and Europe by rental company Siyan.
Jones is considered one of the defining figures of the mid-1980s UK synth-pop genre and he has generations of loyal and new fans who enjoy seeing him live.
Yenz collaborated with Howard and his producer Stephen Tayler on the production design and look of the show, and the brief was to create something off-beat and interesting. The artist also wanted it to look and feel contemporary in an electronic / robotic way. He wanted an aspect of video in the production but stipulated that this should be part of the band

Italy - Each summer since 2013, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala has transformed Piazza Duomo, the Italian city’s central square, into an open-air concert hall where the Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala give a free classical performance for residents and tourists.
An L-Acoustics K Series system was supplied by Italy’s premier rental company, Agorà, which has provided audio and lighting to this event since it first started.
Under the baton of maestro Riccardo Chailly, this year’s set list included Dvořák’s Symphony from the New World No. 9 in E minor and works from Italian composer, pianist and conductor Nino Rota, best known for his Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti film scores. With 25,000 concert goers packing the 17,000m2 piazza and the evening broadcast live on RAI 5 in HD, Front of House engineer Fabio Venturi was tasked with designing a system that wo

Germany - A large PA system comprising elements of four different Nexo line arrays has entertained audiences of 60-75,000 per night at the Klassik Open-Air Music Festival in Nuremberg. In Phase Event, one of the primary rental suppliers of Nexo systems in Germany, designed and supplied the system for the event, which is Europe’s biggest classical music open air event.
This success story started in 2000, on the occasion of the City of Nuremberg’s 950th anniversary. Three free open air concerts performed by the city’s two major orchestras were intended to be a great party in the Luitpoldhain park. The event was modelled on similar concerts in New York’s Central Park and particularly on the Proms in the Park in London’s Hyde Park. The idea was that even people who normally do not listen to classical music could get together in a relaxed atmosphere, free of charge, to

Bahrain - Event design, technical and scenic production specialist Maestra Group has opened a base in Bahrain and announced a new partnership with the Ritz-Carlton resort and its 43,000sq.ft conference and exhibition facility.
As the resort’s exclusive event partner, Maestra will oversee all technical aspects of the new Arena facility, which offers a full set-up and capacity for large banquet receptions and global conferences.
Maestra’s Tom Clements comments: “We are extremely excited about this new venture and to be involved in such a high profile and incredibly well-designed event space. For Maestra Group, this is a logical expansion of our work in Dubai, and it will also be the first step in some strategic expansion plans for Maestra Group in the Middle East.”
“As Bahrain becomes a global destination for premiere conferences and events in the region

Mexico - Adamson Systems Engineering has appointed Pro Audio Comercializadora, a division of Hermes Music, as its exclusive distributor for the Mexican market.
“Pro Audio Comercializadora has been in the professional market for several decades, and in that time, we’ve watched Adamson become a market leader in terms of innovation, product performance, and brand profile,” comments Raul Carlos Uriegas, director of Pro Audio Comercializadora. “The development of their various patented and proprietary technologies over the years makes it clear Adamson is proud and passionate about the audio industry, and that’s exactly the kind of company we want to partner with.”
Based in Mexico City, Pro Audio Comercializadora will work in close collaboration with Adamson’s Canadian headquarters to develop educational programming, provide client support, and propel further g

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