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USA - American rockers Fall Out Boy released their first new album in five years in March, So Much (For) Stardust, and then kicked off their So Much For (Tour) Dust tour in style on 21 June, playing a 27-song set at a packed Wrigley Field. Lighting design is by Connor Sullivan of So Midwest, who is using Elation’s new Fuze Wash 500 on his tour design, along with Prisma Wash 100 lights from Magmatic effects. Lighting supply is by Upstaging.
The new album has been described as 'cinematic' and the tour’s creative directors Amber Rimell & Bronski of Tawbox, along with Connor, talked about doing something for the tour that was more storytelling and theatrical. The entire point, says Connor, just like the new album, “was to show separation and difference whil

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UK - HIVE has forged a strategic partnership with live experience and entertainment campus, Production Park. This partnership is based on the shared future visions of HIVE and Production Park - innovative technology with a reduced carbon footprint that is disruptive to the marketplace. Additionally, through this partnership, HIVE now has access to capital to support its growth and product roadmap.
HIVE and Production Park’s partnership will continue to strengthen through the sponsorship of HIVE products within Production Park studios & classrooms, whilst Kane Sargent, an ex-student of Backstage Academy at Production Park, has joined the HIVE team as a full-time support engineer.
“Production Park is where the industry comes together, and we’re thrilled that our technology has a place there,” remarks Mark Calvert, co-founder at HIVE. “It’s also important

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Italy - K-array has announced the extension of its control plug-in offerings. The latest additions to K-array's control plug-in portfolio include integrations for Q-Sys, Crestron, Crestron Home, AMX, RTI and Control4. By forging these key partnerships, K-array ensures its products integrate seamlessly with some of the industry's most widely used control platforms, across both commercial and residential markets, says the company.
“These partnerships are beneficial as they allow our customers to choose their own control processor, enabling them to easily include and integrate our products with the platforms they are already familiar with," says Matteo Barbaro, software product manager at K-array. “By providing them with all the necessary tools to interact with and manage our devices, integrators are able to work more efficiently, which in turn, benefits the end user.”
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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

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World - Wharfedale Pro has recently hosted a range of training and education courses aimed at its global network of distributors. With partnerships in 88 countries worldwide, Wharfedale Pro believes in the importance of offering these trainings to ensure brand consistency and promote better deployment of its system solutions.
Over the past six months, along with many remote online sessions Wharfedale Pro has hosted in-person distributor training events in Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE, the Netherlands and Japan.
“It is important that we share our experience as a manufacturer and create an open and trusting relationship with customers,” explains Alex Lane, applications & solutions manager at Wharfedale Pro. “Training seminars are a fantastic platform to build relationships and learn from each other, as well as a tool for inspiring creative ideas.”

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Philippines - Renkus-Heinz today has announced its partnership with AV distributor Qorsys AV Technologies to bring the Sound Solution to the Philippines.
Established in 2019 and based in Manila, Qorsys is a respected AV distributor that works to bring well-known AV brands to its customers throughout the Philippines.
“The Qorsys - Renkus-Heinz partnership is a natural fit, given our goal of becoming a well-rounded AV-centric distributor,” said Qorsys general manager, Ramon Borja. “Renkus-Heinz complements the other brands that we offer and allows us to enter into the high-performance and acoustically-sensitive environment markets.
“We view Renkus-Heinz as the leader in beam-steering technology, which no other brand can equal in terms of performance and reliability.
“Qorsys is purely a distribution organisation. This allows us to work with various

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UK - At this year’s KartFest, the Village Fete saw Backup launch Are You OK?, a campaign aimed at raising further awareness of mental health throughout the technical entertainment industry.
Founded in the early 2000’s to provide financial support to technical professionals across sectors such as concert, live events, theatre, TV and film, Backup expanded its remit during the pandemic and has adapted its services to support colleagues not just potential facing financial hardship from physical illness, but their mental health and wellbeing.
The annual KartFest has been the most prominent and successful of Backup’s fundraising activities, bringing together karting fans and spectators alike to enjoy a fun-filled day, with this year’s Village Fete theme adding much to the enjoyment whilst raising money and much-needed awareness of their cause. Around 70% of the tech

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Anti-War Revival - A revival of Oh What a Lovely War will mark the 60th anniversary of Joan Littlewood’s anti-war musical as it tours nationally from September. Produced by Blackeyed Theatre, the run will include three weeks at Southwark Playhouse Borough. It stars Christopher Arkeston, Rose Bruford graduate Tom Crabtree, Harry Curley, and Alice E Mayer.
The production is directed by Nicky Allpress with musical direction by Ellie Verkerk and movement direction by Adam Haigh. Allpress said: “I’m so thrilled to be directing this unique piece of theatrical history, having followed Blackeyed Theatre and their extraordinary work for many years.
“One of the most exciting things about Oh What a Lovely War is how universal, timeless, and ever relevant it is, and testament to the brilliance of the work is how it can bear endless reinterpretation. Our con

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USA - Chauvet has introduced Maverick Force 2 BeamWash and Force 3 Profile. The latest additions to the popular Force series, the two fixtures have the power ‘to transform any stage individually’. Their impact becomes even greater when they are used in tandem, says the company.
The Maverick Force 3 Profile’s precision optics and variable CMY + CTO colour mixing system produce very realistic palettes.
Colour calibration and gobo selection in the Maverick Force 3 Profile match those of other Maverick Force fixtures in the rig. This, along with the advanced four-blade, rotating shutter frame system, delivers the static, rotating, and animation effects that have made the Force series so successful.
Featuring a 915W LED engine, the Maverick Force 3 Profile delivers an intense 40,906 lumens of output. The new profile unit is ultra-fast for its powerhouse output,

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UK - Tateside, provider of technology solutions, has announced the launch of its Managed Services solution, which will offer ‘AV as a service’ (AVaaS) to businesses across various sectors. With a focus on optimising the client experience whilst meeting evolving market demands, Managed Services will provide both new and existing clients with comprehensive technology packages that cover the entire system lifecycle, from design and deployment through to long-term maintenance.
AV and IT as a service have gained significant traction in recent years. These services allow clients to purchase hardware, software, and support on a contract-based service, often minimising or eliminating upfront costs. Tateside’s Managed Services include full system design, installation, and maintenance by the London-based support team throughout the duration of an agreed contract term, which can

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Italy - Meet Music Festival is an annual musical artists competition created by DJ producer, Luca Guerrieri who is also founder of Claps Records and DVS Records. Luca created Meet Music Festival with the goal of giving the opportunity for young talents, DJs, and some not yet established artists to perform in a real professional experience.
This year’s two-day event was held in Follonica at Casello Hydraulico and had six sponsors including Red Bull, Sounder, and premium loudspeaker brand, 1 Sound.
At this year’s Meet Music Festival, there were four contests in collaboration with Red Bull, Grey Cat Jazz Festival, Claps Records & Tartara and Higher Sound & Follsonica that highlighted four different genres of music, from deep house to Hip Hop and Trap. The jury was made up of professionals such as Renato Tanchis (A&R Sony Music) and Pierangelo Mauri (histor

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USA - Martin Audio US has announced a two-day training workshop, specifically designed to familiarise customers and partners with the art of line array optimisation. This is achieved using its proprietary DISPLAY system design and prediction software, and associated Vu-Net control and monitoring software first introduced to provide advanced and unique control of its MLA multi-cellular PA.
The event will take place at the HQ of event technology specialists, Alford Media, 296 Freeport Pkwy, Coppell, TX 75019 on 3-4 August.
Supporting both MLA, the latest Wavefront Precision optimised line array systems and Torus constant curvature arrays, the course is aimed at everyone involved in design or deploying these systems. Attendees are promised in-depth training in system design, optimisation software, rigging and control - as well as refreshments throughout.
According t

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USA - Kentucky is bourbon country, and no one takes that more to heart than the people behind Maker’s Mark. Their distillery on Star Hill Farm features an AV system driven by Connect Series amplifiers from LEA Professional.
The Maker’s Mark staff wanted to ensure their facilities reflect the world-class quality of the bourbon they produce. When retrofitting an employee break room next to the bottling lines, they contacted Alex Peake, project manager for JCA Media, to help equip the room’s AV system. “Their goal was to have background music playing all the time, except during meetings and presentations,” said Peake. “They wanted to be able to walk in, plug in their laptop, hit the presentation preset on the touchscreen, and go. Then hit a different pre-set at the end of the meeting to reset the room. And that’s exactly what we did.”
The background music

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Europe - It’s been a busy year so far for lighting designer Tim Routledge, including crafting the production lighting design for Helene Fischer’s new LIVE 2023 arena tour collaboration with Cirque du Soleil, which is playing to sold out audiences across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland until the autumn, presenting an energetic collage of a 360° production, seat-edge acrobatics, and musical performance.
Cirque’s creative team led by Marie-Helen Delage approached Tim to work alongside show director Genevieve Dorion-Coupal and set designer Bruce Rodgers on this ambitious production.
The lighting rig utilises 56 x Robe iFortes, nine running on RoboSpot systems plus 116 x Robe Spiider LED wash beam moving lights, together with many other luminaires, all supplied by Solotech out of the UK.
Lighting director on the road for this fusion of circus, theatre

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France - The Festival d'Avignon, an established international event for contemporary performing arts, has chosen Holophonix and Amadeus to re-equip the main presentation area at the festival, the Courtyard of Honour at the Palace of the Popes.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and a venue for the Festival d'Avignon since 1947, the Courtyard of Honour had a major stage upgrade including technical infrastructure, a new 2000-seat bleacher area, a new stage, and new audio, video, and lighting equipment installed in 2021 - only the sixth renovation project since the Festival was founded decades ago.
“Under the growing influence of cinema, the work of actors on theatre stages has evolved considerably over the past 50 or 60 years. But if the actors are now almost always equipped with microphones, are we - as spectators - obliged to suffer the sound of voices whose depth, and sp

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South Africa - Sennheiser South Africa recently concluded a series of successful technology workshops across South Africa and Namibia. The workshops took place in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Windhoek and aimed to educate customers and end-users about the transition from analogue to digital systems whilst highlighting the latest product developments from Sennheiser's digital wireless range.
The workshops catered to a broad audience, including rental and staging companies, sound engineers, theatre designers, production companies and AV professionals from the house of worship, higher education, corporate and hospitality sectors.
The events, led by industry expert and Sennheiser GmbH technical application engineer, Jonas Næsby, provided hands-on experience with Sennheiser products and a chance to connect with other industry professionals from across the region. Further, a

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UK - Midwich has published its pre-close trading statement for the six months ended 30 June 2023, which includes the announcement of the acquisition of HHB Communications Holdings (HHB), a long-established supplier of specialist professional audio equipment, content creation products, and music technology.
Representing manufacturers such as RØDE, Genelec, and AVID from its three London locations, HHB joining the Group further develops Midwich’s offering in the strategically important broadcast, media, and entertainment markets.
Founded in 1976 and with 55 employees, HHB has built a name for itself in the broadcasting, media and entertainment market and has supported many notable postproduction facilities, film, gaming, recording studios, and broadcasters with its products used by the likes of Warner Brothers, BBC, Sky and Pinewood Studios.
Mark Lowe, managing

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Turkey - Prolights Air 5Fans impressed the audience of the Hep Yeni Kal music festival with the performance of Mabel Matiz, a songwriter and pop musician who has quickly established herself as a major player in the Turkish and international music scene.
The festival took place at of Küçükçiftlik Park in Istanbul where Imagine Dragons, Elton John, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple and Lana Del Rey have played.
Prolights Turkish distributor, Modern Elektronik, supplied Prolights devices to rental company SOLID Technical, the system integrator at Küçükçiftlik Park. In collaboration with the event planning agency Epifoni Events and the lighting designer Sinan Akbaş, a customised lighting system was designed and installed for the event.
For the stage lighting during the Mabel Matiz concert, a total of 48 Prolights Air 5Fan were used: half of the projectors were positi

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USA - Chart-topping country singer Morgan Wallen has set off on a tour of arenas, stadiums, and amphitheatres across North America. At the heart of the design for the shows are an army of VL3600 Profile IP fixtures from Vari-Lite, which are rigged centre stage and creating an array of high intensity effects and rich colours.
Raw Cereal served as the Creative Production House for the tour, with founders Anders Rahm and Cort Lawrence as creative director and show director respectively. Keen to find a feature-laden fixture that would be “capable of transforming the stage into a canvas of endless possibilities”, they sourced 130 VL3600 fixtures from PGP to play a crucial role in the look and feel of the show.
“The VL3600 emerged as our literal beacon of light, surpassing our expectations with its remarkable versatility,” says Lawrence. “As we curated a production

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USA - A Green Hippo Hippotizer Tierra+ MK2 media server drove centre stage visuals at the VEX Robotics World Championship 2023, which brought young innovators from around the world to compete using their school-engineered robots.
Held at the 10,000-capacity Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Centre in downtown Dallas, the championships took place over 10 days and featured an opening and closing ceremony, competition battles, and an awards presentation. This year’s visual setup was made up of a 3:1 aspect ratio (63’ wide x 20’ high) main stage wall, which included a 12’ x 9’ guillotine door in the centre for presenters to enter and exit throughout the show.
To accommodate all audience members in the in-the-round arena, a huge LED screen ‘chandelier’ was hung in the centre of the venue above the stage, creating a viewing opportunity to any seat in the house. T

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South Africa - Murangi Productions started as a family-based technical production and rental company way back in the year 2000. The company is now based in Edenvale, Johannesburg, South Africa and run by Hendrick Nemalili and his wife Rose.
Murangi Productions supplies full-production and crew to corporates, awards ceremonies, live shows, music festivals and a lot of church-based events including gospel shows and has recently expanded its inventory of Robe moving lights, with the purchase of 12 x LEDBeam 150s and 12 x 350s with 12 x Paintes on order.
Like many businesses in South Africa, Murangi Productions scaled back during the pandemic but was robust enough to survive, and they are now steadily gaining momentum again, with the assistance of their 12 full-time staff.
At the end of 2022 Hendrick and Rose were confident enough about the industry bounce back to

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China - Wuxi Studios, nicknamed Chinawood Studios, is owned and operated by the China Research Institute of Film Science & Technology (CRIFST). Established in 2013, the place holds a distinguished position as a nationally acclaimed digital film industrial park, seamlessly integrating commercial film technology with a vibrant leisure destination that brings the enchantment of a ‘movie city’ to the fore.
A recent milestone for Wuxi Studios is the grand launch of a virtual production lab studio, heralding a new virtual production facility in China. This addition showcases China's largest LED volume, powered by Brompton Technology LED processing.
Zhang Wei, director of CRIFST, explains that this integrated high-tech project combines LED virtual filming technology, 5G network transmission systems, and artificial intelligence. "The establishment of this volume outli
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