South Africa - Stage Audio Works recently completed a successful installation of a new house lighting system at Unite 180 Church's new 2,500-seat capacity space in Pretoria. The project, which commenced in April 2023, aimed to provide the space with a controllable RGBW house lighting solution that would enhance the ambiance and overall experience of the congregation.
The decision to specify Stage Audio Works' Stage Plus house lighting solution was driven by the client’s desire to achieve superior control, zoning capabilities, and a wide range of colour options to create dynamic lighting effects within their budget.
"We are thrilled to have partnered with Unite 180 Church to deliver a cutting-edge house lighting system for their new venue," says Lee Thomson, sales manag

UK - Facing their third year of providing technical services for Access The Festival (ATF), the three-day EDM dance party in Warwick’s Sherbourne Park, events specialist Sound Access turned for the first time to Martin Audio’s Wavefront Precision (WPS) for the sound reinforcement.
The festival, organised by DJs Will Darley and Alex Neidhardt, continues to evolve its concept (this year adding a third day). But mindful that with three stages in close proximity, and a lot of low-frequency energy to contain, Sound Access owner Joe Baker’s rationale was simple. “The organisers wanted to upgrade the audio this year because we all felt that the listening experience was the most important.”
In order to mitigate sound spillage, tight control was required. “Last year, noise rejection out the back was quite bad with the system we used,” acknowledged Baker. But there

Kazakhstan - The Kazakh State Academic Musical Drama Theatre has upgraded its performance credentials with a new venue and an extensive new lighting rig, including 32 fixtures from Italian manufacturer, Prolights. The extensive new lighting system was installed as part of a major sound and lighting upgrade, provided by leading entertainment technology consultant, and Prolights' partner for Kazakhstan, Samat Show Technic.
Named after one of the country's best-known actors, Kalibek Kuanyshbayev (1893-1968), the K.Kuanyshbayev Theatre first opened its doors in 1991 and has been an award-winning focal point for Kazakhstan's art and culture ever since. While the original building remains a pearl of Astana's artistic heritage as the headquarters of the Youth Theatre, in 2020 the go-ahead was given for a new, secondary auditorium to be built, to serve as the Kazakh State Academic M
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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

China - Hosted by the Entertainment Times and co-organised by the Longjoin Group - who are also the creators of the event - the Rave Jam Music Carnival is a massive outdoor music festival that combines a spread of electro, rap and pop music to appeal to a wide audience.
The first edition took place in Linjiang’s Cherry Blossom Park over the May Day holiday weekend and welcomed nearly 24,000 festival-goers over the course of the two days. To cover such a vast area, the Longjoin Group provided a front-to-back KV2 Audio system based on the flagship VHD5 Constant Power Point Source system supplemented by smaller VHD systems for side-fill and front-fill, plus a full complement of ESSeries DJ monitors and ESM stage monitors.
The festival boasted a line-up of Chinese and Asian artists including Aryue Zheng Yue, one of the world’s top 100 DJs in 2022, DJ KAKA-the first Ch

Romania - The Bucharest Opera recently staged The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running musical, with a wide array of Claypaky fixtures illuminating the action.
The production at the Bucharest National Opera House ran from 31 March to 14 May, with the first performances selling out hours after tickets went on sale. The show’s staff worked with teams from Broadway and London’s West End to ensure a high artistic level was achieved.
Lighting designer Bogumił Palewicz selected the Claypaky fixtures, which were supplied by Bucharest’s Marbo Trade, Claypaky’s distributor in Romania. The package consisted of 33 Scenius Profiles, 20 HY B-EYE K15 and three HY B-EYE K25 moving head washes, four Arolla Profile HPs and four Sharpy X Frame compact hybrid fixtures.
“Claypaky represents good quality and innovative solutions,” says Palewicz. “T

UK - Several years in the making, Harmony of The Worlds, composed by Satya Hinduja, began as a visionary notion of spatialising and immersing sound all around an audience. What started with an orchestra of eight and just four singers, quickly tripled and grew again, artistically combining the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, a choir, and hundreds of pre-recorded sounds to totally immerse its audience in 360 degrees of musical wellness.
The DiGiCo Quantum 7 was the only digital mixing console on the market with the flexibility and technical capabilities to handle such a project, and controlled by sound engineer, Mark Rogers, it delivered.
Harmony of The Worlds, conducted by David Murphy, was a free concert held at St Mary’s Church, Luton, created and composed by Satya Hinduja to explore the connection between music and human wellness. The arrangement of H

UK - They might not have been as common as flags at Glastonbury, but Chauvet Professional fixtures were widely deployed at Worthy Farm. The company’s products were used to add extra colour and excitement to 17 of the festival’s stages.
Included in the group were main attractions like the Pyramid, Greenpeace, Flying Bus and new Levels stages, as well as more specialised attractions like the Avalon Stage, nightclub-like Salon Carousel, The Hive Stage, Outside Circus Stage, and the San Remo Stage.
At the Pyramid Stage, John Luke Roles used 30 of the Color Strike M motorised strobe/blinders, supplied by Solotech, UK Group, in his floor package for Lizzo’s performance. A collection of 14 Color Strike Ms lined the base of the central stage riser, which had a sliding backdrop that the Detroit singer exited the stage through, while 16 other units lined stage left and r

UK - Robe moving lights were in action across multiple stages at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, including in three key ‘creative’ areas of the massive site at Worthy Farm.
These were the spectacular fire-breathing Arcadia Spider 360-degree arena, the eclectic Park Stage, one of the most popular Glasto zones, and the BBC Introducing stage.
Theresa Gibson, head of marketing at Robe UK comments: “The magic of Glastonbury Festival never fails to disappoint, and this year was no different.
“Fields of back-to-back live music, dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and contemporary art forms filled the sunny skies of Worthy Farm for miles on end. As one of the biggest events in the global festival calendar, we were excited once again to have a series of our latest fixtures deployed on key stages across the site, including Robe

India - Ayrton has announced the appointment of Vardhaman Megatech (VMT) as its new, exclusive distributor for India. The appointment takes place with immediate effect.
VMT is a professional audio and lighting distribution company with a family history that spans six generations from its formation in 1807. VMT’s thriving professional audio and lighting business was first introduced in 1958 and operates through a retail division (VMT Retail) of 13 nationwide stores/offices, an enterprise division (VMT Enterprise) specialising in serving corporate clients and institutions, and a distribution division (VMT Distribution) that represents some of the world’s leading brands in professional audio and lighting.
“We are thrilled and honoured to be Ayrton distributors,” says VMT’s country head for distribution sales, Kekul Sheth. “Ayrton's reputation for innovation, q

USA - Clair Global has announced that Sound Image, will join the Clair Global Group. This partnership will enhance both organisations’ live production and systems integration capabilities and will result in a larger depth and breadth of service and product offerings for Clair Global and Sound Image clients alike, says a statement.
Sound Image CEO, Dave Shadoan, who has led the organisation since the late seventies, comments: “As I looked ahead and considered my next steps, I knew that partnering with Clair Global would further safeguard a sustainable and prosperous future for our employees and our clients. It became clear that Clair was a good fit because of our mutual dedication to fostering meaningful connections in business, coupled with an unwavering commitment to exceptional customer support and service.”
There are no major changes planned for the continued

UK - PLASA and LSi are calling for nominations for this year’s Gottelier Award. The award recognises the invaluable contributions of the people behind the products, from pioneering product developers to creative R&D teams.
Named after the late lighting designer and industry commentator Tony Gottelier, the Gottelier Award aims to recognise product developers who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of entertainment, presentation, or installation technology.
Launched in 2007, previous recipients include: JB Toby (Avolites), Christian Heil (L-Acoustics); Alan Jacobi (Unusual Rigging); Wayne Howell (Artistic Licence); Anne Valentino (ETC); David Cunningham (Entertec); Pasquale Quadri (Claypaky); Jim Bornhorst (Vari-Lite); John Meyer (Meyer Sound); Terry Clarke (Klark Teknik, MC2 Audio); Fred Foster (ETC); Alex Cooper (Midas & Klark Teknik); Joh

USA - The Long Reach Long Riders hosted an auction to benefit Behind the Scenes at their 20th Anniversary Ride’s celebratory banquet earlier this month. The auction itself was quite special, including only one item, a detailed quilt incorporating t-shirts from every charity ride hosted by the LRLR over their 20-year history. The quilt was created and donated, “a true labour of love” by long time BTS supporters and quilters Shan and Trish Ayers.
The Ayers regularly donate many of their intricate handcrafted woodwork creations, including items to be auctioned off during the annual LRLR Raffle at the USITT conference as well as for sale on the Behind the Scenes website. Shan Ayers comments: “The quilt idea came about during casual conversation at the BTS booth this past March in St. Louis. The timetable was tight, so we immediately went to work. The work that LRLR and

USA - Founded in 1990, San Antonio’s Community Bible Church has quickly grown into one of the largest houses of worship in the region, seating 3,500 at each of its five weekend services.
The church’s energetic worship band are skilled and enthusiastic, delivering a memorable worship experience every weekend. But like many live musicians, they encounter the often-challenging world of monitors, trying to balance their individual mix needs with making their own onstage audio experience as fresh as possible to keep their performances at a high level.
That got a lot easier this year, after the church installed a new KLANG:konductor to offer immersive IEM mixes for the seven vocalists and six musicians, as well as their musical guests and worship leaders. The new :konductor, purchased through pro audio retailer AVLX of Franklin, Tennessee, and which was fully integrated

Mexico - PRO3 was started as an innovative lighting and visual design studio full of fresh ideas and approaches sparked by the imaginative synergy between three partners and lighting enthusiasts based in Mexico City. The company is still growing and is now also a significant lighting rental equipment supplier for the numerous shows, tours and events in which they are creatively involved.
PRO3 first invested in Robe moving light products around seven years ago, starting with Pointes, then expanding to MegaPointes and Spiiders. Their most recent purchases are 50 Fortes, 30 of which have been delivered by Mexican distributor ShowCo, with 20 more on their way.
‘Chicho’ as he’s universally known throughout the industry (‘real’ name Osvaldo Giuliano) comments: “As soon as the industry restarted after the pandemic, Forte fixtures started being frequently requested

South Africa - Ross Learmonth, well known as frontman of popular South African rock band Prime Circle, recently delighted fans with his Wild Summer solo tour, his first as a solo artist, complete with a new solo album, Carousel. Both tour and album campaigns have been a great success and were assisted by Astera Titan Tube wireless LED lighting products.
When all the planning for the tour started to fall into place, Ross knew he would be playing a mix of own headliner shows and festival slots, so he wanted a specials package that could be used for both scenarios that would make his set unique and stand out.
The conversation started with his producer, Denholm Harding, referencing the new songs and how to communicate these to the world, creating a show to match the feeling of the music and lyrics and how to find an aesthetic that was crafted especially for this project. I

UK - Sysco Productions has created an ambient audio background to support the Imperial War Museum’s Second World War Galleries with near-invisible K-array ultra-compact line arrays.
The Second World War Galleries at London’s Imperial War Museum brings to life a war that affected millions of people around the world.
In order to maximise the realism that IWM’s collection of exhibits so clearly evokes, Sysco Productions have created an immersive, digitally controlled audio system that takes full advantage of K-array’s ultra-compact Vyper and Lyzard line array attributes to hide these discreet micro line array speakers within the structure of the galleries’ exhibits and provide a supportive ambience without being seen.
“The purpose of the audio is to support the messaging of the exhibition without detracting from it or being obtrusive,” said Sysco’s n

USA - SGM Light has announced that Nicolas Champion has joined the company as managing director of North America.
With over 25 years of experience in both architectural and entertainment lighting, Nicolas is a trusted and well-known lighting professional. As managing director, Nicolas will work closely with North American key accounts and distribution partners as well as the SGM Light sales and customer support teams to develop and coordinate business in both rental and fixed installation markets.
Nicolas has a strong background through progressive roles in lighting and sales management, most recently as the vice president of sales for Altman Lighting. Nicolas also has prior experience as regional sales manager for Strand Lighting. Both roles included a respected track record of business development as well as project and sales support.
Champion comments: “I

UK - Funktion-One says farewell to Bill Woods as he announces his retirement following 11 years with the company and 35 years in the pro audio industry. Woods' departure marks the beginning of a new chapter for Funktion-One as the company welcomes its new director of business development, Andrew Low.
During his time with Funktion-One, Woods has played an important role in the company’s international growth, particularly in Asia. His sales expertise and rapport with customers have helped to develop relationships across the global Funktion-One network and throughout the wider pro audio industry.
Funktion-One’s Ann Andrews said: “Bill’s retirement comes with mixed emotions, as his departure marks the end of an era for Funktion-One. We are very grateful to Bill for the contribution he has made to the business since joining us in 2012. Over the last three months, Bi

Finland - Genelec has introduced a five-year warranty on its designs. By registering their models on the Genelec website, the new warranty programme allows Genelec customers worldwide to extend their standard two-year warranty by an extra three years, covering both parts and labour.
Since the company was founded 45 years ago, Genelec has put sustainability at the heart of its design philosophy, by producing loudspeaker solutions with a long lifecycle and low environmental impact, backed up with extremely high levels of reliability and long-term spare part support.
“We’ve always been focused on designing loudspeaker solutions that provide decades of reliable performance for our customers, but we also want to offer them the extra peace of mind that comes with a secure extended warranty,” comments Ole Jensen, international sales director at Genelec. “We’re conf

UK - Harris Academy Chafford Hundred (HACH) is a co-educational secondary school and sixth-form that welcomes nearly 1500 students through its doors every day. Located in the Essex town of Grays, the academy works tirelessly to ensure that every detail of its provision is geared towards meeting its ambition of being ‘a school for the future’.
A key area of focus for the academy’s management team is the maintenance of clear communications within its corridors and communal spaces. The school ‘bell’ is fundamental to the smooth operation of the timetable, with HACH placing strong emphasis on punctuality to ensure that students take maximum advantage of teaching time
With this in mind, the HACH team engaged AV solutions provider Excite AV of Bishops Stortford to install a system which offered intuitive head-end control and optimal loudspeaker placement, in order

UK - Hip hop musician Loyle Carner played his biggest hometown concert to date at Wembley Arena with equipment, technical support and personnel from Britannia Row Productions
FOH engineer Inbloom and monitor engineer Michael Njuguna have been integral in the development of BRIT Award nominee, Loyle Carner’s, step into full band and production touring. “This campaign centres around the new record Hugo, a real shift from his previous albums and DJ tours,” states Inbloom.
“Overall, the show marries two characters; the former being light, bouncy and abundantly youthful and the latter wiser and darker,” adds Inbloom, noting how the rapper has progressed artistically.
“There’s a large element of unspoken trust between myself and Avi. I had an idea of how I’d like to shape things at FOH, and what tools I would need to do so,” he continues. “I met B

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