Faithless 2010: Brixton
Big London show, done.
A massive hit with the crowd, the show looked and sounded amazing. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any photos, I had to stay side of stage to look after the video kit and run the visuals.
Using 'Pilot' (the media server chosen for the tour) for the first time was interesting. Always a little unnerving using something for the first time on such a big show! For the most part the show went without a hitch; the video for 'We Come One' (which was changed just before the show) wouldn't fire but seeing as the lighting was so strong for this song, I don't think it mattered at all. I'm always against last minute changes, a little out of my hands on this occasion.
There's still work to be done, good job this was only a warm-up!
James
Faithless 2010: Amsterdam Show Photos
So, here are my first photos of the show, possibly my only as explained...
During the shows that Andy Hurst operates, he likes to have someone front of house to spot any problems with the lighting and relay these to whoever is on stage. Tonight, since crew chief Paul Solino is on follow spot duty, that job fell to me. So taking the chance, I decided to get some photos of the show.
This is one of the last shows to have lighting only, after this leg my responsibilities switch to video, I'll try and get some photos of this online from Brixton.
James
James Leaving on Faithless European Tour
This afternoon James set off to Macedonia for the first leg of the Faithless European tour.
For the first leg, the rig will be a festival style, floor based LED system using GLP Impressions, ColorBlock DB4s and Palcos. Moving lights and PA will be provided by local promoters. From the first UK date in Brixton, there will be some video goodies added with full lighting and sound production for the UK tour.
James will be working with Dennis Brown aka 'Bear' to implement Andy Hurst's designs with equipment provided by PRG.
Britannia Row are running the sound department with Mark Kennedy at front of house.
Keep checking back for updates!
Faithless European Summer Tour
James has been invited by Andy Hurst to act as video technician for Faithless' summer arenas and festivals tour. The tour will involve several UK and European venue shows, along with the usual suspects of summer festivals.
Equipment will be provided by PRG, including Martin's LC series semi-transparent LED screens which will be James' responsibility. He will also be helping with the lighting rig and roll on should he have any spare time!
Keep checking back for more news. Follow James' updates here: Faithless Posts
Visuals at Warehouse Project, Manchester
Tonight was a return to club visuals for Basic Monkey at a new venue, Manchester's highly successful Warehouse Project.
Long term friends of James', The Fetish Sound System, were asked to provide music in the back room while Calvin Harris and Pete Tong were playing in the main room. Along with their DJing, they wanted to make the most of the opportunity with fancy dress, usual fetish antics and a visuals show from Basic Monkey.
We provided our Catalyst media server controlled by Jands Vista S3 lighting console feeding into a central Sanyo projector onto a screen and two installed side projectors onto the brick wall.
Using a wide selection of stock content, specially designed animated texts and also live inputs from a night vision camera and special hat mounted wireless camera worn by Tom from the Fetish and various others; the visuals complemented the antics on stage.
St. Etienne at The Ritz, Manchester
Today James acted as rigger/technician for St. Etienne's show at Manchester's Ritz venue.
Having received sketch plans yesterday, James had 6x Robe ColorSpot 700 and 6x Robe ColorWash 700 moving lights, 2x Martin Atomic strobes, 8x James Thomas Pixellines, 6x 2lite molefays and 6x S4 19deg profiles to fit intro the notoriously tight venue. All equipment was provided along with James by HSL in Blackburn.
The moving lights were split between the floor, boxes, truss towers and a goalpost truss across the back on 2no Litech wind up stands. Matt Waterfield the LD arrived late morning and was happy with the deviations from plot made by James to fit into the venue. Room was made for the band's fastfold screens under the goalpost truss with a minimum of clearance.
James to de-rig Sting’s Durham Cathedral DVD Record
HSL have asked James to assist with the de-rig at Durham cathedral of Sting's new show recorded for DVD.
Not sounding a very glamorous role, it did involved working in the bowels and heights of one of the most beautiful buildings in the UK. 100x Robe ColorWash moving lights in both 1200 and 2500 models were used on specially built rigs strapped to columns, on cases around the organ, or high up on the cathedral's walkways. Also, 9x A&O Falcon 7000 moving lights were used, in both beam and flower varieties with 2x hung from a truss suspended from the bell tower, a 200ft drop!
Harnessed up, James and Paddy spent most of the night lowering the wash moving lights from the high walkways on a builder's wire hoist. Then they made their way to the bell tower to drop the two huge falls of wire and motor chain.
Pendulum Summer Festivals 2009 – Photos
Check out a few of my photos from Pendulum's European summer festival tour this year:
Pendulum European Summer Festivals Tour
James has been invited to act as video and lighting technician for Pendulum on their European summer festivals tour.
Andy Hurst is the lighting designer, who has passed his operating duties to Neil Carson of Enhance Production. HSL will be providing the lighting equiment: 16x James Thomas Pixelline 1044, 8x Martin Atomic strobes with XL Video providing 8x Martin LC panels. Video will be sourced from a MacBook pro provided by Andy running Archaos, cued by a WholeHog 3 triggered using SMTPE streamed from the band. The lighting will be controlled by Neil using a Chamsys MagiQ Pro from front of house.
The kit will be mounted into 4x dollys, each 2m wide and 2m high to accommodate a 2m square LC screen, with 4x Pixellines mounted horizontally above each other behind the screen, spaced with 2x Atmoics. Dollys were chosen for ease of transport and erection, since Pendulum will not be appearing at the top act at all the events and wont be blessed with an overnight rig on most, a fast stage turnaround is a must.
James will be looking after the maintenance of both the video and lighting aspects of the rig, also supervising the 'roll-on' to stage at the beginning of the act. This involves arranging the lift of all 4x dollys onto Litedeck to increase height and visibility of the screen, and then connecting the dolly looms to the control equipment and testing before show start.
The band will be appearing at:
James to rig for Kooks in Blackpool
The Kooks are playing tonight in an old ballroom in Blackpool, not suited to touring bands and their production requirements. To adapt for this, Ian from HSL created a ground support truss system to accommodate the band's lighting and PA rigs.
Since this installation is done overnight, Ian would be in no fit state to go climbing all day to pull the motor chains up. James was asked to spend the day on site to cover Ian's responsibilities. This involved positioning the rigging points on the GS truss, pulling and attaching motor chains and rigging the two house points for the audience truss.
