Avolites and Avolites Media continued their strong
association with Glastonbury Festival with an impressive array of equipment and
an eager team out in force to support friends and colleagues alike. This year\’s
festival was an eclectic and awe-inspiring celebration of music and the arts,
playing host to some of the biggest names in music across its multiple iconic
stages.
With no less than three headline acts on the main stages
controlled by Avolites, as well as numerous other acts and stages, the festival
proved an excellent opportunity to showcase the power and versatility of the
range.
The first of those headliners, Arcade Fire, brought the
Pyramid stage to a climactic close for day one with a set list spanning their
four albums. The band put on a compelling show, performing in elaborate
costumes and face paint against a myriad of moving mirrors, fireworks, and an
outstanding use of lighting skillfully conducted by Chris Bushell from a Sapphire
Touch.
Meanwhile, Kaiser Chiefs ended the day one festivities on
the John Peel stage, with Ali Pike putting on an excellent light show using
Titan Mobile, after kicking the weekend off with a secret set that morning.
Continuing their meteoric rise, Disclosure\’s festival
closing set on West Holts stage featured a light show from Will Potts
controlled using a Tiger Touch Pro.
The threat of rain that had been prevalent in the run up
to the weekend rang true on Friday when all outdoor stages were shut down, with
much of the crowd running for cover during a colossal electrical storm.
Fortunately the Avolites team had been on hand to offer excellent on-site
support, including some last minute (and very rudimentary) fixture
waterproofing on The Common\’s outstanding Temple Stage with LDs Paul De
Villiers and John Rogers. In any case, all the Avolites equipment defied the
elements, with absolutely no backups or spares required during the festival.
Lily Allen was the first to take to the Pyramid stage
after the deluge, bringing the fun and the sun back for the afternoon with a
brilliant, crowd-pleasing performance against a backdrop of baby bottles.
Twenty-four of these, supplied by Ben Vaughan of Light Initiative, made up a
bespoke video screen, with media served using an Avolites Media Ai Infinity EX4
Server.
Returning for her second Glastonbury, Anna Calvi\’s
exciting Park Stage performance was supported by Tom Campbell, controlling
lights from his Tiger Touch II.
Beautifully lit by Leela Otremba, Little Dragon delivered
an energetic set to a fervent crowd spilling well beyond the confines of the
John Peel tent. Leela was using her own Tiger Touch II console, also employed
on the band\’s world tour, in support of latest album Nabuma Rubberband.
\”I bought my Avolites Tiger Touch II a while back
and I haven\’t really looked back,\” says Leela. \”It\’s like any other
craft, having good tools makes the work much easier. I\’ve been touring my
console with Little Dragon for about three months – it\’s been great, I have really
enjoyed myself!
\”With this show, the most important feature has to
be Pixel Mapper. I used it to draw simple images which I then manipulate in the
Pixel Mapper to get bespoke effects. It is especially useful for making my own
colour patterns. In general I have really got into using the Set List feature,
as well.\”
\”The main elements for this show were the abstract
fluorescent tubes,\” says Leela. \”They were the part of this design
that I inherited to a certain degree; so I took what was there and made it my
own by using Light Initiatives\’ custom LED wands and reworking the positioning
of the strips.
\”My main focus was to get certain fluorescent colour
combinations and really bring the design to life. I did a lot of research into
custom strips and fixtures to ensure my desired look came together on stage in
terms of dynamic, colours and practicality.
\”While I think designs are ever evolving and should
stay, to a certain degree, in working progress (even if only in the finer
details) with live performances, it\’s nice to see it all come together.\”
On the back of its TPI award for Production of the Year
2013, the bigger and better Arcadia stage returned to Glastonbury for another
round of rampaging euphoria. Opening each night with an enthralling \’Landing
Show\’, the stage was set for a stellar electronic line-up including Disclosure,
Mr. Scruff and David Rodigan MBE. Jamie Trant was controlling the lights for
the stage from a Sapphire Touch, with support from Avolites\’ own Greg and Pete.
The video mapped content, coming from an Infinity EX8 server and Sapphire Media
Server was controlled by Tom Wall and supported by Avolites Media\’s Ciaran and
Selvin. All equipment used on the stage, including the above as well as a
back-up Tiger Touch II and 2x Titan Net Processors, was supplied by Tim Smith
of Smash Productions, who also served as Production Manager for Arcadia.
Other areas featuring Avolites kit included Shangri La,
where the Hell Stage was controlled by a Tiger Touch II from PF Events. In Shangri
La\’s Art Department area, featuring artwork from the likes of Shephard Fairey,
Hayden Kays and Doug Foster, were 2x Titan Mobiles, an Expert Pro and 3x
Powercubes, courtesy of James Waudby from Astral Design. The Circus and Theatre
area saw Avolites particularly well represented, with Sapphire Touch consoles
gracing the Acoustic and Circus stages, as well as a Tiger Touch and ART 2000
dimmers on Cabaret, and an Expert and Wing on the Theatre stage. All of this
was provided by Fineline, with Simon Johnson and James Loudon among the names
in control.
Also on site were Coloursound, supplying a range of kit
including an Expert Pro to the Glade stage, and on the London Underground area
of Block 9, an Expert Pro plus Powercube and an ART2000 T4 dimmer. Providing
another Powercube to Block 9\’s Genesis, Coloursound also controlled the
lighting for the majority of the bars on site.
After another fantastic festival for the company,
Avolites and Avolites Media MD Steve Warren was understandably upbeat,
declaring: \”It is hard to explain just how important Glastonbury is to me
personally as well as to Avolites as a company. Firstly, we are able to obtain
fantastic feedback by directly interfacing with LDs who use the lighting and
video control systems. Secondly, we strengthen the existing relationships with
designers, and the numerous new contacts our huge team of Avolites staff on
site are able to develop. We also get direct and up to the minute input on
where our industry as a whole is heading – allowing Avolites to deliver on our
promise of defining the future.
\”In addition to this, for me personally the core
issue is that Glastonbury has been life changing and is one of the main reasons
that I love this industry and Avolites so much! In 1985, as a skint wireman at
Avolites, I jumped the festival fence (sorry Michael) with my mates, and to
think that now I and Avolites have been able to help make this iconic festival
bigger and better every year has been rewarding beyond my dreams.
\”
This year the beautiful and amazing Arcadia,
running from Sapphire Touch lighting control and Avolites Media Ai video
control, has been a personal peak of pride. Adding to my joy, all Avolites
installations site wide ran without a single problem despite the occasional
drop of rain, with no spares or backups used at all. But hey, what else would
you expect from Avolites!\”
