A stylish
and harmonious combination of intelligence and impact was the lighting vibe for
the latest UK tour by rising stars Swedish folk rock duo First Aid Kit, of
which the final section featured their largest toured production to date. Matt
Waterfield is their LD and the lighting equipment was supplied by west London
based Colour Sound Experiment.
Matt has
worked with the band since 2013, and this itinerary of UK theatres was the
latest section in their “Stay Gold” album campaign which started in May 2014.
As with
most tours, the design has developed over the course of time, and earlier on
Colour Sound had supplied a floor package, so when it came to upping the
production they again offered an excellent deal that ensured Matt had the tools
he needed to make the show rock!
The stage design
started with a large semi-transparent gold Joel Flex backdrop upstage, supplied
via Hangman. For this part of the tour, a set of black fabric columns were hung
in front of this to break up the solid gold and add depth.
Downstage
of the cloths were five scenic triangles – of three different sizes – made from
aluminium frames covered in stretched pieces of gold Joel Flex and fitted with
internal festoon lights … for some sparkly effects. The set pieces were designed
to be scalable and expanded or shrunk to suit the available stage space.
Overhead
were three trusses – front, mid and rear – with the drapes truss far upstage
which was also used to rig 26 vertical Chauvet LED battens. These remained
hidden and then burst into life at strategic moments blasting through the drape
creating a bit of a surprise. They were pixel mapped and used for tumbling and
liquid effects.
There were
also two 3 metre long ‘wing’ trusses flown either side at the front to provide
additional side lighting positions in the larger venues.
The moving
lights – all picked for their versatility – were 12 x Robe MMX Spots, 22 x Robe
LEDWash 600s and 14 x Robe Pointes, with 8 x Clay Paky A.Leda 20s LED washes on
the floor fitted with B-Eye lenses.
The Pointes
were spread out across all the three trusses, on drop bars for some variation
at the back and also on the wing trusses, and used to fill the space with striking
beam looks which included a lot of subtleties and visual texturing. Matt further
maximised their multi-functionality using them as beams, spots and washes at
different times – effectively he says ‘It’s like having double the fixtures”.
The floor
package earlier in the tour had included six Pointes, which proved a good
testing ground for exactly how many different looks he could get out of them.
Four MMX
Spots were positioned on the back truss, six on the mid and one on each wing
truss. The LEDWashes were also on the back, mid and side trusses, and used for
all the general stage washing on the girls and the band. Matt likes them for
their small size, light weight and excellent selection of colours including
pastels and secondaries.
The B-Eyes
on the floor were new for this section of the tour and they made a big difference,
adding depth and highly visible effects either on their own or combined with
the Pointes. ‘You can get such a great range of looks out of the B-Eyes” he
comments, “From single cell beams to complex shapes with duo colours”.
The most
important thing, he explains, was to keep the Girls – Johanna and Klara Söderberg
– well lit and right at the front of the action. This lighting oeuvre supported their performance and
also brought a slightly classic retro 1970’s fashioning to the stage with the
set pieces … “But just a bit cheekier,” adds Matt!
He has really enjoyed the tour and working with the band generally. “The
vibe is positive, they are doing really well and everyone involved is extremely
pleasant,” he adds.
Working alongside him for Colour Sound were a top crew team of Frankie
McDade and Chris Brown, who were “Amazing” states Matt.
Colour Sound’s Haydn Cruickshank commented, “It was great to work with Matt
and Production Manager Gareth Russell again, and good to see another young band
with a unique and different sound and a great future. Matt created a really sassy
and very practical design that would work in all venues, and we all look
forward to seeing their success continue”.
Photos : Louise Stickland
