UK – It was quite a homecoming… even by the standards of rock and roll legends! Fresh off the release of their new album “Selling A Vibe,” The Cribs returned to Leeds to perform at the city’s Millennium Square this summer, their first appearance at the historic site in a decade.
Packing every part of the 4,500 square meter space for the show, thousands of fans erupted into wild cheers the moment the band took the stage. They didn’t let up throughout the 22-song set. Pumping fists, jumping up and down to the beat of songs like “We Share The Same Sky,” and singing along in unison to anthemic favorites like “Men’s Needs,” the big crowd became one with the three local lads who had gone on to achieve international fames as one of indie rocks most influential forces.
Keeping pace with it all whilst conveying the mood of the music was lighting designer Tom Rawlinson, who powered his hard-driving light show on his trusty ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console. (He also had a MagicQ MQ250M as his backup.)
Rawlinson mirrored the intensity of The Cribs in his design. He backed the band with three rows of intense lighting directed downward or (more often) in the air, avoiding direct backlighting, something he says he is “not a fan of.” Setting a bold tone on stage was flashing lettering that spelled out the band’s name.
There was very little in the way of traditional moving effects. “I’m not big on movement,” explained Rawlinson. “I’m very much a position change type of guy.” Indeed, the overall vibe of the lighting was direct, bold and uncompromising, much like the music of the band itself. Given that the summer show took place during daylight hours, Rawlinson kept his brightness levels high.
Discussing his console’s role in creating this vista, Rawlinson said: “I’ve been using ChamSys for quite some time. The people there are very supportive and good to deal with. The MQ500M+ is always what I prefer to use as my main console. Its lay fits the way I work, and I like the multiple screens. On The Cribs tour, I really appreciate the Group Cues feature. It’s phenomenal, as it made it very easy to expand my number of fixtures at different venues.”
A longtime fan of The Cribs, Rawlinson didn’t hook up with them until four years ago. The Leeds show and current tour mark a milestone in his relationship with the band. “This was my first real full design for The Cribs, and I wanted to make sure they were happy,” he said. Happy? The band was that and much more on this summer’s day, so too were the fans that crowded into the square.
