Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, the UK’s highest profile and best known festival event once again proves a massive hit for Robe moving lights – over 600 of which were deployed on a multiplicity of stages site-wide, including in major creative areas like Arcadia’s giant spider spectacular show and legendary underground dance destination, Block 9.
Lighting equipment for both these areas was delivered by Colour Sound Experiment, who joined several different rental companies involved in supplying Robe products, including the South West Group, which lit the trendy Park Stage and BBC Introducing showcasing lots of rising talent, and DPL who took care of lighting at the West Holts stage.
Locally based Enlightened Lighting from Bath, took care of lighting a number of areas all using a backbone of Robe kit including the moving and grooving Sonic Stage in the Silver Hayes dance area; the multi-dimensional Mavericks venue with poetry and the spoken word during the day and essential cabaret through the night; the vibey Glasto Latino hub for all things Latin and the eclectic Summer House.
Arcadia’s incredible new “Metamorphoses” Spectacular show continues to unite and push all the boundaries of technology and art, and this year featured a primarily Robe moving light rig, including six BMFLs on the perimeter towers and Pointes rigged on the legs and belly of the spider. The 30 minute show’s lighting has been evolved by the Arcadia creative crew and the supply is co-ordinated by Arcadia’s Technical Production Manager, Tim Smith.
Metamorphoses came to a tumultuous end each night which signalled the start of a spectacular DJ line up to take Arcadia fans through to dawn each day of the Festival.
Block 9 is another popular late night section of the festival to which devotees negotiate the long hike down the old railway track catching some clubbing craziness in London Underground, at Genosys and in NYC Downlow – three fantastic scenic environments pulsing with great music.
Lighting design for Block 9 is created and co-ordinated by Alan King and the imposing 50 ft high post-industrial power facility of Genosys this year was lit with 17 Robe Pointes and 16 LEDWash 600s among other lighting. The animated club dancefloor in NYC Downlow was illuminated by some club classics including Robe 575 Scans – still loved for their speed and reliability, while two BMFLs highlighted a container that looked dropped from a great height and embedded in the ground, signalling the start of the Block 9 adventure.
Colour Sound also supplied lighting to The Glade stage – an area co-ordinated and designed for them by Jasper Johns of Fruit Salad Lights – complete with 24 x Pointes central to the lighting rig.
The Park stage lighting was co-ordinated and run by Ben Perrin and Mark Bott of the South West Group, and also featured BMFL Spots and Robe’s new LEDBeam 1000s plus Pointes and LEDWash 600s.
West Holts LD Adam Power’s production design included 24 x Pointes, 24 x LEDBeam 100s and 12 x LEDWash 1200s, crew chief was Darren Parker.
The Sonic stage buzzed with the energy and sounds of some superlative acts including Leftfield, Roni Size’s Reprazent and the iconic Grandmaster Flash who played a stonking set on Sunday. The lighting rig included 24 x LEDBeam 100s, 24 x Pointes and LEDWash 600 looked after for Enlightened by Paul de Villiers.
On Mavericks: Anthony van Sertima ran lights utilising 600E Spots, LEDWash 600s and LEDBeam 100s, Sam Walder lit the Summerhouse with Robe LEDWash 600s and ColorSpot 575E ATs and Mark Aitken ensured that everything salsa’d and sizzled in Glasto Latino with ColorSpot 575E ATs. Last but not least, one of the Silent Discos was lit by Jenny Howes using ColorSpot 250E ATs, LEDBeam 100s and 250 CT Club scanners.
Three of Robe’s ‘PLASA Students’ were also working on site, all proving that the student scheme, an initiative of Robe UK, is a great potential stepping stone into the industry!
Kirsty Stibburt worked for Bryte Design as student lighting and video technician over on the John Peel Stage; Beth Mae MacDonald was tech’ing lighting and audio on Summer House while Greg Westwood worked alongside Darren Parker and the DPL team on West Holts. Greg has a couple of weeks to recover and draw breath now … before joining Robe UK’s sales force.
