Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

HSL Gets the Blue Lights for Jorja Smith Tour

05/12/2018

HSL Gets the Blue Lights for Jorja Smith Tour posted: 05/12/2018

Brit (Critics Choice) Award winning singer-songwriter Jorja Smith is one of the UK's most exciting rising star musical talents, currently enjoying the success - both commercially and creatively - of her debut album, Lost & Found .

Blackburn UK based technical production specialist HSL supplied lighting equipment and crew for her recent UK and European tour, working closely with Boston based lighting designer Tyler Trofatter and lighting director / operator on the road - for this section of the tour - Matthew Kemp.

Tyler started working with the artist earlier in the year when they sought a US based LD to look after the live show aesthetics and stage presentation. In the US they were using 4Wall Entertainment as the lighting vendor, and their account handler Bob Suchocki first connected Tyler with HSL when they needed a specials package for a summer show at Somerset House in London.

That all went very well, so when this tour was announced, following the album launch in June, Tyler and Jorja's production team - tour manager Simon Parkinson and production manager / FOH engineer Mike Excell - returned to HSL, where they worked with project manager Jordan Hanson.

Tyler commented that the HSL crew for the Somerset house gig were fantastic , together with the service and the lighting package. Jordan was also helpful in providing a visualisation computer and console a few days earlier, allowing him more time to programme.

Jordan stated, After working with Tyler on the one off earlier on in the year I was delighted when he came back to HSL to supply the tour package and the flown rig at Brixton. Tyler and the production have been fantastic to work with, the design has a lot of style and it's also great to have been involved with an artist with such a positive future.

There is no video in this current design, so all the visual reinforcement for Jorja's compelling and powerful performance is from stylish lighting. Her music embraces R n'B, hip hop, soul, rap and several other genres in a rich vibrant mix, much based on personal experiences and with a strong sense of social activism.

The music was partly the inspiration for Tyler's design which evolved into a blend of vintage and contemporary elements to match her voice which has a timeless resonance but is highly distinctive throughout as she flips between different genres of music.

Another criteria driving the design was that all the lighting fixtures had to be multi-functional.

A sumptuous red Austrian drape denoted the back of the stage, making a strong statement that required careful lighting.

To compliment the retro feel but with a touch of industrial chic, Showtec Vintage Blaze 55 fixtures were added to the rig - their big dish-like reflectors feature a tungsten blub with an RGB LED backlight that transforms the reflector, making it a hugely versatile and almost scenic luminaire.

Six of these were supplied for the tour boosted to thirteen for the London and Paris shows. Some of the Blaze 55s were on floor stands and others on drop bars from the back truss for depth and layering.

Martin MAC Axiom hybrid spot / beam fixtures were positioned upstage of the band for powerful, moody silhouetting and back-light looks - chosen for their nice fat beams and good gobo selection.

Also on the floor was a row of GLP Impression X4 Bar 20s LED battens, which Tyler loves. These brought individual pixel control to the equation and were used to up-light the backdrop. As they can also tilt, they were extremely useful for producing dramatic curtains and sweeps of light and colour behind the band and Jorja.

The two Brixton Academy shows were enjoyed by very ebullient audiences who gave the young star an incredible reception, and for these HSL added Mac Viper Performances, MAC Viper Profiles plus Robe Pointe and LEDWash 1200 moving lights, all of which were dotted around overstage trusses flown at different heights - with the upstage one being the lowest.

These were joined by more GLP Impression XBar 20s, 8-lite and 2-lite blinders and DF 50 hazers.

Using the extra fixtures intelligently, Tyler was able to fill out the stage sufficiently and produce a classy and appropriately upscaled show which impressed the London crowds and the critics.

Jorja Smith's stage setup is very clean. The band risers are wrapped in draping and the lighting enhances the fluidity and diversity of her vocals which engage and draw her fans into the experience.

I really appreciate and enjoy the trust and creative freedom invested in me to imagine the show commented Tyler, adding that Jorja does preview the work-in-progress for them, and he will often bounce ideas off Simon Parkinson.

Another objective is to ensure it photographs well and easily an important consideration for a social media savvy world which is a vital channel of communication for so many artists and music events.

A grandMA2 light console was part of the touring kit which, back in the US until Christmas, Tyler is operating himself. He was also there in the UK for the London shows.

It's Tyler's first time working on a touring production with HSL as a supplier, a process that has been brilliant he stated.

Jordan has been very accommodating , he says, especially with any last-minute changes due to the spec, all of which were dealt with efficiently and kept within budget, so Simon Parkinson was happy!

HSL's Brixton crew of Keith Parrot - who also worked on that original Somerset House gig - Harry Duffin and Stuart Wright were fantastic enthused Taylor.

About Tyler Trofatter

Tyler is now based in Boston and was first energised by the power and emotion of creative lighting aged 13, whilst working for community theatre groups.

He studied stage design at high school and then attended Wa
LINK: https://www.live-production.tv/news/shows/hsl-gets-blue-lights-jorja-s...
See more stories from liveproduction

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

20/03/2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo

In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World Summit in London, where NAGRAVISION hosted a panel on content discovery and ...

20/03/2026

The Gauge: Poland | February 2026

After a series of increases, February brought the first slowdown in time spent in front of TV sets in a long time. While traditional television was losing viewi...

20/03/2026

Eric Wolff Joins Chyron as Director of Venues Sales, North America

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

Study: Broadcasters Rebuild Live Operations Around IP

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

Matt Conrad Acquires DSC Labs

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

Glensound celebrates its diamond anniversary at NAB Show

60 years of audio innovation, driven by the people who use it...

20/03/2026

FCC Approves Nexstar's Acquisition of Tegna

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

Icesi names Ronald David Reyes as the 2025 recipient of t...

Colombia's Icesi University and WSDG are proud to announce Ronald David Reyes as the recipient of the 2025 WSDG Excellence Scholarship, awarded to an outsta...

20/03/2026

Celebrating the greatest creators - One Battle After Ano...

Avid today celebrated the filmmakers, editors and sound teams that worked with Avid Media Composer and Pro Tools to create the vast majority of this year'...

20/03/2026

MRMC Names CP Communications Its Official U.S. Rental, Sales Partner

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

FOR-A To Feature Software-Defined, AI-Driven Solutions At 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

2026 NAB Show Exhibitor Insight: Riedel Communications

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

DirecTV Files Suit to Block Nexstar/Tegna Deal

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

Fujifilm Announces Four New Broadcast Zoom Lenses

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

20/03/2026

NAB 2026: Software-Defined, AI-Powered Workflow Tells the...

Real-time 9:16 AI-Generated Autocropping; Software-Defined Station in a Box; and Software Switcher with Unlimited Layering Are Among Show Highlights For the fi...

20/03/2026

Signiant Showcases New Content Innovations Driving Visibility, Access, and Action at NAB 2026

Signiant Showcases New Content Innovations Driving Visibility, Access, and Actio...

20/03/2026

Caffeine Relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for End to End Post Workflow

Caffeine Relies on DaVinci Resolve Studio for End to End Post Workflow Brie Clayton March 19, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic Cloud helps Mexican post faci...

20/03/2026

It's time to play The Money List! Baz Ashmawy is back at the helm as the quiz returns for a fourth season

It's time to play The Money List! Baz Ashmawy is back at the helm as the qui...

19/03/2026

The Rise of Streaming, Particularly for Sports, Revives Loudness Issues

Live sports production increases complexity, with dynamic audio levels and an overall philosophy that encourages transient volume spikes Fourteen years ago, Am...

19/03/2026

Advanced Systems Group Names Peter Thordarson as Technical Account Executive

Advanced Systems Group, a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, announced the appointment of Peter Thordarson to the newly cr...

19/03/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Arya Taymuree, University of Washington

For this senior from the Bay Area, the speed and pressure of live sports production play right into her strengths In the live-sports-video industry, the future...

19/03/2026

Grass Valley Expands Partnership with University of Pittsburgh Athletics, Upgrading Production Infrastructure to SMPTE ST 2110 IP

Grass Valley has expanded its long-term partnership with University of Pittsburg...

19/03/2026

Audio-Technica Debuts ATV-SG1 and ATV-SG1LE On-Camera Shotgun Microphones

Audio-Technica has released the ATV-SG1 and ATV-SG1LE On-Camera Shotgun Microphones, designed for use with DSLR, mirrorless SLR, and other cameras. The ATV-SG1...

19/03/2026

NAB 2026: Harmonic Enhances XOS Advanced Media Processor to Streamline Next-Generation Broadcast Distribution

Harmonic (booth W2831) announces updates to its XOS Advanced Media Processor aim...

19/03/2026

DAZN and Top Rank Sign Multi-Year Rights Deal to Bring Marquee Events and Historic Archive to the Global Home of Boxing

DAZN and Top Rank have announced a multi-year partnership that will bring Top Ra...

19/03/2026

IHSE and Cyviz Announce Strategic Partnership

IHSE, a provider of KVM systems, has announced a partnership with Cyviz AS, a provider of technology solutions for collaboration and mission-critical operations...

19/03/2026

Net Insight appoints Larissa Grner-Meeus as Chief Product Officer (CPO)

Net Insight has appointed Larissa G rner-Meeus as Chief Product Officer. She joins the company's executive management team. G rner-Meeus holds a Dipl-Ing. ...

19/03/2026

Leader Appoints Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager UK & Northern Europe

Leader Electronics of Europe has appointed Rob Stanley as Regional Sales Manager for the UK and Northern Europe. In the role, he will manage key accounts and ha...

19/03/2026

FIFA and YouTube Team Up in FIFA World Cup 2026 Preferred Platform Agreement

FIFA has announced that YouTube will be a Preferred Platform for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Under the agreement, FIFA's Media Partners will be able to publis...

19/03/2026

Upgrade to NCAA March Madness Live App Expands Multi-Game Viewing, Enhances Second-Screen Experience

New features across mobile, connected devices, and automotive platforms undersco...

19/03/2026

PSSI Global Services Welcomes Ben Bradshaw as Director of Product and Network Development

PSSI Global Services has appointed Ben Bradshaw as Director of Product and Netwo...

19/03/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital to Unveil Additions to End-to-End IPMX and ST 2110 Ecosystem

Cobalt Digital has announced its NAB 2026 product lineup, which includes additio...

19/03/2026

Sportradar Releases Industry Outlook on the Future of U.S. Sports Viewing

Sportradar has released a new report, Innovation in Sports Media: The Next Era of Sports Viewing, examining how the sports viewing experience in the U.S. is evo...

19/03/2026

Matrox Video's ConvertIP Awarded in Rai Framework Agreement Supporting IP Modernization Strategy

Matrox Video has been awarded a three-year framework agreement to supply its Con...

19/03/2026

Controlled Chaos: Inside the Mighty Production Engine Behind the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament's First Week

CBS Sports' Jason Cohen and TNT Sports' Chris Brown lead the charge on n...

19/03/2026

Loud and Fun Is the Goal for NCAA Tourney Audio

A1 Dave Grundtvig and his team deploy plenty of mics to capture the sounds and energy from the stands as well the court March Madness is a tournament in which ...

19/03/2026

Spotify Marks 5 Years of EQUAL With EQUAL: The Podcast and Global Events

In 2021, we launched EQUAL, a program designed to address an industry reality that persists: Women artists, songwriters, and producers too often face fewer oppo...

19/03/2026

Toontrack release Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

19/03/2026

Roland preview Melody Flip

New generative AI plug-in due in May 2026 Roland have announced the upcoming launch of a new generative AI tool created in collaboration with Sony Computer ...

19/03/2026

Native Instruments CEO Statement

Nick Williams updates users on insolvency process Nick Williams, the CEO of Native Instruments, has released the following official statement regarding thei...

19/03/2026

Milab to restart production

Iconic Swedish mic manufacturer back in action Legendary Swedish microphone manufacturer Milab have announced that production is now fully underway, and mic...

19/03/2026

FT1-EMU plug-in from Freqport

Acclaimed saturation unit goes virtual Freqport's Freqtube FT1 (reviewed here in SOS February 2023) offers a convenient way to integrate real valve-base...

19/03/2026

SGL Carbon: Restructuring ensures earnings forecast and creates basis for new growth

The discontinuation of loss-making business activities as part of the restructur...

19/03/2026

Silicon Valley satire The Audacity premieres 15 April on SBS and SBS On Demand

Silicon Valley satire The Audacity premieres 15 April on SBS and SBS On Demand 19 March, 2026 Media releases From one of the writer/producers of Succession...

19/03/2026

SBS brings communities together at Bondi Pavilion for Harmony Week multilingual broadcast

SBS brings communities together at Bondi Pavilion for Harmony Week multilingual ...