
Finding a Natural Rebel in Richard Ashcroft posted: 24/05/2019
Undoubtedly one of the most influential British singers of the last two decades, Richard Ashcroft has pursued a hugely successful solo career following the initial split of acclaimed alt rockers The Verve in 1999. His lighting has been designed by Jonny Gaskell since 1996 and the heydays of The Verve - an impressively long and fertile client relationship also making Jonny the longest serving crew member - and he is still driving some of the onstage aesthetics 23 years later! Ashcroft's fourth solo album and top 10 hit Natural Rebel dropped at the end of last year and he was back on the road recently in the UK with lighting and video once again supplied by Colour Sound Experiment.
At the start of each touring project, Ashcroft will present Jonny with a series of ideas. He's a demanding client but in a good way commented Jonny, he knows what he wants and what he doesn't like, so that's always an essential starting point, beyond that, he trusts me to come up with an appropriate design .
For this leg of the tour they were playing several academies, theatre and town hall venues, culminating in London's Olympia, so it was decided to bring video in just for the London show. For the other gigs, the visual emphasis was all on lighting.
Ashcroft originally only wanted Johnny to use variations of white light, but he managed to persuade him of the creative benefits of sneak in the odd bit of blue or red primary here and there!
It's always been an edgy, contrasty, stark look onstage, with Ashcroft preferring the emphasis to be on the music rather than himself, and to be lit by shadows, silhouettes and the margins and subtleties of negative luminance.
Given those specifics, any lighting also must have the capacity to go huge for the big anthemic numbers.
I chose the fixtures for flexibility and to produce the multiple textures and layering needed to make the show look good on an academy stage right up to Olympia explained Johnny, adding, As always, H and the team at Colour Sound did a fantastic job in supplying everything I needed on budget .
The format was a straightforward front and back truss plus a floor package.
The front truss was rigged with blinders and Claypaky Stormy LED strobes for the effects, together with eight Robe BMFL Spots for the key lighting and six Robe Spiiders for the stage washes that could also swing out to the audience and do big sweeps and statements when needed.
Jonny likes to keep the key lighting localised and obvious, so Ashcroft had a choice of pools of light or dark spaces to move in and out of as the mood takes him a technique he's devised through working with him over time.
The back truss featured more Stormies, some 2-lite Moles, six Robe MegaPointes and six more Spiider LED wash beams.
On the floor, there were six Stormies upstage in a line at the back, six 2-lites on 1 metre high scaff barrels just below the bottom edge of the video screen and another six Spiiders, also upstage beneath the screen primarily used for silhouetting.
On the downstage edges of the stage were two additional Spiiders a side for extra coverage across the mic line.
While the artist doesn't like follow spots generally, they carried one on the tour which was rigged each night and on standby' as needed. At Olympia, it lifted the light levels on his face at strategic moments for the cameras.
The challenge was finding that fine balance between dark and light and pleasing all the fans who want to see him and his preference for keeping the lumens down! stated Jonny.
The Colour Sound BT6 video screen installed for the London show measured 40 ft wide by 25 high and was an impressive addition to the visuals, supplied complete with a robo cam package from Colour Sound (on the tour they utilised a backdrop with the album over artwork).
The video playback footage - due to the time restraints and the fact is was only used for the one show on this leg of the tour - was content that Jonny and their regular video director Julian Hogg had compiled using a proportion of re-edited existing and classic music videos plus some new footage, all presented onscreen in a series of virtual vintage TV set frames bringing a flourish of retro with a modern twist.
For the Olympia show, the video playback was co-ordinated by Toby Vogel using a Resolume server, and the robo cams were operated by Colour Sound's Ed Blackwell. The robo cams were positioned along the front of the stage on stands and the resulting IMAG footage was highly effective.
Jonny operated the lighting using his own ChamSys control set up.
For the Olympia show, the video playback was co-ordinated by Toby Vogel using a Resolume server, and the robo cams were operated by Colour Sound's Ed Blackwell. The robo cams were positioned along the front of the stage on stands and the resulting IMAG footage was highly effective.
Jonny operated the lighting using his own ChamSys control set up.
Europe Stories
06/10/2025
France T l visions, France's leading broadcaster, has received the 2025 EBU ...
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
02/07/2025
Calrec expands ecosystem at NAB 2025 giving broadcasters access to dynamic workflows and ultimate flexibility Helping broadcasters meet the shifting needs of me...
02/07/2025
02 Jul 2025
VEON Raises USD 200 Million in Private Bond Placement Dubai, July 1, 2025: VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator ( VEON ), announces ...
02/07/2025
Brand new factual series follows mechanic and self-taught engineer Dom Chinea as he makes the move of his life to the far west of Cornwall
UKTV today announces...
02/07/2025
Rohde & Schwarz acquires ZES ZIMMER Electronic Systems GmbH and expands its T&M ...
02/07/2025
Wuppertal July 2, 2025
Riedel Communications Launches RefSuite Ecosystem for S...
02/07/2025
Andrew will serve as Chair of ABC alongside his role at NED, APL Media, where he supports the executive team with strategic insight and global expansion plans. ...
01/07/2025
The launch of Code of Silence, coupled with the Britains Got Talent semi final, gave ITV its best Sunday night of 2025.
The first episode of the new crime dr...
01/07/2025
ITV and Mammoth Screen have announced the start of filming for Betrayal, a gripp...
01/07/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
01/07/2025
Vocal-processing plug-in joins NOIZ Hub series
Launched in 2024, KIT Plugins' NOIZ Hub series was created with the aim of providing a range of professio...
01/07/2025
New self-paced learning programme announced
Mastering.com have announced the availability of a new online course designed to cover the fundamentals of maste...
01/07/2025
The Traitors are coming: Get your first taste of the global hit as Season 1 of T...
01/07/2025
cetecom advanced certifies Rohde & Schwarz test solution for the verification of...
01/07/2025
RT has announced that Teresa Smith has been appointed Commissioning Editor with responsibility for Factual Entertainment following a public competition. This s...
01/07/2025
This July, RT is delighted to support Galway International Arts Festival, Earagail Arts Festival in Donegal, Belfast TradFest and 23 other arts and cultural ev...
30/06/2025
There's nothing quite like the magic of finding music that feels made just f...
30/06/2025
When it comes to new music, Spotify's team of editors across North America is always on the hunt for songs that make them feel, think, and move. They're...
30/06/2025
Star Studded Ensemble Cast Are Joined by Richard Rankin as Filming Begins on the Second Season
[June 12, 2025 - Boston, MA]: The Forsytes, Debbie Horsfield...
30/06/2025
Eurorack sequencer module reimagined
California-based modular synth innovators Qu-Bit have announced the launch of a new module that offers a fresh new take...
30/06/2025
Improved dynamic behaviour, improved audio quality & more
Techivation have announced the release of an upgraded edition of their very first premium plug-in,...
30/06/2025
German premiere with live flight demonstration: German industry team showcases e...
30/06/2025
The Focusrite Summer Sale is now on Don't miss unbeatable deals on Scarlett, Vocaster, and more.
Whether you're an artist, a producer, or a podcaste...
30/06/2025
All 8 episodes of Season 1 of 1923 will be available on RT Player from Tuesday ...
30/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
52% report AI security spending is displacing tr...
30/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Cannes, June 30th, 2025 - Thales Alenia Space, t...
29/06/2025
Handpan-inspired instrument announced
Roland have announced the launch of the Mood Pan, a unique electronic hand percussion instrument that has been designe...
28/06/2025
Music theory plug-in updated
Three months on from the release of the latest version of their renowned music theory plug in, Scaler Music have launched an up...
27/06/2025
K-Pop remains one of the biggest genres globally, and many fans just can't get enough of it. That's why Spotify has launched a new series of K-Pop perf...
27/06/2025
In our latest blog post, Rafael Rivera highlights the rising threat of online scams, and the important role cybersecurity plays in protecting families across ge...
27/06/2025
From grounded realism to bending, impossible geometries
Klevgrand have announced the release of a new algorithmic reverb plug-in which they say deconstruct...
27/06/2025
Learn to use REW for room analysis
Acoustic treatment is one of the most important factors in any studio, and with the extensive range of products available...
27/06/2025
Second edition of parallel clipper plug-in announced
Soundtheory have announced the launch of Kraftur Focus, a new edition of their parallel clipper plug-in...
27/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Thales, a global high-tech leader, and Kongsberg...
27/06/2025
Friday 27 June 2025
Combination of RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to create a unique proposition in entertainment, sports ...
26/06/2025
Bilbao Linz, June 26th 2025 - AgileTV, a European leader in TV and video technology solutions, has signed an agreement this week with the Austrian telco LIWES...
26/06/2025
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, has resolved, based on the decisions ma...
26/06/2025
Three new entry-level models introduced
Catering to everything from casual listening to professional content creation, KRK's new Kreate Series monitors ...
26/06/2025
Registration closes on 8 July 2025
The deadline for entires into the fifth annual MIDI Innovation Awards is now just two weeks away. Product submissions are...
26/06/2025
Entire plug-in range updated
Waves have announced the launch of Waves V16, the latest version of their extensive plug-ins collection. Along with compatibili...
26/06/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Madrid, June 26, 2025 - The European Space Agenc...
26/06/2025
UKTV and Talented People are delighted to announce the renewal of their successf...
26/06/2025
THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING OF MAGYAR TELEKOM DECIDES ON THE SEPARATION OF...
26/06/2025
Keeper Pictures, the Dublin-based scripted production company whose credits include The Gone and Striking Out, has optioned the exclusive TV adaptation rights t...
26/06/2025
This July, RT presents The Phone Box Babies, a documentary revealing new insigh...
25/06/2025
Last week, content creators from all over the world flocked to Anaheim for VidCon 2025, one of the largest creator conferences in the U.S. As an official sponso...
25/06/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
25/06/2025
Sales proceeds from 25 - 26 June 2025 donated to Lambda Legal
Soundtoys have announced that 100% of all sales made on 25 and 26 June 2025 will be donated to...
25/06/2025
No Apollo or UAD hardware required
Universal Audio have announced that their software recreation of Dolby's renowned multiband enhancer - which was laun...