Colour Sound Has Desire for Hurts posted: 19/01/2018
Colour Sound Experiment supplied lighting and crew to the most recent UK and European leg of synth pop duo Hurts Desire tour which included many adventures and the presentation of some superlative shows in more off-gig circuit reaches of Europe.
These included Moldova, Siberia, Belarus and Ukraine, and was a test to the tenacity, ingenuity, commitment and camaraderie of production manager Craig Sherwood and his team combined with the ardent enthusiasm of the band's fan base.
Award winning production designer Rob Sinclair created the scenic and lighting design and worked with Matt Arthur as lighting director / programmer and operator on the road. It's the third Hurts' album cycle for these two, who have worked together in a similar format for the last 10 years.
The band's production and the relationship with Colour Sound as a lighting and rigging supplier also goes back a long way.
H (Haydn Cruickshank) commented, We always love working with Rob! You never know quite what to expect, but when the design is revealed, it's always inventive, different and looks amazing! It was also great to be back on the road again with Hurts we have enjoyed seeing their career success grow and grow due to a lot of hard work and some excellent music, and it was great to be working with Craig (Sherwood) again .
For this first two weeks of the tour in Siberia, they took a floor and specials lighting package which fitted into one truck together with the audio gear. When they reached Riga, another truck was added carrying the full top lighting package and additional sound. The full production then continued until the end of the tour, another five weeks around Europe concluding with two highly memorable UK shows in London and Manchester.
Matt was joined on the road by a Colour Sound crew of Sam Kenyon (chief), Jonnie Westell and Liam Rudd. Sam and Jonnie did the whole tour including the first two weeks and were joined by Liam in Helsinki as they ramped up to the full rig.
Rob created an uber-cool looking set and lighting scheme based around four concrete' pillars or stalagmites measuring between 12 and 16 ft. long and 20 inches in diameter, all offset at obtuse and jaunty angles and rotations!
These lent themselves perfectly to being lit, and particularly well from fixtures on the floor and mid truss. The set and lighting rig was designed to be ultimately adaptable and during this first six weeks of the tour they have played anything from 12,000 seater arenas to 600 capacity clubs, which entailed utilizing several imaginative permutations of the rig to ensure that the band had at least some continuity for their performances!
The quirky industrial chic look set the scene and was augmented with a practical and compact lighting rig plus a couple of visual surprises which were revealed as the set unfolded, to bring a flourish of theatrical magic.
At the essence of the design was a quest for dimension, side light and the colour red. Rob also didn't want any blinders or strobes ... so those effects had to be created with other luminaries, another little challenge for Matt as he worked out the best lighting looks and scenes during production rehearsals at Cato Music in Wimbledon, south London.
Having a structural set to light made the performance area into a real 3D space and a great starting point for Matt to light. The four pillars were constructed by Get Set Scenery from Wales out of polystyrene and included large bases that slotted beneath the band risers upstage. The riser skirts were dressed in the same concrete red' and grey tones as the stalagmites.
They brought an overall edgy - at times a bit sinister - architectural look to the stage, which neatly reminded everyone that a Hurts show has plenty of hidden depths!
One of the lighting specials was an impressive chandelier made up from 36 x Martin Sceptron LED battens attached to three concentric aluminium rings of 5, 4 and 3 ft. diameters respectively. The three rings are fixed together and concertina into one other for storage/ transport in a large flight case.
It was flown on a truss with two Colour Sound Kinesys motors so it glided in and out to different positions, controlled by Sam using Kinesys Vector software. When they had the headroom, it was flown into the roof and hidden completely for the start of the show, dropping in during the opening sequence.
As well as some excellent eye-candy for the up-tempo sections of the set - programmes as standard lightsources in 10 channel mode, utilizing the internal effects - the chandelier helped create a moody, intimate clubby ambience for the acoustic numbers when it was flown in low and right next to the band.
The second special effect was an upstage truss initially hidden behind the back paprika red drapes which were attached to a 12m Tab Track and opened / closed manually to reveal 20 x 1K fresnels rigged off 5 x 6m vertical pipes.
The first reveal was half way through the show, letting a blast of vibrant, powerful soft light through from behind with great impact.
The standard overhead rig comprised three trusses - front, mid and rear - all at 40 ft. / 12 metres.
Six Robe BMFL Spots on the front truss were used primarily for front projection and downstage washes plus key light / pickups for the two artists, synthesist Adam Anderson and singer Theo Hutchcraft.
The 5-piece band were positioned upstage of them on a series of risers.
The mid truss was rigged with 4 x Robe BMFL Spots and 4 x Chauvet Rogue R2 washes. The BMFLs were key backlight on Hurts and also ideal for lighting the pillars as were the washes which also did a lot of work on these striking scenic elements.
The mid truss was also used to suspend the Sceptron chandelier in the centre when there wasn't room for its own dedicated tru
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
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...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
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...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Music discovery should feel intuitive and personal. That's why we're continuing to give you more control, so you can ask for what you want, shape what y...
28/01/2026
Today, Charlie Hellman, Spotify's Head of Music, shared the following note on the Spotify for Artists blog that the company paid out more than $11 billion t...
28/01/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), in partnership with the Oudtshoorn Municipality, invites aspiring and emerging filmmakers to apply for the Sediba...
28/01/2026
As demand for more complex live sports coverage grows, Balkan broadcast specialist MVP has upgraded its flagship HD1 progressive OB truck with the installation ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Luxembourg, January 26, 2026 - SES S.A. ( SES or the Company ), a leading space solutions company, acknowledges the credit rating action announced by Fitch to...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
28 01 2026 - Media release Screen Australia refreshes Market & Audience approach...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
28 Jan 2026
VEON Notes Kyivstar Group Publication of Selected Full Year 2025 Fi...
28/01/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to host 2026 edition of its online event Demystifying EMC Rohde & Schwarz invites the global EMC community to join a crucial discussion on pre...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
28/01/2026
Stadtwerke Wolfhagen Modernize Customer Management with AEP.energysuite from Arv...
27/01/2026
Click for Japanese version
Tokyo, Japan - January 27, 2026 - Akamai Technolo...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Today, Spotify is proud to support our partner Backline, an industry-leading men...
27/01/2026
With nearly 29 million monthly listeners and clear momentum on Spotify, Net n Ve...
27/01/2026
January 14, 2026
We are proud to share that 25 Ontario, First Gulf's commercial project located just two minutes from our head office, has been recognized ...
27/01/2026
January 22, 2026
First Gulf is excited to share that a full-building lease has been secured at 625 Bronte Rd in Oakville, part of Bronte Station Business Park,...
27/01/2026
January 23, 2026
First Gulf continues to demonstrate its commitment to high-performance, sustainable real estate with 351 King Street East achieving BOMA BEST ...
27/01/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
Colour Sound Has Desire for Hurts posted: 19/01/2018 
