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Adlib Lghts Mika
ADLIB Lighting supplied equipment and crew to Mika’s recent tour, on which the UK's hottest new star unleashed his considerable talent and energy to the first live audiences since his sensational hit ‘Grace Kelly’ topped the charts.
Adlib designer Ian Tomlinson was brought onboard by tour manager Jamie Butterworth - the two have previously worked together on Mylo. Butterworth also asked Adlib to quote on the tour.
Adlib's head of lighting Pete Abraham said: "As you can imagine, we're really excited to be working with such an amazing breakthrough artist as Mika. There’s a massive buzz about him and he’s a great live performer. Ian came up with a highly adaptable and dynamic rig that fitted a variety of venue sizes.” These ranged from the Birmingham Barfly to Koko in London, so practicality was definitely to the fore. Mika himself wanted the show to have a carnavalesque and festive feel, and requested that the lighting should be "bright and bouncy".
Tomlinson started with floor-based trussing to build a structural outline for the stage. To give it a quirky flavor – matching Mika’s interesting performance style - he chose a semi circle of truss that rested on the floor at the back creating an arched effect, flanked by two quarter circles, which also appeared as arches.
Onstage were six upright sections of A-type trussing, four at 8 foot and two 10 - all toned with JTE PixelPARs. These could be shunted around according to where the risers were placed that day. On top of each of the uprights were six Martin Professional MAC 250s which effectively took up the role of 'rear' truss luminaires.
Twelve JTE PixelLine fixtures were dotted around the rig - their exact positioning altering “as needed” each day, according to they layout of the risers. These were chosen for the “Incredible brightness and high impact effect,” explains Tomlinson.
Adlib Lighting are also the first people to use JTE's new PixelLine Micro E's, a sixth of the size of a full PixelLine fixture, 12 of which were randomly fixed to the arches at the back, and used for super-bright point source and silhouette lighting.
Keeping if fun, funky and glittery Adlib supplied six half-mirror balls, which were fitted between the back line wherever there was a gap in the floorspace! Sixty metres of red and white festoons were hung around the stage and FOH each day – which could be time consuming, but well worth the effect! They also carried a hazer and a Hog iPC console with a fader wing, Tomlinson's desk of choice for running shows and concerts.
In addition to the touring rig, where possible, they also hooked various aspects of the house rigs, which would usually provide front lighting, and additional over-stage fixtures if necessary.
Mika goes out on a larger production tour in the UK and Europe again in May. They are also doing festivals this summer, which will involve carrying a lighting rig for all those at which they headline.
9th March 2007
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