Gallery & Press Releases
Global Gathering for HSL
9 months ago
in 2012
Leading UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL continued its busy summer supplying lighting equipment, LED screens, trussing and rigging for the Main Stage and five tented arenas at the 2012 Global Gathering event, staged at Long Marston Airfield near Stratford ….. attracting up to 50,000 dance music fans over two days.
HSL’s Tim Fawkes project managed the event and co-ordinated the supply of seven trucks worth of equipment to event production lighting designers Nick Jevons and Phil Windward of Electric Fly, also working closely with their lighting crew chief Mark Callaghan.
The main stage headliners were Tinie Tempah (Friday) and Chase & Status (Saturday). They and a host of other top international DJs and live acts – including Armin van Buren, Skrillex, Dot Rotten, James Zabiela, Ferry Corsten and hundreds more – set the fabulous Warwickshire countryside buzzing with the very best dance vibes,.
Even the sun participated in the fun .. delighting everyone with a fantastic performance over the two days – one of the few UK festivals this summer not to be plagued by erratic weather. The good weather prompted a run on the last remaining tickets the week before.
HSL is also More >
HSL Says Farewell to Westlife
10 months ago
in 2012
Westlife – the world’s favourite ‘boyband’ – played two phenomenal and highly emotional farewell concerts over two nights at Croke Park stadium in Dublin in their very last live performances, capping an amazing 14 year chart-topping, multi-million record selling career.
Lighting for this – and the six week tour preceding the two 85,000 capacity sold out shows at Croke Park – was supplied by leading UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL. It included nearly 200 moving lights.
The lighting design was created by Dave ‘Biccie’ Lee and operated on the tour at Croke Park by Simon Horn. Mike Oates project managed for HSL, who were working for the tour’s technical production co-ordinators Production North, under the auspices of production manager Karen Ringland.
Says Mike Oates, “We were immensely proud to work on this tour and the two landmark Croke Park shows. The show was absolutely stunning and a real tribute to all involved in producing another complete Westlife ‘experience’ with the highest production values that will be remembered for many years to come”.
As well as the hordes of loyal and dedicated fans packing into Croke Park for the final Farewell Concert, this show was More >
HSL Rocks With Prodigy at Download
11 months ago
in 2012
Lighting and visuals rental company HSL supplied a substantial ‘specials’ package – including 170 moving lights, custom metal ribs inset with LEDs and a Kinesys automation system – for The Prodigy’s hell-raising headliner performance at the 2012 Download festival, staged at Donnington Race Track near Derby.
The band’s show visuals were designed by Andy Hurst. As you’d expect it was a high impact, high energy, relentlessly pumping show musically and visually.
As it was also the band’s only UK festival appearance this summer Hurst wanted to do something on an epic and grand scale.
HSL’s Mike Oates project managed with HSL’s Tim Fawkes working as system and console tech on-site, and also assisting Hurst with the WYSIWYG pre-programming, completed in HSL’s dedicated visualisation facility at their new warehouse in Blackburn.
The backbone of the rig was 16 custom 8 metre high curved ‘ribs’ which were all individually outlined with LEDs, flown across the full stage width on three staggered upstage trusses. The idea being to add depth to the whole performance space.
These trusses were flown on Kinesys beam trolleys so they could be tracked upstage during the day and concertina’d More >
HSL Supplies Lighting for The Israeli Opera’s Carmen at Masada
11 months ago
in 2012
Leading UK lighting rental company HSL sent over 500 lighting fixtures and crew to the Dead Sea for the third consecutive year to service the 2012 Israeli Opera Festival at Masada, which premiered a brand new production of Bizet’s “Carmen” directed by Daniel Oren.
HSL was again working for the event’s overall technical production suppliers The Design group from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, in an operation co-ordinated by event Technical Director Eyal Lavee and Technical Production Manager Elad Mainz from Stage Design, and Project Managed for HSL by Mike Oates.
Lighting for the stunning looking ‘bare-stage’ production was designed by Avi Yona Bueno (Bambi), Israel’s best known performing arts lighting designer. The set was created by William Orlandi and the show directed by Giancarlo del Monaco both from Italy.
HSL’s crew of Ian Stevens and Matt Brown worked on site with Israeli lighting technicians Tsafrir Dagan (Saffi) and Itay and Ran Hafner, and together they dealt with the four containers of kit that left HSL’s HQ in Blackburn – three by sea and one by road.
The lighting rig featured 150 Robe moving lights – a mixture of ColorSpot 2500E ATs, ColorSpot 1200E ATs and REDWash More >
HSL Supplies UK Schools Games Opening Ceremony
12 months ago
in 2010
HSL supplied lighting, LED screens, rigging, staging, structures and power for the Sainsbury’s UK Schools Games Opening Ceremony at Gateshead International Stadium. The Blackburn based company was working for show production company Fast Track Events and also for Modular Projects who together delivered the show for end clients, the UK Youth Sport Trust. The ceremony was hosted by BBC Sports presenter Jill Douglas
HSL’s Mike Docksey co-ordinated a masterpiece of planning which ensured that everything ran like clockwork on site, with Howard Dean production managing HSL’s multi-skilled crew and liaising closely with show producer, Fast Track’s Bob Caple.
Says Docksey, “This was a real team effort from all angles, requiring a lot of transparent and lucid communications. It was a pleasure to work with Bob and Fast Track Events again, to be involved with and assist in capturing the vibe, enthusiasm and spirit of this occasion”.
With the majority of the production components of the event given over to HSL to co-ordinate, the various creative elements could focus on their contributions to the show.
The high energy 60 minute Opening Ceremony show was unlike anything ever seen More >
HSL Pushes The Right Buttons
12 months ago
in 2010
Blackburn, UK based lighting rental company HSL supplied moving lights, LED fixtures, follow spots and generics for Ant & Dec’s hugely popular new “Push The Button” family challenge games show.
The first 6-part series, produced by independent company Gallowgate, has just finished and proved a massive prime time Saturday night hit for ITV. Lighting designer was Tom Kinane, with whom HSL has worked on many previous projects. The programme was directed by Nikki Parsons and recorded at Pinewood Studios’ S-Stage. HSL’s project manager was Sean McGlone.
McGlone comments, “It’s always good to work with Tom. His shows are imaginative and interestingly lit, he chooses his lighting instruments judiciously and gets the very best out of all them.”
The eye catching set was designed by Dominic Tolfts. It was very wide with a series of gently curved lycra fins which also served as light-boxes around the
side wing areas, complete with majestically sweeping side stars left and right, and a large ‘playing area’ in the middle. Various props and stage trucks were pushed on and off stage through a central rear opening, back-stopped with a structure of sun-strips and a Space Flower for More >
HSL Immersed in the Pendulum Tour
12 months ago
in 2010
Blackburn-based HSL continues an incredibly active 2010, supplying lighting and crew to the current UK and European tour by Australian drum ‘n’ bass rockers Pendulum, whose distinctive hi-energy sound and performance is storming around the world with their third album “Immersion”.
The show, a seamless fusion of video and lighting, is designed by Mark Calvert of Immersive (formally known as Pixel Addicts), together with his colleagues John Munroe and Dave Green. It features a striking set architecture constructed from special dollies containing Barco MiStrip LED screen, which has its own set lighting system some parameters of which are controlled, along with the video content, by Immersive’s dynamic Addict show control system. Additional lighting onstage is controlled through a ‘traditional’ lighting console operated by lighting designer Simon Barrington.
Mike Oates is project managing for HSL. He says, “When production manager Chris Griffiths asked us onboard we were really excited. We have also worked on projects with Simon and Immersive before, so it’s a really bright and happy team. The show is right at the cutting edge of visual design and show control, which is a great More >
HSL in the Passion Pit
12 months ago
in 2010
Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL were delighted to get involved in supplying equipment for the latest UK tour by cult US electronic band, Passion Pit.
HSL’s Mike Oates was approached by Passion Pit’s lighting designer, New York based Mike Janowitz, with whom they are working on various other projects. Janowitz asked if HSL could put together a good visuals package for the band’s UK tour. Says HSL’s Mike Oates, “It’s very exciting working with cutting edge new artists, so we looked at Mike’s design and approached XL Video to supply the video elements required. We also co-ordinated a trucking deal with Fly By Nite for the tour”.
The two week UK tour encompassed a variety of venues including students unions and small to medium theatres and town halls including Rock City, Nottingham, Manchester Academy and The Forum in London. Passion Pit’s lighting was looked after on this leg of the tour by lighting director Ryoji Suguro, who was joined by HSL technician Andy “Paris” Hilton.
HSL supplied a dynamic and flexible floor-based system which was integrated with the overhead house lighting rigs available at each venue.
The floor package was based around 7 vertical More >
HSL Supplies OMD Tour
12 months ago
in 2010
Blackburn UK based lighting rental company HSL continues an incredibly busy autumn/winter season supplying lights, Kinesys automation, projection and LED to the Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark(OMD) UK and European tour.
It featured the band’s original line up, a new album “History of Modern” and an incredibly energetic set comprising a lively mix of classic hits and new material, much of it with as much – if not more – political relevance now than in the 1980s, all of which WOWed crowds of all ages.
It was lighting/visuals designer Andy Liddle’s first full production tour with the band since he came onboard in 2009. He created an interesting mix of moving elements, LED and projection surfaces and lighting, to provide a perfect contemporary scenic showcase for OMD ….. three decades of synth pop later.
One of his imaginative starting points was the angular lines of the new album artwork, which he wanted to mimic in the set architecture.
All suppliers were invited to tender for the tour at the outset, from which HSL won the lighting and visuals package explains Liddle, who was also aware of some of the other work that HSL has been doing recently. “We felt HSL’s experience with More >
HSL Supplies Lighting for Nabucco at Masada
12 months ago
in 2010
Blackburn, UK, based lighting rental company HSL supplied all stage lighting equipment and crew to the acclaimed Israeli Opera production of Verdi’s Nabucco, staged at a new purpose-built open air site in the middle of the desert on the World Heritage site of Masada Mountain …. by the Dead Sea in Israel.
HSL was brought onboard by Jerusalem and Tel Aviv based Stage Design, who supplied all the technical infrastructure for the high profile 6 day event, and built most of the site. It was the first time the two companies had collaborated, which happened after HSL came highly recommended by several contacts.
HSL’s project manager Mike Oates says, “We were delighted to win the contract. Working with the Stage Design team has been a real pleasure. They have the same vision and dedication to providing great service, cutting edge technology and top people as we do. There were many challenges, but that is all part of the uniqueness of dealing with site specific events”.
HSL sea freighted all the gear – which included over 100 Robe moving lights including the first 20 of the new ColorBeam 2500E ATs off the production line after their launch 2 months ago at the Prolight+Sound exhibition in More >
