Gallery & Press Releases
Posts tagged Mike Oates
More Flash Floods of Colour for HSL with Enter Shikari
5 months ago
in 2013
Leading UK lighting and visuals rental company HSL continued its energetic working relationship with lighting / visuals designer Steve Bewley and the band Enter Shikari, supplying lighting and video equipment to the latest shows on their “Flash Flood of Colour” world tour.
Bewley has worked for Enter Shikari for the last five years. They are among the hardest working artists on the live circuit, bringing their unique highly adrenalized electro-metal sounds and stage performances to a loyal and enthusiastic international fanbase.
Around 18 months ago, HSL came on-board to supply equipment for their UK and European work after Bewley was impressed by the people, equipment, service and attitude of the Blackburn based operation.
“We needed a complete solutions company for lighting and visuals … and HSL was a great choice,” he states.
HSL’s project manager Mike Oates says, “We love working with Steve and the band. The ideas are always fresh and interesting and the shows are full-on, lively, fun and innovative – both musically and visually”.
The stage design concept for this section of the Flash Flood tour was an evolution from previous incarnations and derivative from the distinctive More >
HSL at Bestival 2008
1 year ago
in 2008
Award winning lighting rental company HSL once again supplied lighting for the main stage at Bestival on the Isle of Wight which muddily concluded the 2008 UK festival season, as Britain was lashed by storms, high winds and torrential rain causing widespread chaos throughout theUK.
HSL has been involved with Bestival since its inception in 2004. Once again their team, led on site by Rory MacKay and in the office by Mike Oates, worked closely with site and event production managers John Gray and Lee Charteris, and producer Loudsound Events’ Jim King.
The main stage production lighting design was created by Steven Abbiss. He looked at the principal headlining band’s spec’ and created a “house” design that would work for them, along with their assorted specials packages, plus the raft of other performers taking to the stage over the weekend. As always with a festival situation, flexibility and adaptability was the key to the design, which involved some intense overnight re-rigs on Friday and Saturday.
The Main stage was a 20 metre Star Events orbit style roof, under which HSL sub hung their own trusses, fitted to the shape of the ceiling and maximising the available space. In More >
HSL Supplies Wicked Lighting for Il Divo
1 year ago
in 2012
Leading UK lighting and visual rentals specialist HSL’s mega busy spring and early summer season continues, supplying lighting, Kinesys automation system and crew to another high profile artist – International operatic / pop vocal superstars Il Divo.
The massively successful ‘crossover’ group who have made this popular genre their own have just completed the first full production UK and European leg of their “Wicked Game” World tour.
It was HSL’s first tour with the band, after being brought on-board by tour director and production manager Andy Proudfoot.
Lighting designer Matt Pitman started work with Il Divo for this tour following a one-off stadium show in Paraguay at the end of 2011 in front of 36,000 people. His design has brought additional vibrancy and vitality to the stunning set and screen elements that are part of artistic director Brian Burke’s visual concept.
Matt is very pleased to be working with HSL again, where the tour is project managed by the uber project manager Mike Oates. Pitman has been involved in various projects with Blackburn based HSL, and comments, “What can I say – an absolutely brilliant company! Their attitude, standards and work ethics are More >
