Bandit Lights Girls Aloud

Bandit Lites is again working with Leeds-based Production North and continuing its fruitful relationship, this time with Girls Aloud on their UK arena tour.

The production is headed by Iain Whitehead, lighting has been designed by Peter Barnes, with programming, operation and direction on tour by Tellson James.

The lightshow is big, bold and bright to match the primarily up-tempo set of one of the UK's most successful female groups. It's a very well balanced show which sees the Girls highlighted throughout, with the dancers and band very much also involved in the lighting action. Barnes conceived the design and briefed James with ideas on some of the songs, also allowing him latitude to make a creative contribution to the programming, which was done over 4 days in Sheffield Arena.

The back truss features 4 vertical legs, all of which flank 3 onstage video screens. The two centre legs are 6 metres high and the outer two are 4 metres. Rigged on and inside this structure are 11 Martin Professional MAC 2K Washes and 8 MAC 2K Profile moving lights.

In front of that are 4 semicircular trusses ranging from 3m to 6m diameter. These are rigged with 11 MAC 2K Spots and 7 MAC 2K Washes. The front truss contains ten MAC 2K Washes for general front stage coverage plus six 8-lite Molefay for audience abuse.

Further upstage, behind the 'castle' truss, is a U-shaped truss holding a tab track, with an additional 3 MAC 2K Washes on each side.

Attached to each side truss at the front of the stage are 2 MAC 2K Washes. The only floor lights are 2 Studio Due 3K Space Flowers and 2 CityColor wash luminaires. The band risers are internally lit with 12 ColorBlast 12 LED fixtures arranged in four groups of three.

The main show gag is a 100ft catwalk from stage to FOH - dressed along the bottom with multiple hangs of stranded LED icicle lights that lowers half way through the set. The Girls traverse this to the B stage just in front of the FOH position, and are picked up by the 5 follow spots whilst they perform there. The Perspex topped B stage is underlit with six 4-lite Moles and edged by 8 MR16 battens.

Tellson James controls all lighting from a WholeHog II console. Bandit crew includes Steve ‘Stona’ Rusling, Ian ‘Mac’ MacEwan and James 'Jam' Such.

"As always, Lester Cobrin and the Bandit team has really looked after us well," says Tellson James. "I am always happy to work with them.”