Bandit Supplies Shayne Ward

Bandit Lites is again supplying lighting equipment and crew to Production North for Shayne Ward's current UK arena tour.

Bandit UK's CEO Lester Cobrin says, "It’s great to be working with production manager, Sarah Hollis and her team again, and it’s good to see Shayne Ward’s career developing and expanding.”

Bandit put LD Mick Thornton in the frame to weave lighting into the show’s other creative elements which include a set designed by Production North's Iain Whitehead and a series of video projections running throughout most of the show which has been directed by Priscilla Samuels.

Thornton had many ideas for the performance, which has ramped up a few notches from Ward’s original style, and has a more edgy, rock vibe than the pop format that catapulted him to stardom 2 years ago.

Thornton’s primary practical restriction was truck space - with only one trailer available for lights. Budget was also expedient, which is always a good gauntlet for the imagination. His main challenge was producing a show with the dynamics to encompass the wide variety of styles and moods of Ward's performance. (Used variety twice here, does that matter?)

"Mick is a real master of taking full advantage of the lights he has available to him," says Cobrin. "Once again he’s excelled himself – every lamp on the rig works hard and he gets a great range of looks which never become repetitive.”

Thornton also had to find a good balance between lighting and the video, which is projected onto a 50 X 20 ft screen filling upstage centre area, and also the dancers, who are integral to the show.

The rig was based around a 60 ft back truss, a 30 ft truss downstage of that, then two ‘front-mid’ 15ft trusses with a split in the centre, angled upwards at 45 degrees, and another similarly split and angled front truss. The splits and angles were to allow the installation of a long flying beam for the "Breathless" gag, where Ward zooms 100 ft into the audience suspended on a flying frame for the penultimate song of the show.

The moving lights are 24 Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs dotted around the trusses and on two levels of the deck, and 34 Martin Professional MAC 600s, which are also scattered around the various air positions and on the deck.

Then there are 14 Atomic strobes, 14 2-lite Moles and 18 bars of PARs, plus 2 DF 50 smoke machines and a Glaciator low fogger. Bandit is also supplying 2 follow spots. It’s the first time for a while that Thornton has used this many PARs on a rig, but this allows him to build his basic stage and set wash layers, which are then overlaid with assorted moving light effects.

There is also a selection of Raylights and other units ensconced within the set over which Thornton has control. Two follow spots are also on the Bandit kit list, along with all rigging, motors and control needed to fly the lighting elements of the production.

The show features plenty of big lighting looks, particularly towards the final third of the set, with numerous strobe effects and flashy up-tempo numbers, along with the occasional ballad.

Crew chief is Phil Kerwick, Ian Day is taking care of dimmers and Hunter Frith is the third Bandit technician working alongside Thornton.

"As always, the crew supplied by Bandit are spot-on," enthuses Thornton. "Lester [Cobrin] always ensures that everything runs efficiently and that plenty of attention is paid to detail – what more can you ask for?”

The tour’s video equipment is being supplied by XL Video UK, sound is from Wigwam and pyro by Pyro Junkies.