Kooks' lighting designer “Luton Pete” (Pete Hosier) chose an Avolites Diamond 4 Vision console to control all lighting on Kooks, whose latest chart-busting album Konk hit the UK # 1 slot just as they began that leg of the tour.
Hosier has always been a keen Avo user, and "Didn't think twice” about using the D4 on the tour. Taking a less-is-more approach to the design, the look and feel of the show is based on a rear wall of light, which was one of the many ideas that Hosier discussed with the band, who take an active interest in the aesthetics of the show.
The wall is constructed around seven 20-foot vertical scaffolding pipes, each rigged with 3 LED PARs, a Martin Professional Atomic strobe with a scroller, and a GLP Impression moving LED wash fixture. The back wall neatly combines the basics of that slightly “old school’”look with new LED technology. The rest of the lights are spread across three trusses and the floor.
The back truss contains eight Robe ColorSpot 700E AT fixtures; the mid truss has five Robe ColorSpot 575E ATs, while the front has five Robe ColorSpot 575E ATs, five ColorWash 700E ATs and Source Four profiles for key lighting.
On the deck are 10 JTE PixelLine LED battens, used for washing across the cyc at the back and also for up-lighting from underneath the risers. There's another 9 Atomic strobes scattered around the general floor area which are gelled, plus another 6 GLP Impressions. Eight conventional PARs are used for classic backlighting and silhouetting effects, adding a bit of edginess to the stage ambience. All of this is run from the Diamond 4.
"It's absolutely the perfect console for this type of show which does not have to be so heavily structured in terms of cues," explains Hosier. "There's a fair amount of improvisation and generally it's a very hands-on show." He fills the top row of faders with memories which can be grabbed instantly at all times.
He first became acquainted with the D4 whilst working as the house lighting tech at Shepherd's Bush Empire, one of London's principal live music venues. "It's incredibly quick to program," he says, adding that it's also proved reliable and he likes Avolite's whole approach to the industry as well as the products.
Lighting equipment for the Kooks UK and European tours is being supplied by London-based Colour Sound Experiment. Hosier worked alongside crew members Martin Dudley (of Martin Lights) and Richard Gilson on this most recent section, and they were joined by Andy Melleney for the Brixton shows. Kooks have just finished the latest European and UK leg of the Konk world tour which continues until March 2009.