Ed Sheeran’s current world tour in support of his 3rd studio album ÷ features a huge 187-date tour, followed by 2 Robert Juliat Lancelot followspots, supplied by UK-based lighting hire company, Lights Control Rigging (LCR).
Robert Juliat’s Lancelot is a 4000W HTI followspot designed for very long throw applications, with a 2°-5° zoom and an innovative optical train that delivers an extremely flat beam and improves on the power of its smaller counterparts.
Production Designer, Mark Cunniffe, who has worked with Sheeran as a Lighting and Production Designer in 2011, specified the 2 Lancelot followspots for the ÷ tour. “I chose the Lancelots for a number of reasons. Firstly, I love the optics of the Robert Juliat products, which guarantee a flat field and good output. Secondly, the Lancelot is always a rock solid followspot to take on tour. It is great to be able to travel with the lamp in situ in the spot and, with 187 dates, we needed something we could trust to be truly durable.
“The Lancelots have been very reliable and shown themselves to be extremely technician-friendly in terms of maintenance and road-worthiness. As expected they have been excellent all round,” Cunniffe explained.
Mike Oates of Lights Control Rigging, added: “As a rental company, investing in products such as the Robert Juliat Lancelot is essential to ensure our clients receive a strong reliable touring product. It is also great to deal with Robert Juliat and Ambersphere again who offer a great service and a speedy and knowledgable support network.”
Ed Sheeran’s album tour is not the only large-scale event which Cunniffe has opted for Robert Juliat followspots, 4 RJ Lancelot and 2 RJ Merlin 2500W HMI followspots have recently toured Europe with Robbie Williams The Heavy Entertainment Show tour, where Cunniffe employed them as Front-of-House and side spots.
The Heavy Entertainment Show set comprises a multi-layered stage, with a mass of video and LED set pieces, staging gags, and backing performers, so the accuracy and output of the Robert Juliat followspots is essential if they are to hold their own in this environment.
“Following our initial investment in Robert Juliat Lancelots in 2011 we have seen them become the followspot of choice for the majority of the work we do, to the extent we now have 28 in our inventory,” commented Neg Earth Lights’ Dave Ridgway. “The commitment and support from Robert Juliat and Ambersphere was an important factor in our decision to invest in the Merlin in 2015 when we were looking to replace our stock of Supertroopers.”
Robbie Williams’ The Heavy Entertainment Show ran for 35 dates from June to September 2017, culminating in 2 shows at St Petersburg and Moscow, Russia. Robert Juliat is exclusively distributed in the UK by Ambersphere Solutions.
