London’s iconic Roundhouse was ablaze with warm hues and dynamic aerial effects as English indie-rockers The Vaccines completed the second leg of their sell-out Combat Sports tour backed by Claypaky A.leda B-EYE K20s.
Lighting and production designer Dan Williams was the mastermind behind the look and feel of the tour, working collaboratively with the band to achieve the desired lighting.
“The band shared mood boards and videos they liked the aesthetic of and we started designing from there,” said Williams. “With this, I expanded the lighting plans using a colour scheme and other ideas directly influenced by the band, who wanted warm colours like red, amber and white.“
“The colours that come out of the B-EYEs are great and always look good on camera. Claypaky optics have always been among the best.”
Positioned on the floor in a semi-circle around the stage, the B-EYEs provided key side light for the band. The fixture’s bright output and versatile 4-60 ̊ zoom range enabled Williams to light the width of the stage, with very few fixtures.
“The B-EYEs are punchy enough that I can spread the zoom out wide on the biggest stages, and still reach the central vocal position with enough light to make the show look good,” explained Williams.
In addition to providing solid and saturated washes, the B-EYEs’ 37 LEDs can be individually controlled, to create pixel mapped aerial effects, while the front rotating lens offers designers a ‘vortex’ look.
“It’s a nice alternative to just having a spot with a gobo in it. The light that comes out of every type of Claypaky fixture is reliable and looks fantastic.”
Coloursound Experiment supplied the fixtures for the 13-date tour which sold out 11 nights including the Brighton Dome, Southampton O2 Guildhall, as well as the Roundhouse.