Headquarters
Robe Subsidiaries
Business Development
Cult U.S. punk rock band Offspring recently played two major UK dates in Manchester and London whilst warming up for a festival run, with all their characteristic onstage rambunctiousness, further energised by a lightshow created by long term LD Lawrence Upton who is based in Chicago. The gigs were also part of on the ongoing “Coming For You” world tour ahead of the band’s much anticipated ninth studio album, which is expected in 2016.
Lawrence utilised Robe BMFL Spots for the first time, 16 of which were provided by Leeds based Zig Zag Lighting, together with another 52 Robe moving lights - 20 x Pointes, 22 x LEDWash 600s and 10 x 600E Spots. Zig Zag, was one of the first rental companies to invest in the fixtures.
Lawrence’s show is full of big, bold, loud, hard-edged rock-out looks, for which BMFLs are absolutely bang-on to match the band’s powerful stage presence.
The BMFLs and other Robes were offered by Zig Zag – working for promoters SJM -on the UK dates, and Lawrence jumped at the chance – it was his first time using BMFLs and he commented, “They were amazing”.
The Pointes were utilised for endless beam effects plus a variety of softer looks, all easily possible due to their multi-functionality, “They have a nice punch,” he said.
The last time Lawrence had used Robe products on a show was some years ago – in fact back in the heyday of the ColorSpot 1200E ATs on a Kirk Franklin US tour, and he remembers that they were the only fixtures on that rig that didn’t need any spares or repairs!
He loved using the new Robe fixtures and remarked that they have “Come a long way since then – they are building very good fixtures”.
Lawrence used a grandMA2 console for control, and Zig Zag’s crew included Tom Clifford-Loynes, Damian Courage, James Britten and Frazer Healey.
Jonathan Dawson-Butterworth from Lighting Productions Ltd. supplied the consoles – one at each gig - and provided additional programming services to enable Lawrence to have his full show in both venues - the gigs were back-to-back – and the available programming time was exceptionally short.
Lawrence who was classically trained at the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in the UK, is well known for bringing an intense theatricality and great imagination to his lighting designs which is highly appropriate for bands like Offspring, whose live shows have great scope for drama. He has toured extensively with many cool bands including Smashing Pumpkins and Evanesence, and recently started a boutique design company, UV Lighting, with lighting designer and director Craig Gaff.
Photo Credit: Tijs van Leur
Previous
Next
The Rock For People music festival celebrated its 30th anniversary in style with an impressive 5-day event, an all-star lineup and an expanded capacity of 50,000 which saw a fully sold-out audience flock to the Park 360 site in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – a former military airfield dating back to the 1930s – approximately 100 kilometres east of Prague.
Lady Gaga is an artist who excels at delivering unique, ambitious visual live extravaganzas that engage the eyes, brain and heart in an intricate mix of drama, high-impact dance moves and energising music, and this year’s acclaimed Coachella headliner slot took this art to new levels. Her two-hour performance complete with elaborate costumes, epic set, thought-provoking video and diligently crafted lighting has been hailed as a masterpiece of stagecraft.
Vienna’s Marx Halle bristled with excitement for the 2025 Amadeus Austrian Music Awards, a BIG and super glamorous night out for the Austrian music industry, staged by IFPI Austria, to recognise outstanding achievements by Austrian artists and musicians.
The 2024 Afrikaans is Groot (AIG) concert series was staged at SunBet Arena in Time Square, Pretoria, South Africa, produced by Coleske Artist Management and hailed as among the best live entertainment showcases for a range of Afrikaans music and artists. Nine sold-out performances thrilled audiences over two consecutive weekends.
All rights reserved. Created by Appio