Clean Bandit is currently touring the USA with Rob Sinclair as their production
designer. Sinclair’s unique constructions inhabit the upstage area from left to right,
manufactured by the specialist show and event design house, Specialz Ltd. These
pods are four metres high with eight VDO Sceptron 10 fixtures in each pod. Each one
is rigged on a stand that enables the pod to be rotated 360° to be either facing
downstage or at 45° degrees making them all but invisible to the audience.

Sinclair states: “The idea was to have the mirrored pods located behind a black
mirrored riser with lots of reflection with neon edges. They needed to be able to turn
so we could choose to see or obscure a video screen upstage. From that original
concept, we fired ideas back forth between Specialz, myself, our lighting designer
Liam Griffiths and our rather excellent PM, Tec Beint. The choice for the Sceptron LEDs
strips – we opted for the 10s with a flat diffuser – was simple; it needed to be
something reliable, easily rentable, not too expensive and above all, effective.’

“Rob and Liam had a very clear idea of what they wanted to achieve,’ opens Specialz
MD, Dave Smith. “We balanced the mirrored conceit with the more prosaic demands
of weight and logistics by using laser cut mirrored acrylic to resemble a mirrorball, but
much lighter. This was to be a festival package and had to move on and off-stage
quickly. The towers were built offstage and then hoisted aloft; the Sceptrons were all
prewired in their pods, and the support tube also had integral cabling built into it so
that once each unit was wheeled to the stage and the castors locked down, mains and
data were connected up through the base unit very quickly. Each pod was equipped
with a DMX controlled motor-driven base. Utilising a Specialz cable management
system, they were capable of rotating 360° in either direction before having to be
reversed.’

“It is this combination of common sense and creative design that makes working with
Dave such a pleasure,’ returns Sinclair. “From my end, I needed them to be
programmable, individual and able to roll on and off in those tight festival
changeovers. As for the rest of the sensible logistical stuff, I knew Dave would work
that out for me. I’m not allowed near trucks; my mum says so.’

Liam Griffiths, the lighting director, states: “The lighting design is centred on the
rotating pods and risers. Side towers which consist of Solaris Flares and Martin MAC
Axiom fixtures are off stage; the movers are located to the sides to hit the rotating.
We also have a row of Solaris Flares upstage to make the risers really stand out. Both
Rob and I have been surprised by what we’ve been able to do with them. The show
starts with the pods rotated at 90° so you can’t see them. After the intro, it drops into
the song “Stronger”, and the pods rotate out showing a beautiful Congo blue glow
from the Sceptron bars, the perfect introduction to our design. One look I love is
having the pods rotated at 45° and having the reflection of the Sceptrons in the rear
mirror; it’s very subtle.’

Specialz has built seven of the pods for the show – but that wasn’t quite enough for
Sinclair: “We wanted a mirrored cello for Grace and needed to get it in a hurry to
match the Glastonbury outfits. Dave got it to us in eight days. It looks amazing, and
we’re going to be using it a lot on TV.’

Tec Beint, project manager for the show, concludes: “The light installations that Dave
Smith and his team at Specialz have created for Clean Bandit are the culmination of
clever design, courtesy of the ever-inventive Rob Sinclair. Coupled with Specialz
outstanding artistry, engineering finesse and attention to detail, not just on the
finished items but also bearing in mind the need for future adaptability.’