One of Britain’s successful girl groups, the Sugababes, embarked on their first tour in 20 years this autumn with their original line up performing a 17-date tour of UK and Ireland. Award-winning show designer Ed Warren chose 24 Ayrton Domino Profile fixtures as his main source of key light and mood lighting for the tour.
“This is not my first time using Ayrton, I’ve loved what they’ve been doing for many years now,” says Warren. “For the Sugababes tour I wanted an LED fixture that was powerful, with a clear, crisp beam, solid colours and reliability. The Domino has all of that!”
Warren sited the Domino Profile fixtures in sets of eight, on the upstage deck and on each of the upstage and downstage trusses.
“The downstage eight were primarily used as our main source of key light, the rest for setting various moods, backlighting the performers, hitting the mirrorball etc.,” he says.
“I created some nice gobo effects for a few songs, and there were some simple looks where the Dominos were backspotting the three performers from above which was really powerful as a stripped back moment.
“The design was based around banks of line fixtures which were very bright and powerful. I needed a spotlight that could hold its own against them… which Domino did!”
The Domino Profile fixtures proved to be versatile and reliable too, as lighting crew chief, Neil Smith explains: “With the mixture of UK venues we played ranging from 2000-capacity academies to arenas, we were able to fit the Dominos in all venues.
Our main eight on the floor were always consistent throughout all venues and, with the way Ed programmed them, they were the first fixture to make the first impact of the show at the first hit of the drums, so these were always a priority presence on all the shows.
“I was especially impressed with the Domino’s beam angle and colour output as, with only a few on the floor, they filled any room with wide and tight beam looks. I definitely have to take my hat off to Ed for his design and programming of the tour.
From the first run through at production rehearsals it was a very powerful show, fitting perfectly with the flexibility of the girls’ back catalogue from big ‘90s pop anthems to slow intimate moments throughout the show.
“Having used Ayrton fixtures from Karif LT to the Huracán on many tours and shows over a number of years, it is always a pleasure to tour with them. This tour was no exception and I found the Domino very easy to tour with. Throughout the five-week tour we had zero issues with them.
All credit to Alex Ryan (Director of Touring), James (Head of Intelligent Lights) and their team at CSE. The kit was serviced and prepped so well that it made our lives much easier on the road. I have had great experiences with all of them and I look forward to seeing what Ayrton has up their sleeve next.”
“At Colour Sound we have invested heavily in Ayrton over the years from the Ayrton Versapix RS to Huracán LT, and we currently hold around 500 Ayrton fixtures in our UK rental stock,” says Colour Sound Experiment’s Alex Ryan.
“In Ayrton we have found a company whose service and reliability are exceptionally good, and a product range that lighting designers are really happy with from the output to all the features, so it’s a ‘no-brainer’ for us to keep stocking and supporting the brand.”
Sugababes One Touch tour began in Bristol in mid-October and finished up in Glasgow in November. More festival dates are slated for summer 2023.
One Touch Tour Credits:
– Ed Warren – Show Designer and Programmer
– Kristina Jazykova – Operator
– Alex Ryan – Director of Touring CSE
– Neil Smith – Lighting Crew Chief
– Stefan Watson – Dimmer Tech
– John Leo Tierney – Lighting Tech
For more information on Ayrton Domino and the full range of Ayrton LED and laser-sourced lighting fixtures, visit www.ayrton.eu
