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Robe fixtures busy at Glastonbury Festival

Robe moving lights were in action across multiple stages at the 2023 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, including in three key “creative” areas of the massive site at Worthy Farm, Pilton, Somerset, in the UK. These were the fire-breathing Arcadia Spider 360-degree arena, The Park stage, one of the most popular Glasto zones, and the BBC Introducing stage.

“We were excited once again to have a series of our latest fixtures deployed on key stages across the site, including Robe’s new IP rated iPointes and iSpiiders - a first for the iconic Arcadia Spider, one of the most-loved stages and Glasto landmarks”, says Theresa Gibson, head of marketing at Robe UK. “It was brilliant to be back onsite working with the Arcadia team and the SWG Events crew - technical provider for The Park stage - and catch some of the new talent at BBC Music Introducing, both of which featured a variety of Robe fixtures including the LEDBeam 350s and a Glasto debut for the TetraX for Alt-J’s set on The Park stage.”

For the Arcadia Spider arena, the lighting rig was designed by Dave Cohen from design studio Mirrad and co-ordinated by Arcadia’s technical manager Katie Davies. New this year were nine Robe iSpiiders and nine iPointes, used together with twelve additional standard Pointes ensconced in the arachnid’s legs and six more on its belly, all placed for producing dancefloor effects in the space below.

The nine iSpiiders were rigged on three podiums and used to light up the sky, accentuate the geometry and dynamics of the spherical performance area radiating out from the centre, and to up-light performers.

The nine iPointes were rigged on the six PA towers and three crane points. They created sky-scanning effects, blasting beams into the night sky that were visible from across the site, beckoning revellers to join some of the best late night Glasto entertainment vibes.

In addition to these Robe luminaires, approximately eighty custom Anolis LED architectural fixtures are inbuilt into the Spider’s metalwork, located in the legs, face, eyes, eyebrows, body, inside the DJ booth, and in the belly, all run by remotely located Anolis ArcPower drivers. This allows 48 V low voltage cables to be run throughout the Spider structure, eliminating the need for additional mains cables - for a safer system - and reduces the physical size of the Anolis fixtures.

These Anolis fixtures were installed when Arcadia started touring the Spider in 2016. Arcadia’s creators Pip Rush (artistic director) and Bert Cole (technical director) specifically wanted the architecture illuminated and highlighted as a standalone feature.

Dave Cohen worked alongside Louis Hodgson (also from Mirrad), and the two shared operating duties for Arcadia artists not bringing their own operators or lighting directors.

Highlighting the renewable and sustainable aspect of the resources for running the Spider - made from recycled military and industrial machinery parts - was important this year. All their generators ran from recycled biofuel as did the Spider’s flames, which are now produced utilising refined waste cooking oil, replacing the propane gas of previous years.

Robe NRG (Next Robe Generation) student Jack Barlow from Confetti in Nottingham worked onsite supporting the Arcadia team, including during the build and break down periods, which offered insight and first-hand experience as he pitched in on a variety of tasks including running the lighting console, patching, and rigging. He also assisted in assorted other technical areas of the Spider over a two-week period on this, his first ever festival. Barlow also supported Robe at PLASA London last year and at the 2023 TPi Awards and will be going on to work at Neg Earth Lights as a placement technician.

The Arcadia lighting and SFX crew comprised Matty O’Toole - SFX pump operator (Diesel Weasel), Jeb Hawkins - production manager & head of power, Rhi Pallister - power, Jack Barlow - Robe NRG, Charlie Knight, Jack Coffin, Nat Archer and Rupert De-Renzy Martin - lighting techs, Louie Hodgson - Saturday night covering LD/operator, Katie Davies - technical manager, Dave Cohen - LD, Stu Barr - dimmer tech, Tim Steer - FOH manager, Tom Rush - SFX manager, Lucas White - SFX operator, Nathan Purcell - SXF intern, and Sian Mole - lighting intern.

The Park stage production lighting spec included 32 x Robe LEDBeam 350s, 12 x Spiider LED wash beams, and 12 x MegaPointes among other lights, designed by Mat Spencer who was also the lighting crew chief, with the kit delivered by SWG Events, long term technical provider to this environment.

This year the side trusses were upgraded with all LEDBeam 350s, a move based partly on the feedback from numerous touring LDs from 2022. Mark Bott was SWG Events’ production manager on this stage.

The biggest lighting challenge at The Park is ensuring the production rig is optimised for the many visiting LDs, who have a narrow window of opportunity to get their show ready, although the introduction of a visualisation suite this year for the first time was hugely beneficial.

Leftfield’s performance was LD’d by Arcadia’s Dave Cohen, with Arcadia dimmer tech Stu Barr working alongside Cohen to ensure all Leftfield’s lighting requirements were met. Alt-J’s festival floor package from rental company Liteup, headed by Marc Callaghan, included fifty Robe TetraXs and eight Esprites.

Working alongside Mat Spencer on lighting were Alex Davies, Steve Billington, George Mitchell and Mason Chapman. In addition to The Park stage, SWG Events also supplied technical production to several other Park areas like the Lands End Bar, the Stonebridge Bar, the Rabbit Hole and Sweet Charity.

The BBC introducing stage is another area for which SWG Events has supplied technical production for over ten years. Mat Spencer again designed lighting this year, programmed by Callam Thom and operated by him and Peter Doyle. Joe Bailey project managed and co-ordinated all things SWG.

The production lighting design incorporated more Robe moving lights, with 12 x LEDBeam 150s, 12 x LEDBeam 350s, plus six Pointes and four Patt2013s.

The LEDBeams were a major part of the aesthetic, some rigged on vertical towers, with four LEDBeam 150s around the front of the stage in footlights positions, and four LEDBeam 350s on the advanced truss for front and key lighting.

The six Pointes were on top of the towers which curved around the back and sides of the stage, used for back lighting, silhouetting and aerials.

BBC Music Introducing also hosted several pop-up and special performances by artists following their main set elsewhere around the vast site.

Arcadia crew shot (left to right): Matty O’Toole, Jeb Hawkins with his son Fox Hawkins, Rhi Pallister, Jack Barlow, Charlie Knight, Jack Coffin, Rupert De-Renzy Martin, Louie Hodgson, Katie Davies, Dave Cohen, Stu Barr, Tim Steer, Tom Rush, Lucas White, Nathan Purcell.

The Park crew shot (left to right): Alex Davies, Steve Billington, Mat Spencer, George Mitchell, Mason Chapman, Mark Bott. 

(Photos: Steve Bright/Chris Cooper/Ben Daure/Theresa Gibson/JS Makkos/Charlie Raven/Shotaway)

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