GOD SAVE THE PISTOLS, 2007
Peering into the audience, the wild-eyed frontman, once notorious as Johnny Rotten, pulled a gurning face and enquired, “Hello London, how the f**k are ya?” The Sex Pistols were back to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album Never Mind The Bollocks, and where better to see them than at Brixton Academy, fully illuminated by LD Dave Ross and an Entec lighting rig.
Previewed at The Roxy in Los Angeles a fortnight earlier, the Pistols’ Holidays In The Sun tour played five sold-out nights at the Brixton venue in November 2007, prior to larger shows at Manchester’s M.E.N. Arena and the S.E.C.C. in Glasgow. Though far mellower in their middle age, one felt that something edgy was never far away and the ever-charismatic John Lydon certainly took no prisoners.
Thirty-one years earlier, the Pistols were banned from the Marquee Club. A chair-throwing incident and cavorting onstage with scantily clad punkettes were to blame, according to Melody Maker’s Neil Spencer. Back then, it was all about chaos and anarchy but, in 2007, the band’s lighting requirements were relatively conservative, although they did have some precise ideas about the aesthetics, prioritising a retro appearance.
DOCUMENTARY
A gathering of the punk faithful kept the old spirit alive at Brixton, with the action captured on film by director Julien Temple for his concert documentary video, ‘There’ll Always Be An England’.
Dave Ross’ design needed to be camera-friendly, and so he duly incorporated intelligent lights but used them as if they were PAR cans. Referencing the Union Jack flag, everything was lit in red, white or blue, and the band asked Dave to ensure they could see the audience at appropriate moments; he therefore specified a bank of 8-Lites across the front truss and bars of six PARs scattered around the auditorium.
“Simplicity was the essence of the show,” said the LD. “They didn’t want a big, clever light show, just something right for a gritty, screeching music session with a few tricks at the back.”
WALL OF DEATH
Dave’s rig was based around three 48ft straight trusses, each loaded with eight Vari*Lite 2000 washes and three Martin Atomic strobes. A back wall contained six five metre-high vertical trusses, each containing five 4-lite Moles. Dave, who ran the show from a Hog iPC desk, specifically wanted a vintage ‘wall of death’ effect, hence his choice of DWEs above LED elements.
Later in the set, an updated, postage stamp version of Jamie Reid’s classic ‘God Save The Queen’ design was revealed as a stage-wide Hangman backdrop was revealed, and uplit with a trio of Studio Due CityColor 2.5k fixtures, positioned on the floor adjacent to a selection of PAR cans that were focused on the venue’s fire hoses, hemp lines and exit doors to emphasise the ‘warehouse’ feel.
The lighting package also included three FOH follow spots, and Dave Black and Cathy Stewart as crew for the complete run, with Peter Schofield, Barry Branford, Martin Zeigert & Nic Burlace assisting with set-up.
Entec won the account through tour/production manager Chris Griffiths. Dave Ross commented: “The company performed as brilliantly as ever. Everything was done to ensure that the shows ran smoothly and efficiently, including sending out a meticulously prepped rig and an excellent crew.”
In response, Noreen O’Riordan said: “How splendid to be working with such an iconic band of our generation that changed the music industry so radically… God Save The Pistols!”
