Another Glorious Glasto for Robe

	2013 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in Pilton, Somerset UK

Around 400 Robe fixtures were on site in various areas at the 2013 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts in Pilton, Somerset UK. Glasto is the largest and best-known "greenfield" festival in the world with a capacity of 175,000 and a truly eclectic line up of live music and entertainment over three action-packed days.

Robe UK's own Ian W. Brown took "his tent, clothes-pegs, and Wellies and got into the festival spirit," where a very iffy start weather-wise came good ... with sunshine, soaring temperatures and sizzling expectations.

Brown spent time hanging out at some of the coolest Glasto spaces including The Park with its abundance of open air stages, late night bars, lounges and cafés, tee pee villages, art installations, and 17m high illuminated Ribbon Tower that overlooks the entire festival site.

Supplying lighting to the main stage at The Park was South West Lighting, with a production design created by Ben Perrin and Mark Bott.

This involved 24 Robe LEDBeam 100s, eight LEDWash 600s, four LEDWash 1200s, and ten each of ColorSpot and ColorWash 700E ATs.

Around ten acts a day played here, including Solange Knowles (Beyoncé's younger sister) and Southend-on-Sea's finest, The Horrors, whose lighting designer Matthew Button, like many others, was said to be very impressed with the Robes.

The LEDBeam 100s were all facing the audience for eye-candy effects and helped increase the general depth and back lines of the stage. The LEDWashes were used for side lighting for some artists and as effect lighting for others.

For the first time The Park's main stage was televised, so the LEDWash provided "rider compliant" LED illumination which was perfect for the camera, with no flicker issues and a range of white color temperatures. "We were very happy, and everyone else also seemed impressed with the rig," enthused Perrin.

The numerous features, nooks, crannies, hideaways, and eclectic spaces around The Park including the entrance arch, Ribbon Tower and Glasto sign were designed by Misty Buckley and lit by Simon Marcus managing director of Enlightened Lighting from nearby Bath, using a plethora of Anolis fixtures.

While Marcus enjoyed the relaxed vibe on the hill at The Park, Enlightened's Dave Thorpe took a trip to The Common, where they had supplied Robe moving lights to the two main venues, The Temple and the Rave Cave.

Six of Enlightened's brand new Robe Robin Pointes moved things in The Temple, which featured a heterogeneous mix of interactive and experiential happenings curated by Bearded Kitten during the daytimes, and Bristol-based Invisible Circus at night, followed by full on DJ sets pumping into the small hours.

The lighting designer was Paul de Villiers, who also used LEDWash 600s and LEDBeam 100s and more.

The Rave Cave had a spectacular rock-faced frontage, complete with real waterfall and abundant foliage, which was spectacularly lit with Anolis ArcLine LED fixtures. Inside the Cave itself were Robin 600E Spots and LEDWash 300s.

Moving further in Enlightened territory, was the Glasto Latino Tent at the hub of a South American themed area, replete with salsa lessons and Cuban bands and -- all lit with Robe ColorWash and ColorSpot 575E ATs operated by David Johnson -- one of Robe's PLASA 2012 student team.

The next venue was Mavericks, a late night environment that got kicking between 11pm and 4am with a full rig of Robes including LEDWash 600s, Robin 600E Spots, and two Pointes, coordinated by lighting designer Anthony van Sertima.

Next up was the Summerhouse, a day and night outdoor venue featuring multiple off-beat bands, music, and performance in the Outdoor Theatre area. This was lit with ColorSpot 1200E ATs and LEDWash 300s.

Near The Park the Silent Disco was jauntily lit with some of Enlightened's Robe 250 Scans -- dusted off for the occasion but still going strong after all these years!

Enlightened fielded a crew of 16 for Glasto 2013. They are absolutely delighted with their new Pointes states Thorpe.

Fineline, one of two rental companies who were among the first to receive new Robe Pointes in the UK, lit the Circus, Cabaret, Theatre, and Acoustic Stages as they have in past years, again with a healthy complement of Robes.

In The Circus tent, lighting designer used Robin 600E Spots and LEDWash 600s -- ten of each, while in the Cabaret, lighting designer Wingnut used LEDWash 600s as did Theatre tent lighting designer, Hal Himsworth.

All Fineline's Pointes are currently on the lighting rig for The Eden Sessions taking place at the Eden Project in Devon, where John Hibdige is looking after the festival rig. Headliners include the Kaiser Chiefs, The xx (lighting designer Michael Straun), Sigor Ros (lighting designer Bruno Poet), and Jessie J (lighting designer Vince Foster).

Back to Glasto, where on the West Holts Stage (formally known as Jazz World), DPL supplied Robe ColorSpot 1200E ATs, which were given a good workout by lighting designer Adam Powers, and over on the John Peel Stage, lighting designer Cate Carter included LEDWash 1200s on her lighting rig.

And that was just a smattering of the stages and areas lit with Robe products.

Brown reports, "Everywhere I went I heard people enthusing about the fixtures, especially the Pointes, LEDBeam 100s, and LEDWashes. It was also really great to get so much positive feedback from visiting bands and artists' lighting designers all over the place."

See Robe Lighting at PLASA Focus: Austin, September 10-11.