Astera PixelBricks Build Wild Rivers Show

	"PixelBrick was definitely the workhorse of this lighting design," confirms Baines. Photo: Nick Pope

Lighting designer Elliot Baines, of the firm Spiralstagelighting, reached for Astera PixelBricks to help create a memorable lighting effect for the Canadian indie band Wild Rivers in its showcase gig at the O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, part of the 2024 UK tour.

Introduced to Wild Rivers' tour manager Ben Pollard by Portsmouth, UK-based lighting rental company LiteUp, the brief was to create a homey vibe onstage

Baines achieved results by using 20 Astera PixelBricks as "specials," the venue's house lighting rig, and the band's touring lighting specials.

Wild Rivers were already touring a number of filament light bulbs on stands for additional visual effects, which inspired Baines for this Shepherd's Bush show lighting design. He decided to expand on these with the 20 PixelBricks which were rigged on different height individual stands.

The highest stands were deployed upstage and the lowest downstage which added depth to the performance space and harmonized with the touring bulbs on stands.

The PixelBricks were supplied from LiteUp's extensive stock of Astera fixtures.

"I wanted to enhance the existing look and aesthetic of the tour," explains Baines, "whilst also making it a bit more intense. I wanted to add some extra dynamics that dovetailed with the warm ambience, so whatever I did had to look integrated and slick. PixelBrick was a perfect solution."

He also found that in these side stage positions the PixelBricks could be used for adding extra subtle key light.

Baines chose Astera's PixelBrick -- a small and lightweight multipurpose lighting fixture -- as they are "punchy and have that elegant Astera color mixing that everyone loves."

"PixelBrick was definitely the workhorse of this lighting design," confirms Baines. The PixelBricks also blended with the band's touring bulbs, and accentuated their effect.

In this case, PixelBricks were used -- with the widest filter for -- for numerous effects including twinkling and fluid, undulating kinetic effects. They also brought blasts of color to the stage at strategic moments.

Wild Rivers' touring backdrop was up lit with LED battens on the floor which complemented down-lighting with the house wash moving lights in the overhead rig forming a grid like effect and vertically mimicking the PixelBricks shooting in horizontally from the sides of stage.

"These ingenious products are an excellent tool for a show like this -- simple but highly effective," enthuses Baines. "Used smartly and sparingly, they made a big difference to the overall visual impact of the lighting."

He has used PixelBricks before for key and floor lighting, but this was the first time as a major effects luminaire, an opportunity he jumped at. "They are such a handy and flexible little light and worked exceptionally well for augmenting the band's melodic and organic indie style music," he concludes.