Clay Paky B-Eye dazzles Australian audiences
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA: Clay Paky’s A.leda B-Eye K20 fixtures have been used for one of the first times in Australia during the recent tour by indie dance trio RÜFÜS. Tour lighting designers Matthew James Smith and Lynden Gare of Colourblind selected the lights due to the special effects capabilities, brightness and portability. The units were supplied by Alive Technologies.
‘We used the B-Eyes in the Shapes mode, with the on-board macros and effects giving us a fantastic way to open the show and the battery-powered menu system making them easy to prep – it’s a nice feature that Clay Paky has been doing for some time,’ explained Mr Smith. ‘I was particularly impressed with the B-Eye’s kaleidoscopic effects, which I’ve never seen from any other moving light. I even had people from the crowd come up and comment on them specifically.’
The 15-date tour spanned a variety of venues including Sydney’s Enmore Theatre and Melbourne’s Palace Theatre, both of which house up to 2,500 people. The tour’s headline concert was at this year’s Splendour in the Grass Festival, where the trio performed on the Mix Up Stage to more than 15,000 people.
‘The B-Eyes really came into their own at the festival,’ furthered Mr Smith. ‘They had no trouble competing with the 40-plus fixtures on stage, or 60-plus other moving lights in the space. It’s fantastic how bright they are.’
‘Although they’re quite large fixtures, they are light and easy to move around. They were also extremely reliable; we had no problems with them over the 15 shows. On top of that, they’re a very versatile fixture – in simple beam/wash mode they go from a super tight column of light to a massive wide wash look in an instant. I’m really looking forward to using them on upcoming shows – they will be a favourite here for a long time.’