Robe moving lights were supplied by leading UK rental company Colour Sound Experiment for lighting designer Luton Pete (Pete Hosier) on the most recent UK section of the Kooks world tour.

Riding high on the success of their “Konk” album which stormed into the Uk charts at Number 1, the indie band-of-the-moment are on the road until March 2009.

Hosier’s design unites some ‘old skool’ elements with new twists – like a rear lightwall made up of LED sources. It’s a mix of power, rawness with a some poppy moments, and Hosier deliberately uses the movement potential of the Robes sparingly for such a furiously paced show … Maximising the impact even more.

The show concept is also designed for easy expansion as the venues increase in size which they will do as the tour progresses.

The rig is based on three trusses. The back truss contains 8 Robe ColorSpot 700E AT fixtures; the mid truss has 5 Robe ColorSpot 575E ATs, while the front has 5 Robe ColorSpot 575E ATs and 5 ColorWash 700E ATs.

They were used for many different colour effects in an action-packed show that highlighted the simplicity and effects of single colour and saturated looks.

Hosier has used Robe before on several occasions, and was very happy to do so again. The Kooks also had Robe fixtures on the most recent European leg of the tour, which proved very reliable.

He particularly likes the ColorWashes and the strobing effects – which are used extensively in the show. “The zoom range is excellent too” he adds, again making the most of this with plenty of zoom and iris work, along with the use of precisely focused, collimated beams.

The ColorSpot 575E ATs on the mid truss were initially added in to give some illumination for the opening acts, as the back of the stage is masked off by a kabuki drop until ust before the Kooks go on. “It was a very cost effective way of ensuring there were enough fixtures to give a decent light show for the supports, with the added bonus that we could use them in our show” he elucidates.

Hosier controlled the Robes and all the other fixtures on the rig via an Avolites Diamond 4 console. He worked with crew members Martin Dudley (of Martin’s Lights, also a Robe owner) Richard Gilson and Andy Melleney on the latest UK leg of the tour.

Next stop for the “Konk” tour is the US, followed by Australia and Japan then more UK and European shows, including some festivals.

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