© Jarrad Seng

Australian lighting designer Daniel Gordon – known industry-wide as Gordo – wanted to create a unique lighting ambience that was transportable and transposable anywhere around the globe for the ongoing “Living Room Sessions” world tour by indie folk rockers Angus & Julia Stone. He turned to 48 of Astera’s powerful and handy NYX Bulb products to help produce this smart, eye-catching, and highly individual aesthetic which packed neatly into a Pele case.

The NYX Bulbs were purchased by the band for the tour and for future use. They pack into a bespoke moulded tray for transit which is fitted into a Pele type 1607 case, weighing around 20kg when full, which is “great for freight” as well as being super-sustainable. The NYX Bulb lighting concept is built around a theatre show set up. Onstage, 30 x NYX Bulbs are (typically) hung on four LX bars over the stage and covered by diamond-shaped paper lanterns. Gordo has four cable looms that are run out for their quick connection, each terminating in a single plug. The rest of the NYX Bulbs are positioned on the deck attached to various hanging stands, also covered by the same paper shades, so these are dotted all over around the stage at different heights, and look highly effective.

The paper shades pack down flat, so it is literally a “lighting rig in a box” – exceptionally easy to tour, run out, connect and have patched into the control console in around 30 minutes. This speedy set up was essential as Gordo is tech’ing the lights on his own, integrating with the local top rigs each day in the different venues as supplied by the local promoter.

Gordo had really wanted this scenic lighting to help audiences imagine that cosy, intimate loungey vibe onstage for the shows, which have been a massive success. “The audience members should all ideally feel like they are the only person in the room,” he commented. A major reason for choosing NYX Bulbs was their smooth colour changing properties which are controlled from Godro’s Hog 4 console which is also on the tour with them, together with the high CRI. Several of the NYX Bulbs are in close proximity to the artists, so they can assist in nicely illuminating the faces of the brother and sister duo, something that’s particularly pertinent for audience photos that then get posted on SoMe channels.

This also reflects an additional pressure on LDs. In addition to ensuring everything looks great live and for any IMAG video on the tour, it also needs to work for cell phone images, and the flicker-free feature of the NYX Bulb was essential for when the show was recorded or streamed. Gordo is super-fussy about how anything he is lighting looks on camera, and very aware of how lighting affects the shot. The fixtures’ auto-switching power supply also mean they can be used in the US with no problems.

Gordo thought of having the lampshades as he wanted a WOW moment at the start of the show as the curtain lifts after the band start in front of the stage curtain. He wanted something high-impact that accentuated the depth and spatiality of the full space and the twinkling lanterns “always get a great reaction,” he noted. Using NYX Bulbs also enabled him to add layers of effects to the pictures with soft colour and liquid intensity chases introducing subtleties and kinetic movement, and the fixtures are used throughout the show in numerous different ways with variable colours, CTs and pixel chases used to evoke numerous moods. Gordo is delighted with the “highly effective and versatile results.”

He first encountered Astera products during the Covid period whilst lighting some reality TV shows, where they were constantly present, and he also got to know of Astera’s Australian distributor, ULA Group around the same period. Initially, Titan Tubes were the products he was using the most – they are a staple of so many TV productions. Beforehand he was slightly concerned that the NYX bulbs would not be bright enough for what he had in mind, but when it came to the reality, he had to reduce them to around 40% output and “they were still bright and effective as ever!”

He has worked with Angus & Julia Stone for about 6 years, and “The Living Room Sessions” is the first major international tour they have undertaken, kicking off in Australia, and then hitting the road extensively across Europe. The London venue was the Royal Albert Hall and in Paris they also played high profile venues, both the Grand Rex and L’Olympia. The beauty of the NYX Bulb rig was that no matter where they were playing and what was in the house rig, they had this strong and coherent visual identity and continuity that Gordo had worked closely with the artists – especially Julia – in developing.

Astera