Supergrass

Lighting designer Ali Bale specified 26 Martin MAC 2000 Profile moving lights as the workhorses of his lighting rig for the latest Supergrass tour. Blackburn-based Lite Alternative supplied the MACs, together with the rest of the lighting equipment.
 
The MAC 2000s were joined by four Martin MAC Performance fixtures. Based on the original MAC ‘2K’, this new high spec luminaire is specially engineered for use in theatre and television. It incorporates many advanced features including a mechanized framing system and gobo animation module.
 
MAC 2000 first timer
Bale has been a loyal user of various Martin luminaires for some years, but this was the first time he’d utilised the new 2000 range for one of his own shows. He had used the 2000s once before, briefly, under circumstances where there had been little time to experiment. However, this was enough to convince him to go for it. “It was a bold move, specifying lights I’d not used before, but I know the Martin brand is reliable, and the fixture’s tech spec made it an obvious choice,” he enthuses, adding, “The 2K’s have been excellent on the road.”
 
2Ks ‘big up’ lighting rig
The powerful 2Ks were also picked because they were appropriate to ‘big up’ the lighting rig as the tour stepped up to larger venues during latter UK dates, culminating at Wembley Arena. Eighteen of the MAC 2Ks were mounted on a selection of different length mini-truss T-bars hanging down from the main trusses, and a further eight were positioned on the floor.
 
Bale likes the abundance of features, the colour mix system, and the smoothness of movement on the MAC 2000. He maximised them for a variety of effects, from mellow gobo moves and looks to manic, up-tempo iris and colour bump chases.
 
Full creative freedom
Bale has designed Supergrass’s lighting and visuals since 1995. The band takes an active interest in the look of the stage and the show, particularly with the video, while also allowing him full creative freedom. He used an assortment of other moving and conventional lights on the tour, plus an array of innovative video visuals, to produce a dramatic, colourful show. His overall lighting style reflected the band’s new, solid, elegant, sincere rockiness, personified in their latest album ‘Life on Other Planets’.