In 2003, the year of the last major Radiohead tour, the lighting system required an electricity supply of 600amps 3phase (that's 1800A). A kettle, being one of the larger consumers of power in the home, pulls between 8 and 12A.

Our road to what became, we believe, the first exclusively LED tour lighting system started with a conversation about generators at festivals and green field sites.

Traditional stage lighting utilises dimmers to turn things on and off. When they are not on, they use little to no power; when they are on at 100%, they pull their maximum power.  A generator, therefore, has to be sized to provide the maximum power required instantaneously -- normally the big rock moment at the end of the show.  Up until this point, generators are idling inefficiently, using fuel and producing carbon emissions.

I suggested that we cut out these fluctuating loads and concentrate on more modern moving light system. These types of lights are common place. Using a discharge lamp; lower in power consumption, the unit remains on all the time using mechanical shutters to turn them "on and off". The concept being with all the lamps on all the time, the power demand would be constant and enable us to use the generators more efficiently.

Andi Watson has been the lighting and visuals designer for radiohead since their club days, and has a reputation for innovation and attention to detail. It was his creative genius and strong support of the concept that brought him to suggest we go further and use LED. Back to a direct power demand system but using much less power at 100%.

The full system (including video) is exclusively LED and uses 140A 3phase (420A in total) when turned on fully.  It's worth pointing out that LED lighting uses Red, Green and Blue LED's to make colours, with all 3 being on 100% to make white, therefore any colour effect only uses a percentage of the power. Traditional lighting uses a subtractive colour creation, with filters placed in front of a white source to remove the unwanted colour - therefore, in the case of red for example, using 100% of the power for a third of the light output.

LED stage lighting products have been around for a few years (Radiohead used one of the early units in 2003) but trying to find fixtures that would do all the jobs required was a challenge, resulting in a brand new light from iPix (www.i-pix.uk.com) and a never seen before lighting design.

Less power consumed and a visually stunning show. No doubt LED is the future. Technology is moving forward at a rapid rate, but LED's look and behave differently.  Should we be striving to achieve the same result but in a low power form, or adapt to the products and use them to do new and exciting things?

Regardless, with smaller requirements alternative power sources can be considered. I wonder how big the battery would need to be.....

Equipment manufactures and Suppliers

BB4. BB7, Satellites - www.i-pix.uk.com
Versa Tubes  - www.elementlabs.com
Colourblasts - www.pulsarlight.com
iwblasts, iflex - www.architainment.co.uk
Video Screens - www.nocturneproductions.com
Video Control - Scenographic Ltd
Custom Deployement System - www.specialz.co.uk
Lighting Control and Rigging - www.negearth.co.uk

Tour (noun, verb) - A journey through a given list of places

I am often asked if I get tired of the travelling. Having toured with bands since leaving school, it has become a way of life for me and thousands of other live concert practitioners. This may be an obvious statement, but to facilitate a live performance someone needs to travel, whether that be the audience, the artist, or both.

Schedule and safety dictates how the band and crew travel. Availability and reliability determines how the public travels.
Inner city venues are already well versed in coordinating the end of gigs with public transport timetables, and show times are arranged accordingly.

Information is key. We have spent a long time gathering local public transport information and posting it on the radiohead website. Regardless of eco concerns, getting home safely is always going to be the priority. The best solution?  Better and later public transport links, more coordination between venues / promoters and local authorities, and ultimately, better public transport to entertainment venues.

Car sharing has become more popular.  Maybe its just due to the rising cost of fuel but, though better than driving alone, the sight of a full bike park at any of our shows would really make me smile.

Then we come to the band and crew. Picture the scene, black limo pulls on to the tarmac, flight attendant flashes a friendly smile and the star is swept from car to jet in one move. The reality is a little different. The benefits of flying, private or commercial, are rapidly disappearing. Higher prices, tighter security, and congested airways make air travel less convenient and more tiring.
Tour buses are by far the best way for crew to travel. These are regular 52 seat coaches that have been converted to a bus with lounges, bunks, toilet and a small kitchen (www.beatthestreet.net), enabling us to travel and sleep concurrently. It takes a little time to get used to, but after time one may even prefer it to a hotel room - the constant movement of the bus can be addictive.

In the planning of this tour, we looked into train travel and it became apparent that finishing work at 2am and needing to be in the next city at 7am did not fit with normal train timetables. A daytime journey would require an extended schedule (a day inserted between each show dedicated just to travel), which is not commercially viable.

Today, I was asked if we chose airlines based on their environmental policy? It does sound like an oxymoron, but in an industry where some air travel is unavoidable, it's not such a daft idea. Society is not going to give up the convenience of flying or driving, or travelling in general, so we should be campaigning for electric trains, more affordable hybrid cars, and cleaner burn planes.

Just one final thought, over the past couple of weeks the phrase "green washing" has entered my life -- the act of claiming to be more environmentally friendly, but not actually making a net improvement. Carbon offsetting, if done correctly, can be a viable route to follow; else it acts as a conscience clearer, and not much else.

http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/carbon_offsetting.pdf