Tom Rawlinson Runs The Cribs' Homecoming Show with ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console

	The Cribs returned to Leeds to perform at the city's Millennium Square this summer, with lighting design by Chamsys.

The British indie rock band The Cribs returned to Millennium Square in Leeds, UK, this summer. Keeping pace and conveying the mood of the music was lighting designer Tom Rawlinson, who powered his hard-driving light show on his ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M+ Stadium Console. (He also had a MagicQ MQ250M as his backup.)

Rawlinson mirrored The Cribs's intensity in his design. He backed the band with three rows of lighting directed downward or (more often) in the air, avoiding direct backlighting, something he says he is "not a fan of." Setting a bold tone on stage was flashing lettering that spelled out the band's name. There was very little in the way of traditional moving effects. "I'm not big on movement," Rawlinson says. "I'm very much a position change type of guy."

Discussing his console's role in creating this vista, Rawlinson says, "I've been using ChamSys for quite some time. The people there are very supportive and good to deal with. The MQ500M+ is always what I prefer to use as my main console. Its lay fits the way I work, and I like the multiple screens. On The Cribs tour, I really appreciate the Group Cues feature. It's phenomenal, as it made it very easy to expand my number of fixtures at different venues."

A longtime fan of The Cribs, Rawlinson didn't hook up with the band until four years ago. The Leeds show and current tour mark a milestone in their relationship. "This was my first real full design for The Cribs, and I wanted to make sure they were happy," he says. Packing every part of the 4,500sq m space for the show, thousands of fans erupted into wild cheers the moment the band took the stage. They didn't let up throughout the 22-song set.