UK Lighting Companies

[australian_eugene]

Hey, I am just wondering what are some of UK's biggest lighting companies? I am talking about rental lighting companies. What companies get used the most for international and local gigs? Any help greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

Eugene

[Alpha]

Biggest one that always springs to mind for me is Stage Electrics.

[neild]

What genre?

 

Theatre; then yup, agreed with Alpha, Stage LX are one of the biggest, or White Light, but increasingly Sparks are getting about!

 

R&R; PRG by a long chalk, then Neg Earth, Bandit, HSL etc

 

Corporate; Bit more varied, but for LX Essential are quite common, but even they've been swallowed up by PRG now!

 

 

A bit more information would help us help you here!

[australian_eugene]

Yeah sorry I should have defined.

 

I'm talking about concert sort of lighting. who provides the lighting for major international bands etc. example, coldplay are playing a couple of gigs in London. Who would provide the lighting.

 

Cheers

[AndyJones]

for Coldplay I would have thought it would be Siyan.

[vbm]

Coldplay's lighting suppliers on their current tour are Upstaging in the US and Lite Alternative in Europe.

[tokm]

Theatre; then yup, agreed with Alpha, Stage LX are one of the biggest, or White Light, but increasingly Sparks are getting about!

 

R&R; PRG by a long chalk, then Neg Earth, Bandit, HSL etc

 

Corporate; Bit more varied, but for LX Essential are quite common, but even they've been swallowed up by PRG now!

IMO, PRG are, or will soon be, the 'kings' of everything. They do a lot more theatre than most people seem to think! Both in town (West End) and touring..

 

And corporate.. well, Yes Essential/PRG do a lot of big jobs. But, there's so many corporate LX companies dotted arond the UK, doing all levels of event for all types of clients, I don't really see an overall dominant..

 

T

[Stee_cri1]

Ye coldplay are now done by lite alternative in the north of england there is also HSL mear manchester who are one of the biggest hire houses in the country

[niclights]

All the main players have been mentioned. Of these, whether its to work or to hire, I highly recommend HSL.

[australian_eugene]

hey,

Thanks everyone. You have been a great help. Maybe I might have the chance to work with some of you in the near future.

 

Cheers

Eugene

[tokm]

Thanks everyone. You have been a great help. Maybe I might have the chance to work with some of you in the near future.

Ah it all makes sense now..

 

Eugene, if you intention is to come to the UK, send your CV to the companies listed here and hope for enough work, I think your going to run into a bit of trouble! A lot of the companies listed are very much by recommendation only! i.e. by another freelancer that already works for them's and who's opinion's trusted.

 

By all means send them your details, you might get lucky, but be sure to also send them to some of the hundreds of smaller firms that are likely to actually give you a chance.. But with the way things are here in the UK at the moment, a lot of people are closing ranks and what work they do have only gets given to they're regular crew.. as it should be.

 

Sorry if its not what you want to hear mate, but just trying to warn you of how things are. Good luck with your move.

 

Tom

[Pete McCrea]

Seconded. Whilst we're not a lighting company, we have been getting a large quantity of freelance CV's from people we've never heard of, and are unlikely to use, as we don't have the recommendation, or experience of them. So unless you have 'in's to these companies, your going to struggle, and that's probably partly down to the economic down turn.

[vbm]

Seconded. Whilst we're not a lighting company, we have been getting a large quantity of freelance CV's from people we've never heard of, and are unlikely to use, as we don't have the recommendation, or experience of them. So unless you have 'in's to these companies, your going to struggle, and that's probably partly down to the economic down turn.

Ditto, I'm afraid. We are a small to medium lighting company and I'm getting lots of CVs, more than ever before, some from people who have been in the business two months, some twenty years. Whilst most of them might be excellent technicians and nice people, I'm always going to go for my regular pool of freelancers first, then if they're busy, people that have been recommended or people I know to whom I'd like to give work. And that combined pool is already plenty big enough for our busiest periods and biggest jobs. In quite a few years of business, I don't think I've ever (needed) to give work to somebody I've never met before, no matter how good their CV.

 

Its tough out there right now, that's for sure...

 

vbm

[australian_eugene]

hey, tokm and pete, thanks for the upfront info. I thought this would be the case. I will still come over and give it a go. Hopefully I will get some work. Cheers everyone for helping and understanding

[Pete McCrea]

I will still come over and give it a go. Hopefully I will get some work.

 

You'll be joining the highest number of unemployed the UK has seen in over 10 years, and getting worse daily. For every job in the UK there are 10 jobseekers after it, and where people are queuing to get a job in a supermarket.

 

You'll also in all likelyhood have worse weather.

 

Personally? I'll swap places if you want. You can come and try and manage a company in the toughest times since the 1920's, where corporate conferencing is down 40%, along with other types of work down too. I'd quite happily go and live in Australia with the better climate, better cost of living, and lower unemployment than here.