Kaiser Chiefs Duck Tour Powered With ChamSys MagicQ MQ 500

LONDON – There may be thousands of people filling arenas on the Kaiser Chiefs’ current Duck Tour, but after only a few notes have been struck, most of them probably feel like they’re enjoying the convivial company of close friends in the warm confines of their favorite pub. Such is the magic that this multi-platinum band is working on audiences with their spirited singalongs and on-stage antics.

The iconic quintet from Leeds is not only a lot of fun to see on this tour in support of their seventh album, they’re also really enjoyable to light, especially when you have a ChamSys MagicQ MQ500 Stadium at your disposal.

Just ask Lighting Director and Operator Jason Hyne, who is running the boards for the show, which was designed by Rob Sinclair. A ChamSys user since 2013, Hyne is working with the MQ500 for the first time on the Ducks tour, and finds that the console has greatly enhanced his work.

“The MQ500 has been a pleasure to work with and has made running the show a lot of fun, by simplifying things and giving me more time to be creative,” said Hyne. “Rob Sinclair is responsible for the show’s lighting and set design. The Kaiser Chiefs new album Duck and its cover artwork heavily influenced his design path.  Consequently, the pace of the songs and show is quick. This is reflected in the lighting cues and programming. The extra number of faders, buttons and Exec in the MQ500 provides me with so many more capabilities.”

Hyne notes that the band’s set is made up of 23 songs from a list featuring around 50 numbers. Each song has a page and is structured roughly to 20 cues per song; and each cue is running and releasing macros.

“There is no time code, and Ricky Wilson, the frontman, runs around a lot,” said Hyne. “So, I’m working with a playback structure whilst I busk all of the front lights. The robustness of the MQ500 and its intuitive layout make it easier to manage all these variables.”

The lightshow uses 12 universes over sACN and includes over 100 fixtures. Most of the programming for the show was done in Liverpool at Adlib.

“I was very impressed with Adlib’s new programming suite, as well as team account handler Jordan Willis, and the lighting team of Kev Byatt, Paul Hyne and Oli Gorman,” said Hyne. “As you would expect, the MQ500 connected seamlessly every time to the WYSIWYG and was key in giving as true as possible perspective to the show. Again, it made the whole process easier every step of the way.”

For Hyne, the move to the MQ500 was a “big jump” from the MQ80 he had been using. Although he had anticipated a “tougher challenge,” he found that learning to work the larger console was relatively seamless, the extra faders and buttons along with the second screen in the MQ500 making his work programming the Ducks show easier. “It gave the whole process a greater sense of freedom,” he said… not to mention making everything more fun.