In October 2019, art collective Cult of Ya brought Korean-American hip-hop and R&B artist Jay Park to the UK for a live performance at Olympia London in Kensington. 

While Olympia had the size for a large-scale performance, it was not historically set up to host live music and Cult of Ya Director Hoon Kim knew that much of the technical work leading up to the show would have to be done from scratch. 

He enlisted Dragonfly Lighting MD Thomas Mason-Smith both to provide lighting and infrastructure for the event, working alongside Jay Park’s technical teams, be a central point of contact, and also production manager for the various teams of suppliers bringing the event to life. 

“I’ve previously done shows at Electric Ballroom in Camden with Tom,” Hoon says. ‘I was happy with the way him and his team were quick to react to new and changing requirements from artists on the fly.” 

Bringing the Jay Park project to life had some challenges, which included working with local police to minimise disruption from fans outside the venue, translating Korean lighting designs into UK equivalents which would be possible within the venue and coordinating with the Olympia health and safety team to electrically ground truss and construct barriers. 

“Tom was instrumental in coordinating from the middle,” continues Hoon. “He would take all the requests, understand the CAD files and work with the guys to set up the stage. He was very important to all of that. He was the point guy – I could say what I needed and he knew what to do to get the job done.”

Cult Creative is a creative design and production company, working with a range of high end clients, global brands and members clubs to produce striking, one-of-a-kind live events. 

A key part of bringing the company's events and parties to life is the lighting service provided by the Dragonfly Lighting team. For around five years the company has supported Cult Creative on events ranging from 100 people to around 2000, all from initial site visit to completion. 

“They’re brilliant,” says Cult Creative’s Lucas Barnfield. “We wouldn’t use any other lighting company. Dragonfly work with us to creatively design the brief and always go beyond what we would expect from a tech provider. If we have a site visit, an expert technician will always come on site, we can bounce ideas off each other or they will execute our ideas excellently and creatively. You couldn’t ask for a better package than what they offer.”

The Dragonfly team have supported Cult Creative across Christmas parties, New Year’s events, Halloween parties, Pride and more, always working closely with the client to understand the brief and provide something great-looking within the given budget. 

“They always provide what looks like a £150k party, they work very well with budgets,” continues Lucas. “They’ve got a vibrancy to their team and there’s a passion that shines through in the work. It’s not just ‘turn up and get it done’, it’s ‘how can we make this bigger and better?’. Even if it’s a small event they always go above what we would ever expect. 

“I would never have a bad word to say about them. It’s been an overwhelming positive experience. Creatively and technically they are excellent. They follow it through; from the creative stages and concept stages all the way through creative development and execution.”

When asked what sets Dragonfly apart, Lucas says, “It’s a very personal service. The lighting engineer who comes on site visits will be the same person who works with you on the day. By the time the project comes to execution they know it really well. We always think we have good ideas but they make it 1000 times better with what they bring. 

“Dragonfly are next level, not just reliable and trusted – which is imperative in any working relationship – it’s the level of detail, the level of creativity and the standard of execution. It brings them together into a package that sets them apart. Nothing is ever impossible with them, as we’ve found out. However crazy it is and elaborate, no is never an option. 

“It’s definitely highlighted the importance of lighting for us, it makes or breaks an event and they’ve shown that. It complements what we do perfectly: we design and build sets and the lighting is the icing on the cake.”

As Covid-19 looks set to continue to heavily impact the world of live events into 2021, Dragonfly Lighting has taken steps to support event organisers and venues as they start to safely reopen. 

We’re excited to now have in stock the Luxibel B Direct and the Luxibel B Cannon, both products which make use of UVC light to efficiently and comprehensively guard against the spread of diseases such as Coronavirus. 

UVC, a type of ultraviolet light, has been used for decades as a disinfectant to reduce the spread of bacteria and other harmful germs. Often used for sterilisation in hospitals and factories, it can also be used to sanitise drinking water. 

What can UVC products be used for? 

The Luxibel B Direct is what’s known as a ‘direct UVC radiator’, meaning that it disinfects the air and surfaces directly below it. In addition to holding it in stock, the system has been used in our warehouse to ensure the kit we’re sending out is clean and safe before being used by our clients. 

As events begin to return in the new year, the Luxibel B Direct will be a useful sanitation tool for work surfaces and desks that need to be used by multiple people over a short period of time. As the UVC light can’t be exposed directly to people, the system comes with extra security and a moving sensor to make sure the spaces are clear before the light is switched on. 

The Luxibel B Cannon is a high volume air disinfection unit, ideal for cleaning the air in poorly ventilated spaces which may see high numbers of people gathering, such as nightclubs, concert venues, exhibition halls and sports arenas.

As the air passes through the system it is exposed to UVC light, efficiently sanitising the air before redistributing it into the room. As guests begin to return to venues in higher numbers, the Cannon will function as a non-intrusive additional cleaning measure ensuring that air circulating in crowded rooms will be as free as possible of harmful bacteria. 

As visitor peace of mind and customer confidence will be more important than even in the months to come, UVC systems can provide an extra level of security to venues and live events. 

To learn more about how Dragonfly Lighting can incorporate UVC disinfection systems into your package, or to enquire about rentals, give us a call on 07912891126.

Boiler Room is an online music broadcasting platform, which works with artists and brands to host live shows in London and around the world. The platform often hosts events showcasing underground and under-promoted music to a new, wider international audience. 

Dragonfly MD Thomas Mason-Smith has worked with Boiler Room for a number of years, bringing the platform’s London events to life and ensuring that the gigs look as good on the live stream as they do in person with tactical lighting set-ups. 

“I’ve only had good experiences throughout with Tom; he’s never let me down,” says Boiler Room Technical Production Manager Harry Lightfoot. “I use Tom so I can be assured that I have the right kit, that it works and that he’s going to do the job right.”

The Dragonfly team understands the unique needs of the Boiler Room events, which walk the line between a grungy, underground music vibe – often using empty warehouses as a venue – and the need for brand visibility from event sponsors and partners. 

When a brand sponsor sends over a creative deck, Tom and the Boiler Room team work collaboratively to bring the brand vision to life while staying true to the core values and aesthetics of the Boiler Room events. 

The events often make use of projection mapping, architectural lighting and cutting edge  laser projection, which Tom and the Dragonfly team are able to oversee and coordinate. 

October 2019 saw a first for Boiler Room, as the platform launched a four-day festival across multiple venues in Peckham. Dragonfly provided lighting for the bigger spaces, including battery uplighters,architectural lighting, plus LED walls and projectors. 

“That was the first thing on that scale that I’d produced,” comments Harry. “It was a super-complex event and great to have someone experienced in that field.

“I was definitely happy with the final product, from the flashy techno strobe lighting that he did on the final Saturday, and some crazy projection mapping, to the functional brand lighting.”

Folk punk singer-songwriter Frank Turner recently played 4 vibrant and fully sold-out nights at London’s Roundhouse venue, performing 4 completely unique sets and presenting lighting designer Tom Mason-Smith with the task of creating 4 alternative lighting designs.

Mason-Smith company Dragonfly Lighting provided a Robe specials package including 12 MegaPointes, 24 Robe BMFLs, 24 Robe PATT 2013s and 12 Robe CycFX 8s to cover the 4 shows and assist him to make each one a personal and memorable experience for Turner’s eclectic and loyal fanbase. Tom also used elements of the house rig including 18 Robe LEDBeam 100s.

The second night was the 10th anniversary of Turner’s seminal Love, Ire & Song album, for which he and his band played the complete album.

Edging both sides of the backdrop, Mason-Smith positioned Robe PATT 2013s for a touch of retro, referencing the decade back in time, and lit backdrop highly effectively with 8 CycFX 8s which were extremely handy as they could be moved and zoomed extremely quickly to throw different effects onto the backdrop.

The 3rd night, Turner performed solo. Stripped back and raw in appearance, visual features included a smaller backdrop with a circular logo and a black behind it, surrounded by a square grid of PATT 2013s leaving a space in the centre.

Robe CycFX 8s were again concealed behind the backdrop so the colours and textures of the cloth could be varied using the 24 Robe BMFLs positioned on the upstage and mid trusses.

The 4th night was a collection of high energy tracks for which Tom needed a bit of flash-and-trash in the lights! Another backdrop was installed, this one with a bigger circle than for the solo set with additional CycFX 8s positioned to highlight its 40 ft. width. The backdrop was also dropped in lower so the upstage BMFLs could blast through for intense back-lighting effects.

6 Robe MegaPointes were rigged along each edge of the backdrop with a border of LEDs and blinders along the other 2 edges. Robe PATTs were prominent in all the designs at the insistence of production manager Dougie Murphy. With 14, rigged in the 2 strips were in action on night 2 and 24 on night three were arranged in the square grid formation.

Robe BMFL Spots stayed on their respective trusses throughout the 4 nights, while the 12 Robe MegaPointes changed positions but were in use for all shows.

“Having all these Robes to hand meant it was a very easy rig to use – I could use the BMFL Spots and MegaPointes for hard edge spots or warmer, softer more wash style sources … it was an extremely flexible rig, and these were the perfect tools”.

Dragonfly Lighting is an energetic and rapidly expanding young company based in Banbury, Oxfordshire, UK, which currently has a growing stock of exclusively Robe moving lights. Formed by Mason-Smith 5 years ago and run together with his wife, Stella, Dragonfly’s core vision is to supply lighting equipment and services geared towards the needs and demands of working lighting designers like himself.

Lighting Designer Steve Bewley was asked to light indie blues rock band Palace’s recent showcase gig at the Electric Brixton, London. He chose to use a Robe floor package that was supplied by Dragonfly Lighting.

Bewley chose eight Robe Spikies, eight LEDWash 300’s and eight CycFX 8’s, combined with elements of the Electric Brixton overhead house rig.

His design also included projections from the FOH over the band and onto a backdrop. He worked on this and the video content creation with Chris Jablonski of Tawbox.

Bewley could create big fields of light and combine them with different Spikie beam looks and effects from the back, with the Spikies being a recent purchase by Tom Mason at Dragonfly.

The prism effect was used to slice through the projections, while the Spikies were neatly tucked away around the sides and back of the risers, keeping them hidden from view but highly visible in effect.

The LEDWash 300’s were utilised for side light, contrasted with larger pools of light, and were also used for silhouetting.

CycFX 8’s were at the back of the stage, but by using the zoom, Bewley could bring them in as powerful backlighting or use them to create effects.

Palace are scheduled to be engaging in more live work throughout 2017.

The Dragonfly team are experts in creating lighting which looks as great on camera as it does in the room. What’s more, we’ve recently invested in expanding our range of equipment to support live streaming and adapt to the growing world of online and hybrid events.

Dragonfly has worked on lighting for broadcast for a range of clients and household brands. We’re a trusted supplier to television production companies and creative studios, providing quality equipment and a high level of service and expertise.

We’re experts at creating the right look and feel for your event, whether it’s a wedding, Halloween extravaganza, Pride celebration or more. Whatever the venue and whatever the budget, we can deliver a lighting package that will make it a night to remember. Our experienced technicians can work alongside you from initial brief to the night itself to ensure everything goes without a hitch.

Dragonfly has a proud history helping artists from around the world put on spectacular live events. We’ve worked with everyone from top DJs and festival organisers to K-pop megastars, providing a high level of kit, service and expertise. We understand how to adapt a brief to suit a space and how best to showcase performers in a wide range of venues.