Ayrton ‘winds’ rock Luxembourg’s Rockhal Club

Every Ayrton aficionado knows its lighting fixtures are named after winds and high-performance cars. Rockhal Club in Luxembourg is amongst the latest to have taken stock of Ayrton Mistral S and Levante S fixtures which were supplied to the venue through Ayrton’s Belgian distributor, FACE.

Mention Rockhal in Luxembourg and everyone knows it is at the centre of Luxembourg’s live music scene! Situated perfectly in the Centre de Musiques Amplifiées on the Avenue du Rock’n’Roll in the industrial heritage area of Belval in Esch-sur-Alzette, Rockhal has two main venues amongst its rehearsal and creative studios: the 6000-capacity Main Hall has seen many world-renowned bands and performers pass through its doors including Mariah Carey, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bryan Adams and Rammstein; the Club, which can accommodate up to 1500 spectators, has a full loaded and equipped stage with a fixed lighting rig and sound setup. As of now, a large part of this fixed grid is equipped with Ayrton fixtures, which replace outmoded stock.

“We have 20 Ayrton lights installed as permanent fixtures in our standard Club package, which is used by nearly all the artists playing in our ‘smaller’ venue,” says Daniel Robinet, production supervisor at Rockhal. “8 Mistral S and 8 Levante S are rigged in our top light package while the floor package is completed with 4 Mistral S.”

The choice of Ayrton Mistral S and Levante S was unanimous amongst the Rockhal Lighting Team which organised a shootout between different lighting brands with comparable fixture types. “This gave us the opportunity to rate the fixtures objectively and see how they measured up to the important criteria that we had laid out in advance,” explains Rockhal’s lighting designer, Tom Wagner.

“The biggest plus in the whole package proved to be the Levante, as it has all we want from a washlight, with added beam effects and barn doors. This gave us more flexibility for the variety of artists and shows that we receive in our club.

“We decided in favour of the S version, because we don’t necessarily need the TC version’s higher CRI for our applications, but do need the extra output that the S version delivers.”

Ayrton was already known to the Club’s venue technicians from visiting tours that had Ayrton in their rigs, but these are the first Ayrton fixtures the Club has purchased for its own inventory. “FACE’s Account Manager for Light, Koen Ceulemans, guided us perfectly through the whole process right through to the day of delivery, and we are very happy with our choice,” says Wagner.

“Both Mistral and Levante work well together and are versatile, small and lightweight, yet still have plenty of punch. The zoom range is outstanding for this size of fixture and still punchy at full zoom out. Consequently, they do a great job in any situation, from a traditional rock show through to VIP receptions. In this power range, the Levante stands out because of the blades and the beam effect. We also love its traditional washlight look, and its big frontal lens.

“The size and weight of the fixtures make them nice and easy to handle and gives us flexibility for the setup. As we’ve replaced our setups one by one, it’s been cool to see that the weight and size reduction made possible by the new technologies means you can push limits in the same environment on a daily basis.

“Lastly, it’s very satisfying to witness the acceptance of our new Ayrton fixtures by the touring productions – we have only received positive feedback on our choice!”

Photos: © Tom Wagner – Rockhal
Text: Julie Harper