The 013 Poppodium in Tilburg, Netherlands, a vibrant live music venue offering a diverse and lively range of shows across its two performances spaces, has recently taken delivery of 30 new Robe FORTE moving lights. These are installed over the stage in the main 3,000 capacity auditorium, which is the biggest such venue in the Netherlands. The new lights are part of a technical upgrade and Robe’s latest LED technology is replacing previous older spot moving lights from another brand.
013 Poppodium Lighting Technicians Lloyd Janssen and Paul Cox are both delighted with this new investment. The two of them joined the venue’s technical team in Autumn 2021 as Covid restrictions were being lifted and live shows started ramping up again, and while the decision had already been made to find new LED spot luminaires, they were both involved in the actual choice of FORTES.
It came down to a decision between FORTE and one major competitor product. “Several things made us look towards FORTE,” explained Janssen, “but it was the support that we knew we could expect that really made the difference,” he stated, referring to the renowned technical and after-sales support offered by Robe’s Benelux distributor, Controllux. In addition to that, they thought FORTE offered a great package, “brightness, good color mixing, accurate shuttering and a great zoom—all essential features making a versatile fixture for a music venue house rig,” commented Cox.
Robe’s TE (TRANSFERABLE ENGINE) technology was another significant factor. Looking ahead, 013 Poppodium is trying to be more sustainable, and TE offers great potential and extended longevity for the fixtures. Unique and patented, Robe’s TE LED technology offers the option of fitting different and interchangeable LED engines into the same fixture hardware, a concept that is quickly changeable / ‘transferrable’ in approx. 5 to 7 minutes. This elongates the lifespan of already robust hardware and enables the light sources to be changed up if needed. Other features like power saving when the fixture is off fed into this same sustainable thought process.
013 Poppodium stages many dance music events and club nights, so eight of the new FORTES are positioned on the front truss where they can also swing around and be used for effects and lighting the audience. Sixteen fixtures are in the main rig above the stage, alternated with wash fixtures, with the remaining six FORTES available on the deck as part of a floor package.
One of the venue’s goals has been to proudly offer incoming productions the very best production values… however they also enjoy booking and producing many of their own shows and having a great lighting rig at their disposal to ensure that guests receive the best experiences.
On the lighting control side, operators / LDs can opt for grandMA, Avolites, or Hog for full flexibility and to encourage artists and shows to use their excellent production facilities.
Artists and productions generally love playing at 013 Poppodium for numerous reasons including the excellent facilities and great vibes characteristic of gigs there, which for Janssen, Cox and the rest of the technical team, is a great compliment. The smaller room can hold up to 740 people, and while there are currently no Robe products in there permanently, LEDBeam 150s are frequently rented in for assorted events.
Janssen and Cox visited the Robe factory in early 2022 and were impressed by many elements of the production, including the fact that all the products are made in house. The new FORTES arrived at 013 Poppodium in December 2022 and were used for the first time for the bumper New Year’s Eve party, with production lighting designed by Cox and operated for most of the line up by Hille Klein Tuente, one of the three regular house lighting operators.
Further information from Robe lighting: www.robe.cz
