Westbury company lights up major music awards event

A WESTBURY company has played a major role in lighting up one of the biggest music awards events in the country. 

Xylobands based in the Wessex Business Centre make wristbands which can be controlled to change colour or flash to accompany the entertainment on stage. They are worn by the audience to give a stunning visual impact and to make the audience become part of the show.

The bands were worn by the thousands of audience members at the BBC Music Awards in December that brought together some of the biggest UK and international artists including Coldplay, One Direction, Paloma Faith, Ed Sheeran, Clean Bandit and Calvin Harris.

The wristbands contain  light-emitting diodes and radio frequency receivers. The lights inside the wristband can be controlled by a software program, which sends signals to the wristband, instructing it to flash in different patterns and colours.

The business was set up by Westbury man Jason Regler who had the idea of the wristbands whilst watching Coldplay appear at a festival on television. Immediately struck by the collective euphoria of their loyal fans, he was intrigued as to whether this experience could be heightened to unite the fans one step further and make them part of the show. It was at that point Jason had his “eureka” moment and went about creating the first Xyloband prototype.

Once his prototype was created he pitched it to Coldplay themselves who loved the idea and showcased it in their 2012 Mylo Xyloto world tour as a way of engaging with their fans and lighting up audiences like nobody has ever seen before. Coldplay received astounding reviews from the music industry and fans alike, for integrating Xyloband technology into their gigs and raising the bar for live performances.

Since that breakthrough Xylobands have operated in over 50 countries and been used at many events around the world including the London Paralympics closing ceremony, an NBA game at Madison Square Garden in New York, the London New Year celebrations last year and at festivals, corporate events and even parties and weddings.

Other world-famous artists to have used the bands as concert LED wristbands include Celine Dion, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Kelly Rowland, One Republic, Jay Z, Olly Murs and Elton John.

Owner of Xylobands Jason Regler said, “It was great to be involved in the BBC Music Awards which was a great event and follows on from some of the other great things we have been involved in around the world including the recent MTV awards.

“In a way I was lucky with the way it took off and that Coldplay took to the idea straight away as that was the key for our success. Them liking it allowed me to enjoy some great experiences as I joined them on their world tour and got to go to events like the Grammys which was amazing.

“I think it goes to show that people from Westbury are capable of doing great things and that if you persevere you can make it to where you want to be.”

Following Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto world tour they won Best Live Band at the UK Brit Awards 2013 and they acknowledged Xylobands and Westbury’s Jason Regler during their acceptance speech.

Xylobands can be used to create stunning lighting effects with over 150,000 people and the technology can be incorporated into a number of products including lanyards, sports apparel, drinks glasses, inflatable balls and even set design.

For more information visit www.xylobands.com