The Beatsteaks, one of Germany’s most successful punk rock bands, have been out on their Please tour, in support of the album of the same name, since spring 2024. This tour has continued in 2025. Lighting designer Joanna Ossolinska, who has worked with the band for several years, developed a completely new lighting concept for the tour – with some deliberate references to previous tours: The characteristic line of light and the Viennese curtain as a backdrop have long been part of the Beatsteaks’ DNA and needed to be retained.

New Design with Traditional Elements
The goal was to create a flexible setup that would accommodate both the highly variable set list and the logistical requirements. At the same time, it was important to capture the band’s signature style. “The Beatsteaks have always preferred a stage design without traditional spotlights, gobos or harsh beams,” says Ossolinska. “For a long time, the band tended to think in terms of static images. Dynamic lighting was never a priority. Recently, however, a desire for more movement in the looks developed. So I wondered: How can I create beautiful, dynamic images that still fit the band?”

JDC1 as a Central Element
The core of the new design is a matrix rig consisting of three trusses, equipped with washlights and a total of 12 GLP JDC1 hybrid strobes – four per truss.

“I’ve used the JDC1s on a variety of occasions throughout the tour – whether as a strobe, blinder, or with the individual tube segments,” continues Ossolinska. “They have so much potential! Especially in clusters, they’re super homogenous; the image is just right.”

For Joanna Ossolinska, it’s not just about effects, but also about light quality: “I really like using the JDC1 as a backlight or to illuminate areas. The JDC1 is simply my go-to fixture.”

Dynamics with Impression X4 Bars and Top Light with Impression X5 Compact
For backline lighting, Ossolinska has turned to a classic fixture from the GLP portfolio: the X4 Bar. “I didn’t want to work with traditional floodlights,” she says. “The X4 Bars offer me more options. I can play with individual pixels, move them forward, and then fade them out again. It makes everything more vibrant.”

She then opted for the GLP impression X5 Compact: “I was able to give the artists a top light that could be zoomed in as needed, yet still remain bright. Because I place a lot of emphasis on good color mixing, the X5 Compact is exactly my world. I love being able to add a few rust tones to the red, for example, and generally work with finer nuances. The X5 Compact delivers really well here!”

Personal Collaboration with GLP
In addition to the products themselves, Ossolinska also praises the collaboration with GLP. “The communication was always excellent and proactively supportive,” she explains. “For example, when the display of the JDC1s in my visualization software left something to be desired, Toto [Bröcking, GLP#s relationship manager] promptly sent me a JDC1 that I could program with. It’s these little things that are worth so much.” The process with the X5 Compact was similarly straightforward: “GLP simply sent me a device to test, and it was exactly what I needed.”

Successful Tour with Awards
The 2024 Please tour was a complete success, sending both band and audience home with beaming faces. Meanwhile, the tour will continue to fill the stages with great punk rock in 2025.

As for accolades, Joanna Ossolinska was surprised by her recent award: she became the first German lighting designer to receive the Women in Live Music Award as Lighting Designer of the Year 2024 for her Beatsteaks design.

“It’s a great joy to have won this award! And the Beatsteaks were also thrilled for me,” she concludes.