English alt rock band-of-the-moment The 1975 are touring the UK and Europe with
an inspired video screen and light staging concept created by show director Tobias
Rylander and augmented by Clay Paky Sharpy Wash 330, Mythos and Alpha Profile
1500 fixtures.
In a nod to the light artist James Turrell, the staging is intended to look like “art
pieces’ in which the band perform. Four “monoliths’ of LED screens stand proudly on
the stage, backed by an even larger video screen. Together, the screens display
imagery that plays with the audience’s perceptions of depth, colour and light.
To cut through the colourful video, Rylander specified 36 x Sharpy Wash 330
fixtures, which are used as back light. They are rigged in three groups of five on
the floor behind the band and the set, with a mirrored truss upstage. The full
lighting and video package was supplied by VER.
“The Sharpy Wash 330s work more or less as the only “moving light’ effect in the
show, where everything else is strictly linear and static,’ says Rylander. “They
serve us really well to provide both sharp, linear beams and a fantastically precise
tilt and strobe effect.
“I also use six Sharpy Wash 330s as side light – three each side to light the band.
This is more or less the only front light I use throughout the show. Their small
physical size, bright output and wide wash serve perfectly on the stage floor without
taking up too much space.’
In addition, Rylander uses 16 x Mythos as high trim side lights and effect lighting in
a number of songs. “I needed a strong, bright and sharp lighting fixture to cut
through the ambient light coming from the screens and the Mythos fixtures perfectly
fit the bill. All of the screens and video surfaces run at 100% brightness in the
processors and are used as light fixtures, so the Mythos’s powerful beam was the
only choice!’
Rigged above the stage are 4 x Alpha Profile 1500s, which are used as cue and
special overhead lighting for each band member.
“I needed the Alpha Profile 1500 fixtures, with their framing system along with
custom ordered gobos, to line up perfectly with the set and the video,’ Rylander
explains. “It was paramount that they lined up with the set and video frame hanging
over specific positions between the light and the band member and the Alpha Profile
1500’s beam shaper worked really well.’
The 1975 continue to tour in the UK throughout March, before heading into
continental Europe for dates in countries including Germany, France, and Italy. In
mid-April, the group kicks off their US tour.
