Glasgow noise guitar band Mogwai are back on tour promoting their new album Mr Beast. Over the course of the next five months they will have completed tours of the UK, mainland Europe, the US, and back for the European festival season.
Lighting designer Nick Jevons has comprised a compact rig with maximum visual impact to complement the dynamics of the band. The rig features 12 James Thomas Engineering’s PixelLine 1044s, six moving lights and six strobes.
Across the back of the stage, there are 4 ‘Y’ shaped vertical minibeam constructions each with three PixelLines hung at angles to the truss. The battens are being used as an effect to give the audience an extra dimension to the show. The majority of venues for the tour are clubs or small theatres, so the rig has to be able to provide a big punch when required within its limited size.
The 1044s are programmed using PixelDrive which is then driven by a Maxxyz PC. The show is run from two laptops.
“As I only had one day to program, everything had to be hands on and reliable,” explains Jevons. “Both the 1044s and the PixelDrive performed without any problems–and although I have used the 1044s many time before, they still surprise me with their brightness.”
The lighting show mimics the music as it manages to move between downtempo and explosive sound quite effortlessly. Jevons is joined on this tour by his son Jake who looks after the rig. Bandit Lites supplied the trussing, moving lights and PixelDrive, while the 1044s were supplied by HSL.
Jevons, with his business partner Philip Winward, has his own design company, ElectricFly Productions, and has designed shows for a number of diverse events.