CHAUVET Professional Helps Willie Williams and Cate Carter with Mumford & Sons' Prizefighter Tour

	"We have custom WW LED tape integrated into each of the cages, illuminating the brass hallmarks and the cage structures themselves, whilst enhancing their form and creating intriguing shadow effects on the backdrop," says Carter. Photo: Laura Harvey

Mumford & Sons' Prizefighter Tour features a production designed by Willie Williams of Rebus, lit by Cate Carter, and tour lighting director Tess Falcone. Like the music they support, the tour's stage and lighting designs take a more rockish turn with industrial "cages" and pyro effects, nevertheless remaining true to the band's core identity.

Describing these critical elements of the design, Carter says, "The upstage wall is formed from 15 large 'cages,' each housing a collection of custom brass hallmarks inspired by a trophy cabinet in a locker room. Whilst these are primarily scenic elements, each cage also houses multiple lighting components, allowing us to create different lighting effects.

"We have custom WW LED tape integrated into each of the cages, illuminating the brass hallmarks and the cage structures themselves, whilst enhancing their form and creating intriguing shadow effects on the backdrop," she continues. "Lighting fixtures that are built into the top and bottom of each cage are providing strobe and blinder effects for those moments when we want something hard-hitting. And finally, the pièce de resistance -- a hidden flame system concealed within the structure -- allows us to quite literally set the back wall on fire at a key moment in the show."

Adding a compelling dimension to the design is an automated cylindrical video screen and chandelier containing lighting fixtures that hang over the stage. The cylindrical screen shapes the show's aura, depending on its position relative to the stage, and whether or not it displays video content. Meanwhile, the ongoing interplay of the chandelier's lighting and video content over the stage generates a dynamic energy throughout the 22-song set.

Playing key roles in this vivid lighting design are CHAUVET Professional Color STRIKE M motorized strobes and STRIKE 1 blinders, which, like the rest of the lighting rig, were supplied by Fuse. (TAIT provided staging and automation, Ox Event House did the scenic build, while Strictly FX, Y Lines, and Perry Scenic also contributed to the production.)

Thirty Color STRIKE M fixtures and 44 STRIKE 1 blinders are used on the tour's arena dates. For stadium shows, 28 extra Color STRIKE Ms and 16 STRIKE 1 units are added to the rig. "Both show formats have the same onstage design," explains Carter. "For the stadium shows, we add a line of STRIKE 1 and STRIKE M fixtures along the wings as well as a front-of-house audience lighting package."

Serving as the show's "main strobe fixture," the Color STRIKE Ms are positioned on lighting ladders stage left and right to frame the chandelier. A ground row of the fixtures sits on a tech shelf along the upstage edge of the band riser. (For the stadium shows, this line is continued along the wings.)

We utilize the Color STRIKE M both as strobe fixtures and as a wash/effects light, with the color plates," says Carter. "The tilt function on these fixtures helps increase functionality as they can be used as a band backlight or flip over for adding dynamic effects to the scenic backdrop."

As for the STRIKE 1, Carter says. "It has been a long-standing feature in Mumford & Son's shows and is a key contributor to the look and feel of the lighting design. For this tour, we use them around the top tier of the chandelier, emphasizing the circular construction, and we use them for accents and audience light. We have them on a ground row together with the STRIKE M's behind the band riser, to create a warm, bright backlight. Also, we have the STRIKE 1 on the front truss to give us a row of crowd blinders."

Crowd blinders play a critical role at a Mumford & Sons show, but, in keeping with this tour's distinctive design, the team took a multi-pronged approach to audience lighting. "It's important that the band can see the crowd in these moments and that the audience in turn feel like they are a part of the performance," she says. "Whilst blinders are a useful tool for illumination, they quickly become tiresome on the eyes, and it can become a one-way conversation -- as the band can see the crowd and not vice versa. With festoon and lots of warm white, gentle sources on the rig, we have many tools in our armory to illuminate the crowd and raise the ambient light level (when appropriate) without always reaching for the blinders."

Williams and Carter Falcone, programmer Joe Lott, and lighting crew chief Jenn Dymond, as well as Erik Blombahl and Matt Ockendon from Rebus. Also involved were production manager Shane Rawdon, stage manager Jason Fearnley, programmers Cian Westall, Kemal Canalp, Ben Thurston, camera director Michael Duque, and head rigger Amos Carter.

The tour plays its final dates in November.