56 APRIL 2020 • WWW.LSIONLINE.COMO ON TOUR
Lawrie had mentioned the breadth of
competition for show designer? “Yes, and
they were very open about that. We all got
a brief and that too was very open, simple
statements like ‘it needs to have video’. As
things progressed it became apparent he
wanted a video-based show, but didn’t want
content. Lewis is a big personality so he
can carry that role, but we did have
reservations about no content.”Having seen the show, it’s my observation
that Squib had made a persuasive argument
on behalf of content, part of that success is in
the artful way in which content has been
applied; frankly even your correspondent
found it hard to distinguish between reality
and generated visuals. In simple terms,
where content is applied it is subtle and
enhances the art, rather than something
which detracts or overwhelms, as can so
often be the case (see my interview with Tom
Bairstow of NorthHouse elsewhere for more
on this). I would hazard that the only time the
audience would be aware of ‘content’ is
during the song Headspace, where the lyrics
are scripted on screen, and for the song Fade,
where Cassius’s chosen content provider
NorthHouse, has created a stunning piece of
slow-motion animated disintegration of the
word ‘fade’, just beautiful to behold.“Because we knew we were pitching
against so many others, from the
beginning we saw the need for something
that would be bold and contemporary,”
says Squib. “It’s not that long a tour, just
five arena venues, so we realised it would
need to work without a big stage set; the
budget justification wouldn’t be there. The
brief had mentioned such practicalities, so
our concept was for something that looks
unique but is completely off-the-shelf.”Watching the show, it became clear to me
that two thematic elements made this
show work in terms of emotional content,
variety and engagement. One was the
roller drops, which, with and without the
back LED screen, provided so many
interesting and thoughtful changes of
context; the other, for me at least, was the
consistent use of monochromatic
settings, be that something simple like the
prevalent reds in the first song being
accentuated with touches of open white,
or the contrast between prevailing colour
temperatures of the B&W projection to the
lights - one very analogue, perhaps
tungsten or sepia toned; the other cold,
hard, modern, harsh LED. Aesthetically,
this was always pleasing to the eye.“We have been trying to use these roller
drops for four years,” continues Squib,
“since we first started working together.
Here was the perfect opportunity. Lewis was
never going to be the sort of balladeer who
sits on a stool centre stage and performs
beneath a single tight spot - and there are
so many songs where you might apply such
a setting. Instead, we had to find a way to
get a big variety of looks and to change the
space without it costing a fortune.”Just to give a flavour, out of nine roller drops
in total you might see just four for one song,
possibly asymmetric with the two stage-left
tapering upstage coupled with the most
stage-left two of the front row. Height was
also varied, drops could be partially lowered
to provide a square projection; it’s amazing
how such a simple thing as a change in
screen format can alter perceptions.Had the four-week gap between rehearsals
and the start of the arena leg been useful inB From top: Dan Hill and Chris ‘Squib’ Swain
Below, clockwise from left: PM Nick Laurie,
Ryan Mcilravey of FE Live, Mark Davies
(video director), Gary Wilson (LD), Chris
Smart (monitors) and Andy Bush (FOH
sound)