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CHARLI XCX Off the back of her latest album, Charli, the English singer sets out on a European tour with a unique stage design courtesy of Lighting Designer, Elliott Mountford and Creative Director, Jed Skrzypczak. TPi speaks to the LD about the latest run…
Hailing from Cambridge, UK, Charli XCX has become a force to be reckoned with in the avant-garde pop world. Continuing to garner respect and fanfare, the singer’s third album, Charli, gave her a chance to collaborate with a selection of musicians, including Lizzo, Sky Ferreira and Haim. This collaborative process spilled over into her latest live performance as the artist once again brought in the creative duo of Lighting Designer, Elliott Mountford and Creative Director, Jed Skrzypczak. With a busy schedule including a headline performance with Brixton Academy, the two creatives produced a unique look for the singer. “I originally got brought on to cover some shows on a previous run,” reminisced Mountford. “I got on with her and the rest of the team and
managed to stay on for this tour.” By his own admission, Mountford often looks to do things “quite differently”. He continued: “I try to be as unique as possible and I like the challenge of taking want many might see as a ‘stupid’ idea and trying to make it work.” One of the elements that the LD knew he was going to have to include in this latest design was a number of strobes within the rig. To fulfil this need, Mountford opted for 32 GLP JDC1s on the movable carts along with an additional four on the two translucent cube set pieces on the stage. Also featuring on the rig from the GLP arsenal were 24 impression X4 Bar 20s and three Martin by Harman MAC Vipers, which helped provide the “big, key light looks,” according to the LD. “We also had 24 Ayrton MAGICDOT-R on the front downstage edge for the cage looks,” stated the LD. While 08