CHARLI XCX

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

designing the show, Mountford was mindful of some of the things he had learned from the previous run with the artist. “In previous runs, Charli has preferred to be backlit, which created really bold looks,” he commented. “It means you get to explore some interesting looks with rear and side spots – a chance you don’t always get with artists. “I w as really proud of how much I could achieve with this show, despite the relatively small rig,” commented Mountford. “One of the reasons this was possible was thanks to the JDC1s, which were so versatile. I’ve used GLP numerous times over the past few years and I really like them. I worked as a programmer on a lot of the previous shows, so it was nice to use the fixtures in a design of my own.” Wi th Brixton being one of the highlights of the tour, the LD was keen to up the production values with the inclusion of lasers and additional lighting fixtures. Mountford stated: “For Brixton, we added 60 GLP JDC1s, all in extended mode to get the full functionality. In addition to this, another 84 Ayrton MAGICDOT-Rs, the new Vari-Lite VL2600 and some Robe Spiiders for key light.” Du ring the initial design stages, Mountford and the rest of the design team discussed the possibility of using video in the set design. “It was quite a big conversation but we decided against it in the end as we thought it would take too much focus away from Charli,” stated the LD. “One of her main requests was to have a large light show alongside a laser display.” To aid in the incorporation of lasers, the team called in the services of ER Productions and Harry Boyde, who worked with Mountford for several days while programming the show. For control, the production utilised two MA Lighting grandMA2 lights for the tour. However, for the Brixton show, which Mountford controlled personally, he brought in his own personal grandMA3 light. “I was nervous about the transition from the grandMA2, but it’s been amazing.” The tour’s design was built on a timecode backbone for “every hit and switch,” stated Mountford. He continued: “I invested in a drum pad to aid in the programming of this show. There are a lot of off-beats in Charli’s music and it became much easier to drum in the hits rather than use the buttons on the grandMA.” Li teup supplied the fixtures for the tour. “I’ve worked with Liteup a number of times and each time they have gone above beyond to help,” Mountford commented. With a successful campaign for her third album well underway and a live aesthetic to match, Charli XCX clearly has a sure footing within the current alt-pop landscape. It will be interesting to see where she and her creative team take it next.

TPi

Photos: Henry Redcliffe

www.charli-the-album.co.uk

www.liteup.co.uk