Rolling Stone has described their music as “art rock bombast.” True, that term may be open to a wide range of interpretations, but it fairly well sums up the irresistibly captivating sound of The Last Dinner Party. Winners of BRITs Rising Star honor at this year’s Brit Awards, the all-female quintet wraps their theatrical sound around a flamboyant stage persona that calls forth distinct echoes of Queen and David Bowie.
Any production design supporting one of their shows has to be equally ethereal and dramatic. That’s precisely what Ed Warren delivered for the band’s current tour with a show that engages the audience with distinctive flourishes.
Let’s start with the unique backdrop adorned with a crescent moon and velvety clouds. It was hand painted by artists Beth Quinton, then scanned and digitally printed on to cloth with a definition so fine that it looks like a highly textured hand painted work even up close.
Warren accents this beguiling backdrop with a variety of lighting effects that shade the image it projects. But, at other times, he blocks it out altogether with brilliant outpourings of light. “Just because a backdrop is there doesn’t mean you need to light it the whole time,” he observed. “A blackout moment is good to change the dynamics and stage depth within the show. Then when the backdrop is lit again next time it pops even more.”
Warren programmed his design on various ChamSys setups, mostly at his studio on his MagicQ MQ250M Stadium Console. “Sometimes, I programmed at other show venues where I had a desk in front of me with a bit of spare time, as well as on long haul flights on my laptop,” he said. “It’s very easy to do this with ChamSys.”
Franki McDade is running Warren’s show live on tour using the ChamSys MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Console. She is finding the Group Cues feature of her console particularly important on the tour, as there are four variations of the rig for different sized venues. Having the ability to adapt the show without losing the bulk of the programming and have it all to work so easily and seamlessly each time has been critically important. This is especially true since McDade hasn’t worked with a ChamSys console in quite some time.
“Everyone at ChamSys was really supportive in getting Franki back into the swing of things,” said Warren. “Early on, I sent her the show file and Visualiser in advance for her to get her head into things. Then a couple of days before the tour started, she spent two days at ChamSys in Southampton where they set everything up for her and walked her through all the new features such as Group Cues, FX Palettes and the Timeline — all which are a big part of the show. Beyond the actual product features, the commitment to service is a big part of why I use ChamSys.”
Running the show on an MQ500M, McDade has done an excellent job spotlighting the band members, noted Warren. “Given the theatrical nature of the band, spotlighting played a big role in the show,” he said. “The lead singer, Abi (Abigal Morris) rarely stays in one place, so it’s important to pick her out wherever she is.”
Where the frontwoman or any member of The Last Dinner Party is at any one time may be impossible to predict, but one thing is certain, wherever they go, the artists in this band will be sure to be taking they eyes of the audience with them, especially when they’re lit by a design that reflects their theatrical flair step for step.
