There is something special about a co-headline tour. The ability for two artists to join forces to create some truly unique, memorable moments. But it was not just the collaboration of two of Germany’s newest rap stars – Aymen and Amo – that showcased the power of partnership during the AYMO Arena tour, but also backstage. With ambitious design goals, the design and production lead for the tour, Mångata Collective, brought in STUDIO/ to create the visual LED worlds for the intimidating 52-song set list.
Following the successful run of the show in Germany through April, TPi caught up with Pete Hutchison and Edd Croft from Mångata alongside STUDIO/’s Alex Vipond to learn more. “We’ve worked with the management company that looks after both artists for the past two years and done four other tours with several of their acts,” stated Hutchison and Croft, discussing the origin of their company’s involvement with the project.
This run of shows was a sequel to a smaller tour that had happened earlier this year. While that stage design was heavily “set-based” this time round, the production was keen to utilise more LED – but perhaps not in the way you might expect. Rather than a wall of LED at the back of the stage, the show design incorporated multiple layers of LED, allowing the production to create 3D landscapes that both artists could walk through and interact with.
Mångata not only oversaw the creation and design of the show but also oversaw the production of the tour. “As a company, this means not only do we have the production managers, but as we’re producing the show, we have oversight of the entire designing process,” stated Hutchison. “This means we’ll only pitch something we know is deliverable with the budget. We don’t have a lot of time doing revisions, and we can ensure we have a good vision from the get-go.”
Hutchison explained that this setup was imperative for the AYMO tour, as the two musicians and the surrounding team were still new to the world of arena touring. “The two rappers have risen to prominence via TikTok, and this is the most they have ever spent on a show. So, it was only right we ensured the budget was bang-on and there were no surprises for extra trucking.”
When it came to the brief, Hutchison and Croft outlined that one of the major themes was “cyberpunk”. “Having worked with STUDIO/ on James Arthur, we knew the team had a real in-depth knowledge of Unreal Engine and decided to approach Alex and the team to help us build out this LED world,” stated Croft.
“It was a lot of work in a short space of time,” chuckled Vipond, describing how he and the team created unique looks for each one of the tracks. “You have to remember that these guys come from a TikTok background and therefore are used to expecting content to shift and change quickly, and likewise their audience expects something new to happen each time,” he added, explaining the challenge. “It was nice to work with an LED structure that was layered. So often we just have a flat panel at the back of the stage, and it was nice to be able to break away from that.”
The LED screens in question were made up of ROE Visual MC7, with a section of ROE Vanish used for the flown border, chosen for its weight. All the screens and camera packages were supplied by 80six. “Having the consistency of one product was key for this design to have perfect colour matching across the stage,” added Hutchison.
“It was great to be working with Mångata on the AYMO tour,” commented 80six’s Dan Hamill. “They came to us with a stunning cityscape design concept, and we deployed ROE Visual’s MC7 to deliver it. The product remains a reliable workhorse in our inventory. Alongside the LED, we provided a full camera package for the IMAGs, which was directed by Barry Minter. John Haggart headed up an amazing crew of seven and managed a tight but well-executed run of shows.”
The entire team wanted to move away from the traditional flanking IMAG screens for this show. “We wanted to design the IMAGs to be part of the set, on the buildings themselves in the cityscape scene,” added Vipond. “It meant we could make the artists look almost like holograms in a very Ghost in the Shell style.”
The layered 3D arrangement of the screen enabled Vipond and the team to create unique visual effects. “As soon as we saw the screen layout, I knew this would be the perfect opportunity to play with anamorphic content on a big scale,” Vipond explained. “It meant that we could bring 3D depth to the buildings that really brought them to life. He noted that one of the key elements in ensuring the looks were up to scratch was adding long pre-vis days at Mångata’s new studio space in Stockport, just outside Manchester.”
Content was powered by Disguise, with Notch extensively used for a lot of the camera looks that were integrated with content. “The show simply would not have been possible without Disguise and Notch,” Vipond noted.
For the cameras, there were five PTZs scattered around the stage, along with a pit camera and a long lens at FOH. “Both the artists have a longtime videographer that is often on stage with them, capturing footage for social media,” added Hutchison, who was keen to make this characteristic also a part of the design. “We asked 80six to provide us with a Teradek so we could get hold of his footage and use it in the live show.”
In addition to capturing footage of the rappers on stage, the videographer often went into the crowd, capturing dynamic shots that were then used on the LED. “Both artists were not interested in all the shots looking particularly beautiful, meaning we had the freedom to distort the cameras in a way that made it feel as if they really existed within this glitching, cybernetic universe,” added Vipond.
With Mångata overseeing the entire production, their team could also ensure that the lighting matched the video content perfectly. All the lighting was provided by Neg Earth. “We used GLP JDCs to create accent lighting that came out from the sides, creating a nice symbiosis between lighting and video,” stated Croft. “We also have the CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Bar 16 that must be one of the punchy LED bars on the planet!”
Both the lighting and video departments worked seamlessly throughout the show, with the lighting team, at times taking control of the Disguise media servers via their MA Lighting grandMA3 console. “Nick, our Disguise Programmer, had put in for us a number of individual chase framers, meaning the LED could be an extension of the lighting design,” Hutchison said.
The artists also requested a lot of pyro, quoting Rammstein as a reference point. “We didn’t want to just have a row of the same fixture across the stage. We had around 18 flames on the downstage, featuring fixtures including Flame Blazers, Wave Flames and Firestorms, all provided by BPM SFX,” stated Hutchison. “All the pyro fixtures were arranged, and a special shelf was built into the stage. Several Robe ESPRITEs were also on a shelf with only their lenses visible, giving us sidelight optics while remaining out of sight.”
Croft, Hutchison and Vipond were very happy with the result. “One of the benefits we have working with Mångata is that we come from different backgrounds,” stated Vipond. “We are all very theatrical at STUDIO/ and it was great to bring that to the video designing.”
Hutchison and Croft added: “The collaboration was fantastic as it was great to have Alex with us. We already have a great working relationship, and it was nice to expand on it.”
Words: Stew Hume
Photos: Rosie Wills
