On the brink of releasing their first album in five years and celebrating their 20th anniversary, Bring Me The Horizon kicked off the first set of gigs for the NX_GN WRLD TOUR with a sold-out run in the UK and Ireland. The tour integrated an ambitious, futuristic video and lighting design that comprised an arena-apt 500-panel LED display with processing from Brompton Technology
Video Design was tasked with the supply and implementation of the tour’s visual design and after working with the band and its production team for many years the company has won its kudos in the industry with an extensive client list that includes Take That, Stormzy and Coldplay.
“Not only is this tour promoting the band’s new album, it’s also an anniversary year for them, so we were asked to create their most awe-inspiring display yet, something to suit the scale of an arena and festival stage,” Alex Leinster, Founder of Video Design explained. “Video Design was responsible for supplying and managing the screens, processing, and camera package. With a fast-paced, highly technical, large-scale production such as this, it was crucial for us to use the top brands to ensure the best quality and reliability. That’s why we specified ROE LED screens coupled with Brompton Tessera processing.”
Nominated for a number of BRIT, NME and Grammy awards, and selling over five million albums globally to date, the multi-platinum quintet has played sold-out arena shows in over 50 countries, as well as recent headline slots at Reading & Leeds and Download Festival. Aiming to reach their fan base across the globe, the new tour is in support of BMTH’s anticipated new album POST HUMAN: NEX GEN, which is due for release later this year.
Video Design selected a ROE CB5 Visual Carbon LED screen, split into two large screens central to the stage and configured in a V shape to envelop the audience. Managing the main video content, they are flanked by two smaller portrait IMAG screens as outer panels. The creative content is displayed on the main central screen with the IMAG fed from live camera footage, all managed by the LDs at FOH. Powering the screens are four Brompton Technology 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors, along with six Tessera XD 10G data distribution units, with two feeds running on a closed loop to provide full redundancy.
“In my opinion, this screen and processor combination is now industry standard, as it offers excellent quality, power, and guaranteed reliability due to Brompton’s redundancy capability,” noted Leinster.
“These days, we always run our systems in that configuration for a live show. Obviously, additional units require increased investment, but it also means peace of mind for us and the client. In our view, it is about doing the job properly, not necessarily simply.”
Video Design plans to use Brompton’s Hydra system to perform dynamic calibration on its existing stock of ROE CB5 screens to enable HDR (High Dynamic Range) capability for the next leg of the tour. The upgrade will offer greater image depth, maintain image uniformity, and deliver greater levels of brightness and colour saturation. The company also plans to invest in further CB5 panels, which will be HDR ready. “We’re really excited about the screen upgrades and are keen to see the results that HDR and dynamic calibration promise. Brompton continually raises the bar,” added Leinster.
BMTH are setting their sights on seven headline arena shows across Australia in April, followed by an appearance at the second edition of Las Vegas’ Sick New World metalcore festival later that month, before hitting the European festival circuit, including headline slots at Austria’s Nova Rock Festival, Czech Republic’s Rock The People, Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting and Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival.
“With such a large-scale, technical show and a demanding schedule, Brompton’s built-in redundancy and other safety factors, alongside its incredible image delivery, make it the natural choice,” Leinster concluded. “The software interface is really simple to use, and the support that comes with the products is second to none. Brompton is leading the way in processing; it is a great system and always our go-to on live productions.”
