American funk/blues collective Here Come the Mummies have once again looked to Elation Professional for their 2016 LoveFest tour which plays throughout the US until the end of October.
Venues have included large clubs, theatres, festivals and casinos, where an Elation Professional lighting floor package of Rayzor Q7 LED moving heads, Sniper 2R multi-effect lights, Cuepix Blinder WW2 white light LED blinders and Proton 3K strobe lights have been used to augment house and local lighting systems.
“The role of the Elation gear is to bring the ‘wow factor’,” said Lighting Designer and Programmer Thom Roberts. “But there are specific features on every fixture we have that are important. On the Rayzor Q7s it is the combined LEDs that were the deciding factor, but the small size and low weight were also key. The Cuepix WW2 gives me a blinder with a colour temperature that I love. They are not too hard on the eyes and give me an extra strobing fixture that I can point directly into the audience without killing them! And the Protron 3K strobes are monstrously bright and robust at a fraction of the cost of their competitors.”
Here Come the Mummies are not the first band to keep their members’ identities hidden, but they are the first to take keeping things ‘under wraps’ as literally as possible. Rumoured to have several Grammy awards between them, the funky collective based in Nashville dress as Egyptian mummies to avoid recognition and potential contract disputes. With such a distinctive look and sound, the group is always aiming to try new things regarding their live set-up.
“They specifically wanted lasers for this show but I convinced them that it was not practical in our situation,” explained Roberts, who looked to the Sniper 2R lights for an answer. “I thought it was really cool and while it is not a true laser effect, from the audience point of view it has a similar impact. I went back and showed the band the Sniper YouTube videos and they were sold on them. The Snipers have the punch to cut through anything else on stage and give me the afore-mentioned laser effects.”