Groove Armada

**stanwax** · 11-09-2007, 16:21

Just got back from watching Groove Armada in Manchester tonight - second time this year and there has been one major change to the show since spring...they got a laser!
Appart from a pair of greens that the Aussie Floyd use I havent seen a laser in a gig for 19 years - and that was Jean Michel Jarre at docklands and Pink Floyd (the real one - well almost - no Waters) the same year.
So they were running a solid state RGB I'm guessing <1W it was pretty decent but not startling. We were on the front row of the circle and the flat scans that were being projected were terminating on the panel just below me - which is one reason I could see how the far field alignment of the lasers was out. You could see it also on the edges of the white scans they were doing. I have to say thier white was a little heavy in the green dept. and I dont think they made anywhere like the use of colour they could. They used it 3 or 4 times doing white and one lot of colour morphing scans onto the balcony (so it was analogue) and a little onto the ceiling above the circle. Most of the FX were white beams to 3 pairs of bounce mirrors on the lighting rig above the stage which then fired back to various diff gratings on the back of the stage. The bounce beams looked great but they could have changed the colours - for a better effect - as it was just white into RGB beams which were made really fuzzy by the gratings.
On one song they used an elongated elipse onto the balcony which was made of fans of white and magenta. The magenta was gorgeous and I guess this was down to the blue. Boy was that blue sexy. Certainly had to be 457nm as it was deeeeep and that meganta looked like nothing ive seen from solid state. Beautiful!

Anyway I just thought i would share it as it was good to see some lasers at a gig - when it first fired up i turned to my mate Kev and said 'about bloody time!'
My girlfriend just said 'it looks like our garage' - which i took as a compliment

Rob

**allthatwhichis** · 11-09-2007, 16:46

Nice, Groove Armada is pretty cool. No pics huh?

**Lasermad** · 11-10-2007, 00:30

hahah ... it gets a mention in their official blog

Which brings us to Sheffield.
Indeed it does. That was the unleashing of the laser for the first time. It looks absolutely amazing, but it's been set up behind the drummer, so he's probably getting small holes bored into his head at every gig! And if you happen to look over at him at the wrong time, then you're obviously blinded for life. So it's slightly hairy, but definitely worth it.

You'll have to be careful!
Well, it goes way above head height of the crowd, but it takes a bit of getting used to for us. Fortunately I had my shades on when I got an absolute bulls-eye right at the end of 'Superstylin' when I pointed to the drummer for his big moment just as the laser came on. So I can now vouch for the laser protecting qualities of a pair of Aviators.

**Jem** · 11-10-2007, 01:14

Originally Posted by stanwax

Appart from a pair of greens that the Aussie Floyd use

Have you seen that the Aussie Floyd show is coming to Sheffield Arena on 26th April next year (tickets £24.50). Apparently their doing 'The Wall' this time. I'm getting some tickets for myself and three mates, is anyone else going?

Cheers

Jem

**Lampy** · 11-10-2007, 01:51

They are also playing the De-Montfort Hall in Leicester on the 10th April. I'd like to go and see them again. Might be good to see them in a larger venue than the De-Mont.

**JimBo** · 11-10-2007, 02:13

Rob, it sounds like you had a good night.

I had my shades on when I got an absolute bulls-eye right at the end of 'Superstylin' when I pointed to the drummer for his big moment just as the laser came on. So I can now vouch for the laser protecting qualities of a pair of Aviators.

I wouldn't have thought they would stop any injury.

Jim

**buffo** · 11-10-2007, 03:24

I wouldn't have thought they would stop any injury.

I agree - they probably wouldn't. But the reporter didn't speak to the laser safety officer, did he?

Instead, it looks like he just quoted the band member directly and took him at his word. (And of course, the band member is clearly an expert when it comes to the protective qualities of fashion sunglasses, no?

) I am surprised at his cavalier attitude though. "Yeah, I almost got blinded... It was cool..." WTF?

My guess is that the dude got a glancing hit that didn't nail his fovea. So while he thinks he's safe due to his $150 designer shades, in fact he's just lucky that the angles didn't line up right. Next time he might not be so lucky. If he had a brain, he'd tell his lighting guy to raise the projector 6 inches... (Then again, if his lighting guy had a brain he would have already done it.)

Still, it sounds like it was a good show nonetheless.

Rob, you should have stayed around after the show was over so you could help them align their rig!

Maybe you could have landed a "consulting" gig with them!

Adam

**stanwax** · 11-10-2007, 13:54

Originally Posted by Buffo

the reporter didn't speak to the laser safety officer, did he?

Im guessing the reporter is either Andy Cato or is quoting him as he was wearing a pair of aviators on Friday too. Im amazed he got a blast as it all looked carefully planned to stay away from anyone, so maybe that incident has made them change the way the show is implemented.

Originally Posted by Buffo

Rob, you should have stayed around after the show was over so you could help them align their rig! Maybe you could have landed a "consulting" gig with them!

Maybe I should have done that

or maybe I should send them the video of my laser show set to thier track 'chicago' and show them how good a laser can look

And yes it was a good night. Groove Armada are a very fine live act and put on a beltin show every time. I hope that they have been making some recordings of this tour as I would love to hear thier live version of 'my friend' that they have played on this tour. The chorus is just like the album but the normal instrumental sections are replaced by thier own version of the mega classic 'are friends electric' riff. Its a truly superb reworking of thier own and someone elses tunes. If you like any of thier music at all and you like a good show I can heratily recommend them.

As for Aussie floyd every time i see them I think to myself - they need my SP168 instead of 2 greens - it would be much nicer.

Rob

ps Oh and one more thing...There was a very strange second support act on with Groove Armada, and if you had asked me before the show if I would like to see this kind of thing live I would have told you where to stick it. However Beardyman (look him up on youtube) is absolutley fucking amazing. 2007 human beatbox champion. Stunning. How anyone can do that stuff with thier voice and mouth is beyond me. Watch him on youtube he really is an amazing talent.

**stanwax** · 11-13-2007, 08:57

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji7jn4z2wTQ

for anyone interested here is my Groove Armada Chicago laser show.

Rob

**stanwax** · 11-13-2007, 08:59

Originally Posted by Jem

Have you seen that the Aussie Floyd show is coming to Sheffield Arena on 26th April next year (tickets £24.50). Apparently their doing 'The Wall' this time. I'm getting some tickets for myself and three mates, is anyone else going?

Cheers

Jem

Hey Jem Im going....just not to Sheffield. I will be at the Manchester Gig.

Rob

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