The Smile, an English rock band featuring Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, alongside Tom Skinner, has been captivating audiences worldwide since its formation in 2019. With over one million monthly listeners on Spotify and the release of their highly anticipated album Wall of Eyes, the band embarked on a thrilling 21-show European tour in 2024.
The tour featured packed performances in 14 countries, including the UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece and Italy. Universal Pixels, long-time collaborators of Radiohead, were tasked with providing the upstage LED visuals for the tour, and Brompton Technology’s advanced LED processing technology was at the heart of delivering the dynamic, rockstar-level visuals.
The primary challenge was to create a visually stunning, seamless experience for fans across different venues, using cutting-edge technology that could maintain consistency and reliability under the demanding conditions of a high-profile touring schedule. The LED wall had to deliver exceptional image quality, tailored to the unique live performance, while ensuring the durability of the equipment on the road.
Universal Pixels worked closely with Andi Watson, the show designer, to create an intimate, compact upstage LED wall using ROE Visual’s latest V4ST LED panels. Universal Pixels was the first company in Europe to purchase the panels, underscoring the company’s commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions. To power this impressive display, Brompton’s 4K Tessera SX40 LED processor was used, ensuring flawless performance and seamless visuals at each stop:
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Tessera SX40 LED processors powered the V4ST panels with 4K resolution, delivering dynamic and high-quality visuals.
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Tessera 10G Data Distribution Units ensured seamless distribution of data to the LED screens, maintaining performance reliability throughout the tour.
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ROE LED Strip, positioned behind the band, was driven by a Brompton T1 LED processor, chosen for its interpolation functionality.
Brompton features used, included:
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14-Way Colour Correction: Powerful and intuitive colour correction with 14-way Colour Corrector, Colour Replace and Colour Curves.
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ChromaTune: Enabled precise adjustments and corrections to the colours in the incoming video signal.
Managing a touring setup across such varied venues meant ensuring consistency in image quality despite differences in screen sizes and lighting environments. Brompton’s Tessera technology ensured that the V4ST panels and ROE Strip were integrated smoothly, providing a unified visual experience across all venues. The real challenge was to maintain visual integrity with the ROE LED Strip’s interpolation functionality. This was achieved by using the T1 processor, and the Tessera system’s ability to handle such a complex setup ensured that the visuals remained flawless throughout the tour.
The Smile’s 2024 tour became a visual showcase, thanks to the cutting-edge LED technology provided by ROE Visual, powered by Brompton’s Tessera processors. The integration of new LED products like the V4ST panels, alongside established technologies like the ROE Strip, highlighted the flexibility and reliability of Brompton LED video processing technology. Fans across Europe were treated to stunning visuals that complemented the band’s electrifying performances, and Universal Pixels continued to deliver on their reputation for providing the best in live event technology.
Phil Mercer, commercial director at Universal Pixels said, “This tour was a great example of using a newly launched LED product like the V4ST alongside some much more established products, such as ROE Strip. Both are supported by Brompton LED processing and can be run from the same physical processor – a feat that most other LED processing platforms would struggle to achieve.”