Sommerville chose a Sapphire over a Pearl for this Gomez tour because of its additional power and capacity: "Everything you need is right here to hand on the Sapphire," he says. "The page selection is great, and there’s plenty of faders so you don’t have to change pages to select individual lamps - it’s all at your fingertips. It’s also a great desk for improvisational moments!"
Steve’s worked for Gomez since day one - initially when they were supporting Embrace who he also designs for - and has grown with the band. This tour around, he went for a totally different stage look, concentrating on a more purist lighting aesthetic without any video. The rig - supplied by Vari-Lite Europe - consisted of a box truss, flown lower at the upstage end, and instruments included 30 Vari*Lites, a mix of VL5s and VL6s, plus assorted Pars and Source Fours, all divided between truss and floor and controlled from his Sapphire.
A gauze, hung off the back truss, revealed a UV backdrop at strategic points in the show. For a touch of leftfieldness, six vertically rotating half mirror balls plus some blinders were mounted on tank traps. The lighting picture was completed with a scattering of strobes around the stage.
(Ruth Rossington)
