Super Furry Animals returned to the stage in 2026 with Taith Supacabra, the Welsh band's first UK tour in more than a decade.
The band opted for a limited run of dates in intimate venues, performing at Glasgow's Barrowland Ballroom and the O2 Apollo in Manchester before closing the tour at O2 Academy Brixton in late May.
PRG supplied the video system for the tour, with an AV Stumpfl Vario 64 frame serving as the show's primary projection surface.
The tour featured a limited number of dates in smaller venues, leaving little truck space and a limited budget for a custom projection surface. Even so, the show's content demanded a screen capable of maintaining detail and colour with a full projection system.
The screen had to pack down into a very tight space, and our proposed solution had to be modular. The small number of dates, and the choice to play more intimate venues, led to a budget that didn't allow for a custom solution for the projection surface. We knew the screen needed to be a proper surface to get the most out of the projectors, and it couldn't be a gauze or another material, explains James Hancocks, technical account manager of music for PRG.
Vario was the answer. The system is built around a basic frame that can be configured in virtually any format and is manufactured at AV Stumpfl's facility in Austria. The surfaces stretch onto the frame with press snaps and can be transported packed flat alongside the frame components. AV Stumpfl also offers close to 30 different surface materials. For Taith Supacabra, Flex White CI was selected, a premium front-projection vinyl with a matt white surface and a grey, completely lightproof rear layer.
The particular frame PRG carried on Taith Supacabra has unusual dimensions, and that is precisely what keeps it in its inventory. "Its unique size makes it a surface that continues to be useful for clients looking for something a little different from the usual 16:9 format that everyone has", says Hancocks. "It allows us to offer something different".
On this tour, that translated into a screen spanning the full width of the stage. It was initially used sparingly, with monochromatic designs during the opening songs, before the show gradually opened up into colour.
Beyond the format, the decision came down to what a touring frame needs to be able to do every day. Vario systems are designed to withstand repeated assembly over a long service life and benefit from global availability of spare parts. This is an important practical consideration on a tour working with different local crews in different venues every night.
The screen itself is also part of that equation. The material is flexible enough to fold down into the same tight transport space as the frame components, can be cleaned with water and is flame retardant, meeting venue requirements on both sides of the Atlantic.
"The way it can go together night after night, and you know it will work – that's great", says Hancocks. "And the ability to get spare parts easily wherever you are in the world is a plus too".
That consistency was evident during load-ins. Since every Vario screen follows the same assembly scheme regardless of size, crews unfamiliar with the system were able to get up to speed quickly. "It went together like a dream", says Hancocks. "The modularity of the components means it is quick for any local crew to put up or tear down".
The projection design used two Panasonic 13K projectors, combined in a side-by-side blend to cover the full width of the Vario surface. The system also included a Panasonic 31K, although this was used exclusively from front of house as a key light on the band rather than projecting onto the screen. This meant that the blended image on the Vario surface remained uncompromised by spill.
The content came from visual artist Sam Wiehl, who has worked with Mogwai, Yann Tiersen, Forest Swords and others. His art direction has also helped shape the visual world of the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia.
Wiehl joined Taith Supacabra through production company Neon Black, working alongside the band and production manager Shaun Kendrick. The team developed the show through storyboards, tests and a rehearsal period at PRG. Across the set, Wiehl manipulated 3D visuals live in Unreal Engine, building a three-act structure that began in monochrome and progressively increased in intensity towards the finale.
We wanted to slowly introduce the AV element and build up to a production crescendo. The show was divided into three sections: a monochromatic black-and-white opening section, including the lighting; then the introduction of colour and a more psychedelic section; and finally, a third section with a more frenetic approach towards the finale. We played with a mixture of recognisable elements from the Super Furry Animals visual world and introduced a detailed, audio-driven particle world, all run in Unreal Engine. We described the arrival of colour as a kind of Wizard of Oz moment, when everything, including the lighting, burst into technicolour, explains Sam Wiehl, visual artist.
Running the show live rather than following a pre-programmed timeline was a deliberate choice and also a requirement of the setlist itself.
"We wanted the flexibility to create a show that felt different each time. The setlist changed from show to show and we wanted to adapt accordingly", explains Wiehl. "I'm controlling the camera in Unreal live, with the audio affecting the worlds I'm in. That allowed me to generate the right energy to suit the tempo of the tracks each night. I love performing live and being able to react in the moment".
The choice of surface played an important role in ensuring that those visuals maintained their impact night after night. AV Stumpfl's Flex White CI is a diffuse screen with a gain of 0.96 and a recommended viewing cone of ±55°, allowing brightness and colour rendition to remain consistent both for audience members at the edges of the venue and for those directly facing the stage.
This is an important factor in venues where much of the audience is very close to the screen and viewing it from pronounced angles. The completely lightproof rear layer prevents stage lighting and light from behind the screen from lifting the blacks, which is particularly important in a show that begins with monochromatic designs. In addition, the material is rated for 8K-plus content, allowing the detail in Wiehl's renders to be reproduced without softening.
"The fact that the lighting also increased during the opening meant we needed a real punch on the screen for everything to feel right and balanced. The Vario 64 screen was great and gave us exactly the definition we needed", says Wiehl. "The big moment was 'Hello Sunshine' and, after a few tweaks on my side, we achieved a spectrum of sun colours ranging from golds and yellows to purples and pinks to create the right effect".
The venues themselves also influenced how this psychedelic content was developed.
The widescreen setup created an unusual ratio for the audience, especially as we were performing in venues with low ceilings. Maintaining the scale of the show was essential. We also used projections onto the band and the audience to create additional immersion, allowing the show to spill beyond the screen at certain moments. The content was designed to be organic and, in places, abstract, making use of the spaces we were in, explains Wiehl.
For a surface required to reproduce such a wide range of content through haze and changing lighting conditions, the first real test came during rehearsals. "It really popped", says Hancocks. "When we had it set up in rehearsals, the creative team walked in and were really impressed with how the image looked on the screen".
Wiehl had been waiting a long time for that moment. "It was great to finally see months of work on a large-format screen", he says. "The image looked great, and I think there was a genuine excitement among all of us that once we were up and running, we'd have a great show".
Taith Supacabra is an excellent demonstration of what a modular projection screen is designed to do. Working within strict transport-space constraints and a modest scenic budget, PRG was able to provide a returning band and its audience with a distinctive, professional-grade projection surface spanning the full width of the stage.
In addition, thanks to a frame system that assembled the same way every night and could be supported anywhere the tour travelled, the work ran seamlessly. Vario has been part of the AV Stumpfl range for more than 40 years and continues to earn its place in touring inventories for precisely these reasons.
Photos: © Dylan Swann, courtesy of PRG
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