Lord Huron’s first arena tour, with Datum and Disguise EX 3+
Live Events
Music
Disguise Platform
Since releasing their debut album in 2012, American indie folk band Lord Huron has built a reputation for rich, evocative music that borders on cinematic. As the band prepared to head out on a twenty-four-date tour across the US, they called upon Cour Design and Datum’s two divisions - Datum Creative, to handle the programming, creative and operation, and Datum Rent, to handle rental of the kit - to help translate that musical storytelling into an unforgettable visual experience.
The result? A striking, theatrical show designed in five seamless acts, using Disguise’s EX 3+ media server and Designer software to power real-time visuals, immersive storytelling, and IMAG content - all supplied by Datum Rent and managed by just a couple of people on the road.
The Challenge
Though Lord Huron have been a touring band for over a decade, this tour marked the first time they incorporated video into their live shows. Their run of gigs across the States in the summer of 2025 presented an opportunity to offer fans a new vision of their favourite band.
But with an incredibly short timeline of just a few weeks to pull everything together, the team’s biggest challenge was balancing everything: the ambition of the band; the budget; the processing power required to handle a show of this scale; and the fact that just a couple of people would be running the video elements throughout the tour. David Singleton, Creative Director at Datum Creative, devised a solution to handle lighting and video playback, and to automate some camera cuts and PTZ presets in order to assist Camera Director Rob McLaughlin. The workflow had to be streamlined, robust and adaptable for the tour to be a success.
The Solution
To meet the demands of the show, Datum worked alongside Andrew Gange of Fragment Nine using Disguise Designer software and the EX 3+ media server to build a tightly integrated system that could support Notch real-time graphics, complex camera inputs, and flexible IMAG workflows.
The show was structured into five visual acts, each with distinct stylistic identities, yet seamlessly connected to tell one flowing narrative. “Cour created these incredible visuals of ‘worlds’ that required many songs in the show to be seamlessly linked, but with the challenge of a drop in timecode between each”, explains Singleton. “The visuals needed to have no stops, no pauses. So Andrew and I had to build out a way to create these links without skipping a single frame.” The goal was for the audience to feel like they were immersed in each act, to match the way the band played the show. Transitions were essential - songs ended, but the visuals stayed animated, then transformed in rhythm with the next track.
Disguise’s Sockpuppet workflow made this fluid approach possible. With no time for any pre-programming, the team created and edited the show live during rehearsals, leaning on Disguise’s powerful real-time visualisation and easy integration with grandMA control systems.
Having a good system in place for content management was key. We had to previsualise, make quick changes, and test ideas on the fly. Designer gave us full flexibility and control
Creative Director at Datum Creative
The use of Notch blocks created by Cour with the help of NVIDIA’s background removal tool enabled IMAG shots to blend seamlessly with graphical content, creating a surreal layered aesthetic. A massive ROE CB5 upstage wall, supplied by 4Wall, anchored the set, while a stack of four ‘TV’ screens and a prop projector added depth, and shadow interaction between live dancers and pre-recorded footage created magical visual moments throughout the performance. One standout scene featured a dancer and the lead singer interacting with their own shadows, which evolved into mythical creatures - simple in concept, but visually stunning.
The EX 3+ gave Datum the performance power of a high-end media server at a price point that fit the project. This made it possible to preserve the creative ambition, handle fast-paced camera switching, real-time Notch effects, and background removal, all without dropping performance. “The EX 3+ has opened the door to so many new clients and ideas,” says Singleton. “It’s an incredibly capable platform that doesn’t compromise performance.”
The Result
The tour was a creative and commercial success, and the band completed their first full arena run with resounding impact. From intense IMAG sequences to elegant visual storytelling, Lord Huron captivated audiences with a fully integrated production that matched the cinematic quality of their music. “This was one of the most creatively fulfilling shows we've done this year,” reflects Singleton. “The tight turnaround, the new tech, the creative vision… it all came together beautifully.” For Lord Huron, this wasn’t just their first arena tour - it was a creative leap that showed what’s possible when a band dares to scale up their visual storytelling.
