Visionary sci-fi rock band STARSET recently unveiled their Augmented reality app while on their current headline tour heading to the UK this month.
The new mixed reality app developed by the firm Juniper Jones includes space inspired visuals that fans can access using the app throughout the interactive live show. The unique experience features live music synced to the AR content as well as a pre-show countdown clock.
STARSET have one of the more unique stage shows with lead vocalist and engineer Dustin Bates designing much of the automated show technology elements himself. The band’s performances follow a space-themed narrative that centre on science and technology and its potential effects on society now and in the future.
Kevin Robinson, Juniper Jones CEO explains the collaboration, “Working with Dustin and the band on creating an AR experience around STARSET’s current tour was an interesting challenge from both a storytelling and technical POV. Creatively, how can we start an experience that excites the audience prior to Starset performing the first set, and how is it structured so that over time we can continue to expand into a larger narrative?”
Live concert venues are generally not ideal for out of box AR experiences. Robinson explains, “Typically you have a ground plane / environment to track but at a concert, there is no ground! Only a sea of excited fans. We came up with an alternate solution that pre-calculated the ground plane, used the phones internal Gyro, thus gamifying a manual location marker. It’s like a virtual concert beach ball, and depending on where you are in the venue when the ball / spaceship reaches you, it’s your turn to engage. It’s that same idea, but with jet propulsion blasters.”
The STARSET app is available here for download:
iOS – https://apple.co/2En82N7
Android – http://bit.ly/2DS1MMc
STARSET is currently on tour performing music from their latest album Vessels, which debuted at #11 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart last year. The band and Bates also collaborated with Marvel Comics to release a STARSET themed graphic comic book last Fall. STARSET recently reached a massive milestone by surpassing 1 Billion views on YouTube, which is in the same league as bands such as: Foo Fighters, Muse, Bring Me the Horizon and AWOLNATION.
The band’s 2014 debut Transmissions, not only introduced us to STARSET with its hit single “My Demons”, but also The Starset Society, which they are a part of. The thought provoking, anonymous-like group of real-world rooted scientists promotes and publicizes science and technology.
Starset is: vocalist Dustin Bates, bassist Ron DeChant, guitarist Brock Richards and drummer Adam Gilbert
DEMONSTRATIONS
March 21 – Manchester, UK- Academy 3
March 23- London, UK – Islington Academy
March 24 – Birmingham, UK -O2 Institute
March 25 – Bristol, UK – Fleece
Links Vessels album stream: https://soundcloud.com/razorandtie/sets/ss-vessel/s-ryctA
www.facebook.com/starsetonline
