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London’s Miro Shot are a collective looking to disrupt the status quo, utilising the advancements in virtual reality tech to present a new version of what a band can be. At the centre of their vision is their addition to the traditional gig. Alongside playing regular shows, groups of up to 20 people are invited to an event earlier in the day to wear VR headsets while the band play one song. As the performance begins the band are seen on the headsets as digital versions of themselves. When a chorus kicks in they are floating above a lake. The possibilities are endless. “An amazing concert is transcendental so we wanted to look at how our notion of reality has changed and fractured as technology becomes more and more prevalent,” Roman Rappak, de facto leader of the group explains.
Stripped from the technology, Miro Shot are a band at their core. “We're human and we play instruments,” Rappak says. However, saying Miro Shot are just a band would be deceptive. Their collective is open to anyone and currently features 450 members. “Before we even started playing live we'd have people getting in touch to ask how they could invest in our start-up,” Rappak recalls. At first he was wary but given more thought decided, "The most punk thing you could do would be to create a start-up and utilise the tools available to you in the tech world. What's wrong with adding coders and designers to the band on top of drums and synths? It's DIY on the most basic level.”