Lighting designer Paul ‘Pauly’ Owen has been touring this year with an Avolites D7-215 lighting console, using it to create a spectacular light show for Australian rappers Hilltop Hoods on their world tour.
Hilltop Hoods —one of the leading acts in Australian hip hop— have carved out their own path by bringing their catchy tracks and complex narratives into the live arena, achieving major audience success. Hailing from Adelaide, the core lineup consists of MCs Suffa (Matthew Lambert) and Pressure (Daniel Smith), alongside DJ Debris (Barry Francis) on decks and production. They formed the band in the early 1990s after meeting at school.
Pauly has worked with the group for nearly 20 years, developing a highly distinctive freestyle lighting style tailored to their music and rhythm. He blends elements from different disciplines —from theatrical precision to high-impact rock— to create new looks and lighting moments that perfectly match the aesthetic of rap and hip hop. This approach has earned him the widely recognized title of The Hip Hop Lighting Guy.
The current Hilltop Hoods tour began with the release of their album Fall from the Light, kicking off with festivals in Australia and New Zealand, followed by Europe, and continuing with an arena tour across the ANZ region this spring.
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Pauly started using the D7 in Australia, with lighting equipment supplied by rental company Harry the Hirer, continued in Europe with an Avolites T3 system, and returned to the D7 for the latest Australian shows.
He has been working with Avolites control systems since the start of his professional career in the early 1990s, remaining loyal to the brand for various reasons, including its well-known buskability (ability to improvise live), which is key to how he operates with Hilltop Hoods.
His methodology involves a high level of improvisation, adapting to the rhythm and energy of the band and the audience, while maintaining an execution as precise as a timecoded show. This style has become almost legendary within lighting design circles.
This tour marks his first use of the D7 with Hilltop Hoods, although he had previously worked with an Avolites D9 on Jimmy Barnes’ Red Hot Summer tour in 2023, another regular client. One of the main advantages he highlights about the D7 is its portability, which is essential in a country like Australia, where touring involves frequent flights due to large distances.
Among the features he uses most is the Key Frame Shapes generator, which allows him to create effects in real time.
Many of his designs for Hilltop Hoods involve pixel-based fixtures, which he often maps —sometimes applying effects across the entire rig— achieving results that are both aggressive and aesthetic. “With the D7 and a bit of lateral thinking, you can animate a look without needing a media server”, he explains.
He also highlights the D7’s programming architecture, which he considers simple yet smart: “You can get a rig up and running in about 20 minutes, which is great”. He adds that he sees himself as a more visual than technical designer: “The console is the translator between what’s in my head and how it will look on stage, and Avolites is, without a doubt, the best translator for me”. That’s why he chooses the brand for the major projects he works on.
Avo consoles are designed from a lighting designer’s perspective. The company is made up of lighting professionals as well as developers—they understand the industry and its real challenges. That results in a very efficient, logical and powerful workflow, he notes.
A typical festival setup for Hilltop Hoods includes front and rear trusses with around 60 fixtures —spots, washes, bars and blinders— along with a floor package. This year’s setup includes five platforms with Vanish LED panels, MagicBlades, LED Moles and Cobras, along with additional fixtures on stage, MAC Aura XBs for side lighting and Klus LED strips for signage.
The upcoming arena leg of the Fall from the Light tour will feature around 260–270 fixtures, along with special effects and video, including Robe iFORTES.
Pauly’s working style is direct, rhythmic and highly flexible, constantly adapting to the energy of the music and the audience. He describes it as “a punch in the face”: intense, powerful and uncompromising. He typically prepares a wide range of looks and then executes them live, working the faders and building his own show from FOH.
