Heaven, London's most iconic LGBTQ+ nightclub, has installed a new Avolites D7 console in its main room.
The supply and installation were carried out by technical production and integration specialist Subfrantic, with the aim of providing the venue's main dancefloor with a more powerful and flexible lighting and pixel control system. The high-energy space operates seven nights a week.
The console upgrade project was led by the venue's Head of Lighting, Shane Finucane, together with regular programmer and operator Dan Sanders, who were looking to replace the previous Avolites Sapphire Touch console that had been in service for around ten years.
Located beneath the Charing Cross railway arches on Villiers Street, in the heart of London's West End, Heaven has been a safe space and entertainment landmark for the city's LGBTQ+ community since opening in 1979. The club occupies three and a half railway arches, has a capacity of 1,725 people and is renowned for its atmosphere, as well as its musical programme featuring electro-pop, techno and dance music, alongside frequent live bands and drag performances.
Dan joined the venue's lighting team around two years ago, working regular shifts as an operator.
After a decade of intensive use, the previous console needed to be replaced with faster, more modern technology. The launch of the new Avolites D7 range, designed as a next-generation, portable and future-ready platform, came at exactly the right moment and met all of their requirements.
Having worked with Avolites consoles for three decades, Dan is highly familiar with the Titan software architecture. In addition, Heaven's two smaller rooms also operate using Titan T1 systems, so after the excellent performance of the previous console, choosing Avolites again was a natural decision.
The main room required a powerful, fast and intuitive console capable of programming the complex effects and sequences that enhance the club's musical experience, while also providing an efficient platform for guest lighting designers. Once again, Avolites proved the obvious choice.
Shane and Dan held several discussions with the Avolites team about the new console and the direction the brand has taken since its acquisition by Robe lighting s.r.o. at the end of 2023, reinforcing their confidence in the decision.
One of the key factors for Dan was the quality of the faders, a feature of the D7 that impressed him immediately.
The lightweight feel and quality of the faders, together with the motorised faders and flash buttons, are fantastic, he said.
A console built for performing lighting live
For Dan, lighting at Heaven is a hands-on experience, with most of his operation based on improvisation. Although he does not rely heavily on programming macros, he makes full use of every flash button to develop a highly syncopated operating style.
He enjoys operating the console as if it were a musical instrument. "I need it to have an extremely precise feel so I know exactly how it will respond, just like playing a keyboard when performing arpeggios: how much pressure to apply, how it will react... That level of control is essential", he explained.
He believes this fluid and dynamic workflow is particularly important for genres such as trance and other high-energy electronic music styles, where multiple lighting effects can be layered simultaneously to deliver the greatest possible visual impact on the dancefloor.
Everything is in these faders, including a degree of separation that makes the lighting rig perform like an orchestra of musicians and instruments.
Dan's career began at another legendary London venue of the 1990s, The Astoria, where he first started working with Avolites consoles. After 35 years in nightclub lighting, he has refined a style of operation that follows the rhythm and energy of the music. He also considers it essential to read how the atmosphere evolves throughout the night, as it constantly changes depending on the flow of people on the dancefloor, something every lighting operator needs to understand.
Among the D7 features he values most are the playback touchscreens and the Active Playback Window. He typically keeps between 20 and 30 playbacks open on the centre screen during a show, while also using virtual playbacks to control haze, video wall intensity and the group master. The ten macro buttons along the bottom are dedicated to strobe effects, and he also uses a 16-button InTech MIDI controller to trigger additional effects without occupying screen space.
Dan also highlights that the D7's physical dimensions are perfectly suited to Heaven's control booth. Although the console is rarely moved, he appreciates that it delivers the look and capabilities of a full-size professional console while remaining light enough for a single person to carry. He also praises Avolites' new black finish, the LED light strip above the displays, the tilting screens and, overall, the carefully designed ergonomics of the user interface.
Today, the D7 controls around 50 intelligent fixtures, mainly Robe Pointe luminaires and LED wash fixtures. It also manages the venue's five video walls and laser systems. In addition, there are 36 channels of incandescent lighting, and Dan still values the classic feel of working with a fader desk, believing that manually controlling filament lamps provides a "unique and natural" quality.
Straightforward installation and operational continuity
From the integrator's perspective, Steve Davies of Subfrantic points out that Avolites products stand out for their ease of use and familiarity, while also delivering all the required functionality in a compact format. "Support and training are also fundamental, and Avolites has always excelled in both", he added.
Davies founded Subfrantic in 1993 after leaving school and has maintained a close relationship with Avolites throughout his career. The manufacturer's consoles have formed part of the company's rental inventory since the late 1990s, including Pearl, Tiger, Sapphire and Arena models, and now the new D7-215, available for shows and events.
This D7 is the first lighting console Subfrantic has installed at Heaven, although the relationship between the two companies dates back to 2005, when Subfrantic purchased the club's former PA system for use in another project.
Steve explains that replacing the old Sapphire with the new D7 provided valuable continuity: staff did not have to learn a new operating system, and existing show files could be transferred and fine-tuned easily instead of being reprogrammed from scratch, making the transition quick and painless.
Dan confirms that moving from the Sapphire to the new D7 and bringing the room back into operation took "literally just minutes".
Echoing Dan's view, Steve notes that one of the greatest strengths of both legacy and current Avolites consoles is their outstanding performance for live operation and improvisation during shows.
That was another key reason why Avolites was the right choice for Heaven, together with its excellent balance between size and performance, he concluded.
Photos: Sarah O'Gorman
