Lighting designer Matt Arthur brings music to life with vibrant designs and groundbreaking technologies from Macula, Ayrton, Martin Professional and MA Lighting

Crowded House, arguably New Zealand’s most iconic musical export, spent much of 2024 captivating global audiences with their Gravity Stairs tour. The tour culminated with an unforgettable series of performances across Australia and New Zealand, where Phaseshift Productions, supported by Show Technology Australia, provided top-notch gear and crew for the Australian East Coast shows.

Lighting designer Matt Arthur was at the helm of the visual experience, opting for a rig that featured Martin and Ayrton fixtures, controlled by an MA system. A standout feature of the tour was the innovative Macula Followspot System, which Phaseshift introduced for the remote followspot setup Matt required.

A Seamless Introduction to the Macula Followspot System
Despite not having encountered the Macula system before arriving in Australia, Matt quickly adapted to its intuitive functionality. “The screens on the controllers looked good, and all I had to do was patch the fixtures in the console,” he shared. “It performed flawlessly! There were no issues from my end, and it seemed very simple and reliable for the operators and crew.”

The Macula system gave Matt unparalleled control over the followspots, eliminating the need for extensive communication with operators during live cues. This allowed him to focus on executing precise lighting transitions, adjusting levels, and controlling fade times. “Having a solid system, especially for the main performer’s key light for the cameras, was a big win,” Matt added, highlighting the system’s reliability during the tour.

Crafting Theatrical Worlds with Scenic Layers and Dynamic Lighting
With a vision to create a theatrical, scene-based show, Matt worked closely with the band and tour manager Rick Purcell to establish the visual direction. The show’s scenic elements, designed by long-time collaborator Noel Crombie, included a striking backdrop, mid-hung drapes, and six floor-standing scenic pieces affectionately nicknamed “feather dusters.”

“The backdrop gave the show its unique focal point, and it was a pleasure building the lighting design around it,” Matt noted. The addition of a cyc upstage of the main drape and various layers of lighting helped create immersive environments for the songs. “From making it feel like the band was underwater during Fall at Your Feet to simulating a blazing sun for Distant Sun, the visuals elevated the music’s emotional resonance,” he explained.

A Rig Built for Flexibility and Depth
Matt’s lighting design combined 37 units of the Ayrton Perseo fixtures, with 25 in the air and 12 on the floor; in addition to Martin MAC Aura XBs, and MAC Ones. Each element played a specific role: the Perseo units offered wide zooms and stunning gobo projections, while the MAC Aura XBs illuminated scenic pieces with vibrant colours.

The flown Perseo were placed on the three overhead trusses between the wash lights. The front and rear trusses were straight, whereas the mid truss had a ”U-shape” appearance due to a 1.5m straight piece in the centre with 6m lengths at 10 degrees running off each side. This shape helped to give a forced perspective to the mid-hung drape pieces and followed the front line of the angled band risers. On the other hand, there were 12 Perseo on the front truss; six were general workhorse spots for cyc/backdrop gobo projection looks and general beams and gobos. Three were specific keylights locked off on the three band members on the risers, and the remaining three were linked to the Macula system for followspot duties on the guys downstage.

The mid-truss had seven fixtures, and the rear truss had six. This layout ensured Matt had at least two backlights behind each band member to achieve varying angles when picking out each performer. These also supplied gobo projections on the drape and general backlight and aerial effects. The floor layout consisted of three Perseo per side to cross-light the band with gobos and effects and side-light the backdrop. A further six units upstage between the backdrop, and cyc added a lot of depth and helped make the backdrop appear to float at times. The flown rig followed a practical configuration of spot-wash-spot fixtures across three trusses, while the floor layout provided cross-lighting, backdrop effects, and added depth. The cyc lighting, in particular, created the illusion of floating scenery, impressing audiences and critics alike.

Matt confirms that the Ayrton Perseo Profile S delivered a flat field of light, great colour rendering, and reliable performance, while the MAC Aura XB fixtures proved their worth as cost-effective workhorses, bright enough to hold their own alongside modern spots.

Eight MAC Ones were placed on the mid-truss, with seven on the upstage truss, all in between the spots for the primary truss washes. They mainly provided backlight on the performers with occasional beam and movement effects to keep it interesting. In addition to eight for the mid-drape pieces, eight more MAC Ones were evenly distributed between seven JDC1s on the floor upstage, where their main job was to uplight the backdrop and shoot light forward on occasion.

MA3 Hardware, MA2 Software: The Perfect Pairing for the Tour
The tour used MA Lighting grandMA3 hardware running MA2 software, reflecting Matt’s preference for reliability and familiarity. “I programmed the base show with Chris Yeomans at my house on WYSIWYG before heading out. Since then, I’ve tweaked and added a lot on the road,” he explained.

Matt kept the presets simple, knowing the tour’s festival-heavy schedule required adaptability. Each song had its own macro, triggered manually to accommodate the band’s dynamic performance style and frequent between-song banter.

Lighting the Music, Enhancing the Magic
The Gravity Stairs tour showcased the perfect marriage of music and visuals, with Matt’s theatrical lighting design creating vibrant worlds for Crowded House’s timeless songs. The innovative use of the Macula Followspot System and high-performance lighting fixtures ensured the tour ended on a high note.

Reflecting on the experience, Matt said, “Lighting up the band with their fabulous songs, combined with the scenic elements, was a real treat. It’s been an unforgettable journey, and I’ve learned so much along the way.”