i-Lite Ltd

The Finn Brothers recently switched out their Wholehog 2 for a Hog iPC console on the final Australia/New Zealand leg of their world tour.

The Finn Brothers are Neil and Tim Finn, the harmonious voices of the former group Crowded House.

Lighting director Glen Johnson used a Wholehog 2 and wing from Bytecraft during their Australian run. However, when the band reached New Zealand, Johnson switched to one of the two Hog iPC consoles that Spot-Light Systems Ltd. had recently purchased.

Flying Pig Systems’ Hog iPC is the industry’s first hybrid lighting console, which runs on Hog 3PC software but is also backward compatible with Hog 2PC software.

Says lighting director Glen Johnson, “I already have a Wholehog 3, which I brought last year, so the layout of the console and the button labels on the Hog iPC felt just like being at home.”

Johnson says the console’s speed is a great plus. “The speed of the console and the response of the new touch screens greatly made my day,” he notes. “It reminds me why I love the Hog 3. It’s got great screens and faders, which have a real feel to them.”

He points out another feature that came in handy on this tour. “Because the Finns pull from a set list of 70 songs on any one night, being able to jump to the cuelist quickly is vital. The left-hand screen was a page directory with a template set up on a USB wing. Again, the speed of the whole console was just fantastic, what you always dreamed the old Hog 2 would be. Plus, the use of USB drives to transfer shows just made for a very easy life.”

Spot-Light Managing Director Ben Cooper says they will be looking to purchase more Hog iPCs in the near future. "All around, it's a nicer console (than the Wholehog 2) with better facilities, able to burn CDs rather than floppy (disks), able to use flash memory stickers through USB ports, able to transpose Hog 2 and Hog 3 programs, and at the top of the list, touch screens that work!"

LD Paul Normandale of Lite Alternative Design in the UK designed the show using a number of moving lights. Sharon Finn, Neil’s wife, designed the set.