The Soul Defender is an ex military truck converted to a gorgeous mobile festival stage
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The Soul Defender is a festival stage and roving artwork, built to rapidly turn everyday places into unforgettable parties.
The Soul Crew have converted a 1984 ex-military cargo truck into a stage on wheels with 15-tonnes of character, bubbles, lights, weather cover, batteries and a red-hot PA. No cables needed: we're ready to rove, baby.
Whether stationary or roving, The Soul Defender includes an eye-catching weather protected 14sqm stage, L-Acoustics sound system, funky lighting, height adjustable roof (with truss for extra gear) and enough batteries to run a 1000-person dance party for 8+ hours. This means a super-fast setup and pack-down to save on road closure times, machinery, and mucking around.
Truckie is a turnkey stage package with all-out event support, backed by Dionysus (Australian Event Management Company of 2024) who can help to book artists, liaise with councils, refine compliance docs, you name it – a solution and a smile are just a click away.
1. Pop-Up Gigs & Street Parties
Truckie can roll in with tunes pumping and get a crowd moving in moments. The Soul Defender is perfect for public activations, precinct series, placemaking initiatives, parades and festivals that want something unexpected.
2. Mobile Music Stage
She's great for DJs, bands (not too big, no orchestras for example) and MCs. The Soul Defender can bring life and technical-ease to a beer garden gig, street festival or appear in multiple places over a longer program.
3. Roving Performance/Parade Vehicle
Fully compliant with an automotive engineering certificate to carry two tonnes of gear in the roof, she can parade or meander through large-scale events carrying banners and gear, or punters and performers if the road is closed.
4. Custom Programming & Artist Collabs
Dionysus are keen to support unique partnerships and commissions that use the truck as a platform for bold ideas. Truckie is designed to uplift the soul with cracking performances, and defend the soul through important movements.
5. Community & Cultural Events
From youth showcases to multicultural street fests, the open-air nature of the Soul Defender makes it highly inclusive. We’ve delivered pop-ups for First Nations programs, city nightlife pilots, and hyper-local neighbourhood activations.
6. Big Screen and Movie Activations
The Footy's on and you want a big screen in the carpark? Maybe the main stage is a little far away, and you want to carry the sound and vision a little further... The Soul Defender can be used to deploy a big screen and sound system anywhere, this 6x6 can carry 10-tonnes of gear over a muddy mountain or sandy beach.
Stage size: The tray of the truck is a perfect stage for DJs and (not huge) bands at 2.5mD x 5.7mW x 1.4mH with optional extensions. The whole truck is a little bigger at 9.6mL x 2.5mW x 4.2mH.
Sound: L-Acoustics ARCS (2 per side) and 2x SB218, 6x L'Acoustics MTD foldback wedges, Allen and Heath sound console. More than enough for most bands, and enough oomph for a fairly large crowd.
Power: Onboard batteries, and it takes either 10amp, 15amp or 32amp power connections for gigs over 8hrs.
Lighting: 50 custom pink Mack indicator lights, custom pink front wash fresnels, Chamsys MagicQ onPC control, and extra lighting packages available.
Set-up: Depending on scope we can arrive ready to go with zero onsite setup time or take up to 3 hours for larger sites or if providing extra stage, sound or lighting packages. In most cases we can be up and running for a small band in 20 minutes.
Crew: We always include a highly trained driver, and L'Acoustics certified sound engineer in pink high-vis and love heart sunnies.
Transport: Road-registered, 6 wheel drive. Housed in Canberra but available for events and tours anywhere in Australia
We’re open to opportunities with:
Councils & Place Managers – Revitalising spaces with live music culture
Festivals & Producers – Adding pop-up stages or mobile elements
Artists & Musicians – Creating bold new works and hybrid performances
Brands & Activations – For those looking for high-impact, high-fun engagement
Community Groups – Making celebrations accessible, loud, and loved
We’re especially keen to partner with people who want to inject culture into unexpected places, reach new audiences, or add a moment of surprise and delight to their program.
24/7
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Roof mounted trumpets blowing bubbles Martin Ollman
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Doppel Album launch amongst the trees Martin Ollman
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Soul Defender Celebrating Capital Brewing's 2nd Birthday party at night with crowd Capital Brewing
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The Soul Defender with 5 piece band onstage Gupi De Zavalia
This page is managed by The Soul Defender.
We acknowledge that we live and work on Aboriginal land and recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of First Nations Australians. We also acknowledge all of the traditional owners of the land in NSW, and pay respect to First Nations Elders, past and present.
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