Apple is opening a new “state-of-the-art” live music venue in London’s iconic Battersea Power Station.
In recent years the former power station has been transformed into a residential, retail and office complex which counts Apple’s UK HQ and an Apple store among its tenants.
From the end of this month they’ll be joined by the Apple Music Hall which has been “designed to connect artists and fans through bespoke, intimate performances”.
Apple says its designers have drawn inspiration from the power station and incorporated heritage brickwork, fluted arches, and bronze balconies into the 600-capacity venue’s design.
Key features include a 38-foot-wide stage that can be reconfigured for traditional front-facing sets or more in-the-round experiences and a 48-speaker spatial sound system positioned all around the audience.
Behind the stage, Apple Music Hall operates as a full production facility with two dedicated recording and mix studios and is hardwired for 16 or more cameras that feed a purpose-built broadcast control room with infrastructure that supports iPhone video capture running in parallel alongside traditional broadcast cameras.
Apple also announced today that all of Apple Music Radio’s London-based hosts and shows will now broadcast live out of Battersea with the opening of its new radio studios.
“Apple’s deep love for music dates all the way back to the very beginning, from the launch of the iPod to the long-running iTunes Music Festival to the debut of Apple Music,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content.
“Today, with the opening of Apple Music Hall, we are once again taking an unprecedented step further in our commitment to artists and fans by supporting live music in ways only Apple can do.”