Apple opens ‘intimate’ new live music venue in Battersea Power Station

Over the past few months, Apple has been secretly constructing its first-ever music venue right under our noses. Or, more accurately, right on top of our heads. For weeks, shoppers have browsed Battersea Power Station’s outlets completely unaware that construction workers are putting the final touches on a state-of-the-art music venue mere metres above them.

I visited the venue for an exclusive first look last month, making me one of the first non-Apple employees to behold what will soon become the shiniest new jewel in London’s live music crown. With the cavernous bones of Battersea Power Station and deep pockets to play around with, you might have expected the American tech behemoth to go big with their maiden venue. They decided to do the opposite.

Apple Music Hall, Apple’s new music venue inside Battersea Power Station

Apple

Apple Music Hall is small by London gig venue standards. It can hold 600 people – roughly a quarter of the size of O2 Forum Kentish Town or one hundredth the size of the Emirates Stadium. In fact, it’s better envisioned alongside the city’s most intimate venues: two MOTH clubs, or four Ronnie Scott’s. According to Apple bosses, this is the whole point: “To close the gap between intimacy and production value and allow for an unprecedented level of creative control,” a statement announcing the venue says. While Apple Music Hall does not have an exact opening date, the site is expected to open its doors to punters within weeks.

The Hall sits across floors two and three of the power station. Visitors will enter via a lift on the north side of the building, taking them upstairs to the balcony level where they can have drinks overlooking the Thames. Inside the music venue, a 38-foot stage takes up a significant amount of floor space, meaning artists with typically large productions (say, someone who has just come off a run of shows at The O2 or Wembley) can translate their show more easily to a smaller venue. Alternatively, the stage is removable, allowing performers or DJs to play “in the round” formats in the centre of the room.

The venue has a capacity of 600 people

Apple

In addition to standing and tiered seating, balcony boxes provide extra space and a higher view. Visually, the Hall is distinctly “Apple” – all clean lines and rounded edges – set against the brick, fluted arches, and black iron of the Grade II listed building. It features a 48-speaker sound system that surrounds the audience, enabling a Spatial Audio performance that moves with the performer.

But it’s the party in the back that will be catnip for artists. If you’ve never been to a green room before, picture a dilapidated liminal space with concrete walls, two ratty leather sofas, and far too many people for one room. Apple Music Hall’s backstage area looks closer to Nobu than a traditional green room. Along with capacious dressing rooms, two dedicated recording and mixing studios let musicians record on the road or capture their live performance in full Spatial Audio. The Hall is also hardwired for more than 16 cameras to film the performance and livestream it to a global audience.

A green room inside Apple Music Hall

Apple

So, why London? Apple is an American company, founded in Silicon Valley, and its headquarters remain in California. But its music branch has a longstanding connection to England’s capital city. Perhaps the most memorable example is the iTunes Music Festival, launched in 2007 in London. Running for ten years, the iTunes festival (later renamed Apple Music Festival after the streaming service launched in 2015) brought stadium-sized acts like One Direction and Lady Gaga to more intimate venues such as KOKO, the ICA, and Roundhouse.

Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and International Content, is keen to repeat the iTunes Music Festival ethos with Apple Music Hall, except this time it’s higher tech, more permanent, and on Apple’s own turf. “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,” he says. “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.”

Lana Del Rey performing at the Roundhouse as part of the iTunes Festival 2012

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It will also be more integrated with Apple Music’s radio offering: the company has just announced that all Apple Music Radio’s London-based hosts and shows will now broadcast live out of Battersea with the opening of Apple Music Studios London, conveniently located right next to the Hall. “At Apple Music, we care deeply about music, the artists who make it, and their life stories,” says Zane Lowe, Apple Music’s global creative director and lead anchor for Apple Music 1. “We’re always looking for new opportunities to connect the artists and the fans because we are fans. What better way to celebrate this relationship than a new music venue where we get to experience amazing music in an amazing space and share it with the world. Great music and memories will be made at Apple Music Hall.”

The Hall has been given the seal of approval from Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who said: “This is a huge vote of confidence in the UK as a global creative powerhouse. When a company of Apple's scale backs British music and talent, it's a signal of just how strong our creative sectors really are. Our industrial strategy is all about making Britain one of the best places in the world to invest, and the creative industries are a key part of that. These sectors are not only a source of immense national pride, but they also deliver real economic value for the country.”

One of the bars (left) inside the foyer at Apple Music Hall

Apple

The exact opening date, along with more information on ticketing and pricing, will be released shortly.