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Apple inaugurated a new show space in London on Monday, the 28th, named Apple Music Hall. This venue is located inside the Battersea Power Station, which was a former power plant situated on the banks of the Thames River and gained worldwide fame for appearing on the cover of Pink Floyd's album Animals, released in 1977.

The Apple Music Hall has a capacity to accommodate 600 people and was designed to host live performances, featuring adequate infrastructure for both recording and broadcasting. In addition to the main stage, the space features two professional studios dedicated to recording and mixing, a Spatial Audio system with 48 speakers, and support for a minimum of 16 cameras.

The design of the Apple Music Hall integrates characteristics of the Battersea Power Station itself. The architecture blends exposed brick, fluted arches, and bronze balconies, inspired by the windows of the historic building. A large glass panel complements the design, offering views of the former plant's exterior area and the Thames River.

The objective of the space was to create an experience where the audience remains close to the artists without compromising technical robustness. The stage, measuring 11.6 meters wide, can be configured in two ways: facing the audience or positioned in the center of the hall, allowing spectators to surround it. The 48 speakers distributed among the audience enable the reproduction of performances in Spatial Audio, providing an immersive sound experience for those present.

Behind the scenes, the two professional studios allow every event to be recorded in multiple soundtracks and produce the Spatial Audio version, whether live or later. The video structure supports more than 16 cameras, connected to a control room equipped with professional materials and images captured by iPhones. This allows the performance to be recorded, mixed, and transformed into a ready-to-broadcast video without the artist having to leave the building, in addition to enabling live broadcasts worldwide.

The Battersea Power Station achieved international notoriety after being used on the cover of Pink Floyd's Animals. This album, released on January 21, 1977, featured the image of an inflatable pig flying over the four chimneys of the plant, which the band used as a metaphor for industry and the excesses of capitalism.

The plant was built between 1929 and 1955 and supplied energy to London via coal until 1978. After being decommissioned, the building remained unused for several decades and was the subject of various revitalization plans that were not realized, including the idea of turning it into a theme park.

The transformation of the site only began to advance decades later. In 2022, the Battersea Power Station was reopened as a residential and commercial complex. Apple also established its headquarters in the UK at this location.

Even before the opening of the Apple Music Hall, the plant had hosted artistic performances. Elton John gave a private show at the venue in 2014, and in March of this year, the band Mumford & Sons performed during the celebration of Apple's 50th anniversary.

Apple's connection to musical events in London is long-standing. Between 2007 and 2017, the company organized the iTunes Festival—later renamed the Apple Music Festival—which brought artists such as Adele, Lady Gaga, Elton John, Oasis, and Kendrick Lamar to performance venues in the city.