www.musicweek.com PROFILE METROPOLIS
23.11.12 Music Week 19
A SPRAWLING METROPOLIS
It’s one of Britain’s most iconic studios and one of London’s most awe-inspiring listed buildings. But one year on from an ambitious management buyout, the Metropolis Group can’t allow itself to get bogged down in history, as it diversifies into a multi-faceted, impressively modern music business
STUDIOS BY TIM INGHAM
I
f only the walls in the lounge of Metropolis Studio A could talk. This was the haven of comfort and serenity
into which Queen would retreat during recording sessions for Made In Heaven and Innuendo; a homely, snug oasis away from the stress and stimulation of recording classic rock within the bowels of one of the world’s most opulent studios. The band liked it so much that its unassuming
array of bookshelves – still hanging proud to this day – featured in the video for Innuendo itself; Queen’s members cramming themselves into the space provided by each horizontal slat. When Freddie Mercury died in 1991, busloads of Japanese tourists began arriving at Metropolis, just to take pictures of these shelves. Sadly, the era of Queen’s brilliant excesses -
indeed, of bands spending six months writing, rehearsing and recording in any British studio - are long gone. These days, artists are dealing with squeezed funds just like every other area of the
ABOVE Up and away: Metropolis Group’s ‘Power House’ is a Grade II Listed building with a bar/listening area upstairs. Inset: two of the historic Metropolis studios
music business - three weeks is generally seen as a sizeable studio stay. As a result, a few years ago the legendary chillout
zone of Studio A’s lounge was going coldly ignored by artists too busy watching the clock to take five. That was, before Metropolis Group CEO Ian Brenchley came on board. Thanks to Brenchley, who led a management
buyout of the Metropolis Group a year ago this month, Studio A and its lounge have become a much sought-after events space - where intimate music showcases can be played to around 120 people.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48