Completely refurbished under the new management of Restaurateurs Arjun and Jai Waney, and property entrepreneur Gary Landesberg, they have sought to retain the heritage and charm of this authentic landmark whilst introducing the club as the hub of contemporary cultural life in London.
Designed by David D'Almada of Sagrada, the space consists of a series of individually furnished rooms, including a sophisticated Member's Library, and the Brasserie and Oyster Bar. kitchens are under the stewardship of chef director Raphael Duntoye of La Petite Maison.
With Mark Ronson at the helm as director of music, members are kept in tune with "cutting edge and stimulating artists". Performing art is a key element of the Club, as well as a programme of cabaret and film. The chic Club Nouveau, with its Bordello interiors, hosts live acts six nights a week. The 80-seat speakeasy venue has been witness to nights of Rock and Roll Royalty and has already attracted the likes of Ronnie Wood, Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn.
With this focus on performing arts, The Arts Club commissioned Marquee Installations to design and install the audio and video infrastructure and systems throughout the venue.
In the Club Nouveau, located in the basement, the main room features a live stage and a movable DJ booth. The main floor is covered by four L-acoustics 12XTi coaxial loudspeakers, with one 8XTi over the stage. These are supplemented by two L-acoustics SB18i 18-inch dual bass-reflex tuned subs. The system is powered by L-Acoustics amplification and an additional two 8XTi are used cover the bar area. The system is configured to be able to switch between a live sound and surround sound with very impressive results.
The FOH console is a Yamaha LS9-16 which, due to its space-dictated position at the side of the stage, can also be controlled via an iPad from anywhere in the room. "To provide great control and flexibility we have employed some innovative technology in this venue", commented Marquee's Stacey Tough.
On stage monitoring is provided by five L-acoustics 112P active coaxial monitors, one of which is swivel-bracket mounted so that it can be used for foldback or the monitor mix position. Mics are a combination of Shure and Sennheiser radio which, with associated charging facilities, are all stored in Marquee custom-built cases.
The DJ booth is mobile so that it can be used in two locations. Again this uses all high-end kit including twin Pioneer CDJ 2000 CD players, twin Technics SL1210 Mk5 turntables and a Pioneer DJM 2000 pro mixer with LAN-hub. Foldback is via an L-acoustics 112P active loudspeaker.
The club's reception, bar, corridors and even the toilets all have high-end audio, with a combination of Amina flat panel loudspeakers and K-Arrray ultra-slim subs built in. The background music is handled by a Biamp AudiaFLEX system using CobraNet
Video is another important feature of the Arts Club. The stage is covered by an HD IP camera which can be streamed to any chosen destination. The Club Nouveau is also fitted out with a 3m screen, a Christie HD projector on a Future Automation drop mechanism and DVD. The projector system uses Arcam top of the range processor for surround sound processing. All programming and commissioning was completed by Marquee.
(Jim Evans)
