The Client

A Victorian building in Covent Garden has been reopened as a burlesque cabaret diner following a £2m conversion by its owners, restaurateur Trevor Davies and his son Adam.

The 130-cover site has a rich heritage. Formerly used as a stable for elephants and horses by the Royal Opera House in Victorian times, it was most recently trading as a jazz venue when the two entrepreneurs saw it.

With a nod in the direction of its animalistic origins, the aptly-named Circus has been breathtakingly designed by Tom Dixon, and features a unique quartz dining table that runs the length of the club, and transforms into a dance platform later in the evening. This is surrounded by a bar at the far end, a second dining room to the side of the DJ booth, and a lounge set to the rear of the venue.

But in this world of glitz and mirrors, the performance table is not the only original feature. London-based AV integrators, the Sound Division Group, have specified the first new Allen & Heath Xone:DX with Serato ITCH software.

Project Brief

Henry Besant from the Worldwide Cocktail Club, who has a long history of working with the Sound Division Group, recommended the company for the project, and Managing Director David Graham was soon discussing with Adam Davies the prospect of incorporating Serato Audio Research’s ITCH software.

“Adam wanted a high power, computer-controlled sound system,” he says. “We knew Allen & Heath were planning to bring out the Xone:DX, a new music production software controller that would do so much more to manipulate the Serato ITCH software than previous devices.

System Solution

Now installed, the Xone:DX is a 20-channel USB soundcard featuring total integration of the full 4-deck software, with the ability to send up to 168 individual MIDI control messages and connect to external devices – all operated from a new dedicated Mac laptop.

With Sound Division’s project managers Dean Osborne and Elliot Patterson having experience of Serato ITCH, integration was relatively straightforward, with implementation aided by an intuitive GUI that Sound Division designed for the operators.

“Allen & Heath have added a lot of features to facilitate four deck mixing – it will take any device with a line input capability, and has a recording feature so you can record a set live,” says Patterson. “On top of that, ITCH also provides AIFF, WAV, MP3 and AAC.”

Adam Davies himself says, “My goal was very specific. With this system, DJ sets can be saved, with everything mixed and ready to go. Also, I was concerned about DJs playing what they wanted, and with this I can restrict them to playing what’s on the hard drive. I can also link the other PC to my lighting system and, when we have an act playing, I have all the cues automatically programmed.”

The music plays out to the four zones through Martin Audio’s architectural AQ loudspeaker range, with eight AQ8 speakers surrounding the main dining stage area, and multiples of AQ6 speakers in the secondary dining area, bar and lounge, reinforced with a recessed AQ212 (2 x 12) sub behind the DJ booth. These are powered by a combination of Martin Audio MA1.3S and MA 900 amps.

The long refectory table has steps at either enabling the cabaret artistes to walk up and perform, either on the table or the overhead trapeze. And when the operation shifts to live mode, artistes take advantage of the venue’s compact live PA setup comprising of two Shure PG58 radio mic systems, which are mixed through a Yamaha 12-channel MG124CX console.

Knowing that Adam Davies wanted a highly theatrical environment, Sound Division specified DMX lines and additional power feeds to accommodate seven ETC Source 4 Junior profiles and four Martin smart MAC moving heads, projecting powerful gobos and graphics onto the pelmet under the glazed conservatory roof, and scattering beams off two rotating 16” mirrorballs.

Two powerful 400W UV cannons have been installed, one either side of the stage, with the purpose of illuminating the trapeze artists/performers. Within the lounge, there is a second smaller stage podium with a dancing pole, where performers are illuminated with PAR 16 Birdies and a Minuette Fresnel.

The second PC drives the Zero 88 24-channel Jester ML24 lighting controller, into which lighting cues are programmed, as well as the BSS Soundweb London BLU-16 (4-in/8-out) digital processor, which provides all zoning, EQ presets and system protection. A BLU-8 remote control panel has been installed to provide emergency backup should the main PC fail.

For projection, a Panasonic PT-FW300 3500 ANSI lumen WXGA HDMI projector and Euroscreen 8ft widescreen electric drop-down projection screen have been installed to run early 20th century circus-themed show reels and for corporate presentation purposes.

End Game

Now that the venue has enjoyed its successful baptism, plans are underway to extend the Tuesday-Saturday trading by introducing Sunday brunch sessions, Monday opening, and pre-theatre menus.

Summing up the AV integration at Circus, David Graham says, “This is a unique concept and Adam Davies has taken a very adventurous approach in bringing everything under software / laptop control. He is part of a new breed of venue owners who are very on top of what’s going on in the market, and we’re delighted to have helped him pioneer this and fulfil his ambition.”