5 October 2026
Avoiding the soulless tech corporation label is tough, yet Apple has consistently tried to better the stereotype. Over the last 10 years, Apple has shown a steadfast commitment to the arts, breaking Spotify’s near-monopoly on streaming services, even luring the likes of Zane Lowe and Ebro into exclusivity. With Spotify recently launching ‘Hometown’ – a live music series celebrating the places of origin of top artists – the question of how Apple Music would respond immediately arose. Their response is Apple Music Hall: a new venue on the riverfront of Battersea Power Station, with a truly stacked opening lineup that puts Baby Keem on Friday and Elton John up first on Monday.
With Elton John brought out of retirement yet again for Monday’s show, it’s up to Baby Keem to bring the first mosh pits to the Apple Music Hall: without damaging anything.
The most striking thing about the Hall isn’t just the novelty of choosing to attend a gig in a shopping centre, but how similar its foyer feels to an airport lounge – and the fact that it may just be the cheapest drink in any London venue, never mind Central. The Hall itself? The aesthetic of Leicester Square Odeon, with red seats and sound quality to match, as a playlist of modern hip-hop classics sounds so crisp it’s hard to believe Sheck Wes isn’t hiding just out of view shouting the words to ‘Mo Bamba.’
The Apple Music Hall feels like an arena squeezed into a grassroots space, broadcast to anyone who wants to witness – there may only be 600 in the room, but thousands are watching at home on a livestream.
A gold curtain for Elton’s Monday show is traded for a sheer black one, with the shining lights of ‘Ca$ino’ bursting through as lights drop and the sound of a roulette wheel bounces from one wall to another. The curtains slide as the bass of ‘Ca$ino’ smacks your eardrums and trap-claps pierce through, while Keem’s signature high-pitched bars carve their way through the Vegas chaos. Standing atop what looks like a crash-landed shipping container in the Nevada desert as a showgirl wanders around, ’STATS’ opens the music hall’s first mosh, built on glitchy loops and shuddering 808s.
Dropping the tempo, ‘I am not a Lyricist’ builds on clicks and twinkling piano, paired with a freed, bouncing flow that eerily sounds like Andre 3000. Despite his boisterous reputation, Keem gives himself plenty of moments to rest up and introspect across his set, showcasing his growth. ‘Vent’ is not one of those – ‘Shout out to Apple Music for this’, Keem announces before the staccato bounce incites mania bordering on GBH for Kendrick’s intro of ‘have you ever been punched in your motherfucking face.’ Despite whispers beforehand of a show-stopping cameo, Keem has evolved beyond needing his cousin for star power – after all, his O2 Brixton show sold out with no need for his family ties.
Splitting the show, the curtains close for a quick stage transition for a truly theatrical Act 2 moment. ‘Circus Circus Free$tyle’ merges triumphant horns with a nod to his trap origins, while the wonky dial-tone beat of ‘ORANGE SODA’ gives the 600-strong in the standing section another moment to lend their shouts to the livestream. Circle pits widen yet again as the kaleidoscopic ‘Trademark USA’ shifts from sheer atmosphere into eerily pitched-down sirens to bouncing vulnerability as Keem attacks a beat with cuts on his life history.
The Las Vegas themes continue as a slot machine on screen rolls a 777; Keem sits for the stuttering downtempo ‘lost souls’ while the piano melody on minimalist ‘Highway 95 pt.2’ keeps the emotional heart in place as he lies down – seemingly exhausted by the sombreness of his own recorded confessions.
A necessary slower section powers through, paired with costume changes for the egregiously horny ‘$ex Appeal’ and the twinkling ‘Dramatic Girl’; a diehard but restless crowd of fans stares in awe that they’re seeing an artist of Keem’s calibre this close, but waits for the next opportunity to crash into each other. The party restarts with the frenzied ‘Moshpit.’ Fittingly, a green hoodie adorned with ‘please run into your nearest moshpit’ ignites the blaze. With little to no care at all for the risk of being memed by the streaming panopticon, the standing section moves so much it’s almost dizzying to watch. Absolutely no breather is given as the exultant, conquering brass loops of ‘Family Ties’ thunders its way out of the surround sound, as Keem not only encourages the Dice ticket-war winners but requests that the executives lurking in the surrounding boxes get involved. Perhaps worried about staining their distressed denim (looking at you, Zane Lowe) or their Prada suits, they stay in place even as ‘beat em up/beat em up’ gets even the most static attendees moving.
With the curtain down, ‘RIP Sharon Govan’ is projected upon it – a tribute to Baby Keem’s grandmother as a lone mic stand adorns the stage. ‘How could I blame you, mama’ is practically choked out, flipping a James Blake sample into a plodding, snare-driven meditation on those who raised him on closer ‘No Blame.’ Despite a seemingly sombre note to end proceedings on and the inevitable encore requests, hip-hop’s debut in Apple Music Hall is an inarguable success, withstanding the crowd’s rowdiness while letting raw reflections land. The hall ultimately plays to Keem’s strengths and showcases his development from pitched-up trap into a fully fledged star, free from cousin Kendrick’s shadow.
With an opening programme filled with stars, Apple Music Hall promises both the opportunity to see legends in an intimate space and for upcoming acts to have their first ‘I’ve Made It’ moment when promoters Communion One take over the programming in the New Year. As venues remain under constant threat in an unstable live economy, Apple Music Hall already feels like one of London’s best venues and a welcome fightback against the killing of live scenes – if only tickets were easier to get.
Words by Keir Shields