The Bakery is a recording studio at 4A Fleet Road, Hampstead, London, England. It was first established in 2006 by British rock band Coldplay, as they wanted to have a place where they could "rehearse, write, work on artwork or just relax", following the release of X&Y (2005). The studio was built inside an old bakery and its foundation coincided with Phil Harvey's return to the group. Since Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), the place has been widely used for their projects. Coldplay then set up the Beehive in 2010, which serves as a sister building to the Bakery and was described as a larger and more modern facility.
Foundation
After the release of X&Y (2005), Coldplay decided to build their own recording studio.[1]Chris Martin commented their former workplace felt dirty, subdued and the band were not properly talking to each other.[1] They bought an old bakery in 2006 to help them refocus and established it as their headquarters.[2] The building is located at 4A Fleet Road, Hampstead, London.[3] Its main entrance is intercalated between an estate agent and a restaurant.[4]Will Champion described it as a bigger version of Jonny Buckland's bedroom,[4] from the time the band studied at University College London.[5] Producers Dan Green and Rik Simpson helped to convert the place into a studio, which has their management offices above and is suitable for overdubbing, but hard to make full band recordings.[6]
Recording
The first Coldplay album to be recorded at the Bakery was Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, starting from November 2006 until April 2008.[7] Champion stated the group would visit the building every day with no pressure and simply work on their music, marking a significant contrast with the experience they had on the previous studio, where most recordings ended up getting scrapped or had to be redone because more rehearsal and writing sessions were needed.[8] Furthermore, meetings coincided with Phil Harvey's return to the group.[9] The creative process was also accompanied by Brian Eno and Davide Rossi,[5] with the latter being responsible for introducing brand new songwriting, recording and experimentation techniques to them.[8] After Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends was made available, the Bakery remained fully functional and was used for all of Coldplay's subsequent albums.[6]
The Beehive
Opened in January 2010,[10] the Beehive is a former church hall at 17 Fleet Road which got converted into the Bakery's sister building.[11] Simpson claimed that it has a large space where he can record the entire band properly and, since they are all in the same room, it is better for communication.[6] The studio was originally designed to be a more contemporary facility, since its equipment include a Pro Tools HD system, a Slate Raven MTi touchscreen controller, racks full of outboard gear and an SSL Matrix console.[6] Moreover, Coldplay's best gear was said to be kept at the Beehive.[6]NME mentioned that the group rehearse every Thursday there.[12] Other musicians have used the building for recording as well, these include Ash,[13] Eno,[14] the High Wire,[15] and Peter Gabriel.[14] Between 2021 and 2023, the Beehive underwent a number of technical and structural renovations commissioned by Coldplay and handled by Green, who partnered with a specialized team from Miloco Builds, a subsidiary of Miloco Studios.[16]
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