EAW KF740 Makes Its Debut Under The Bridge

A new London live venue has opened underneath a premier London football stadium.

The 600-capacity Under the Bridge, situated at Chelsea FC's Stamford Bridge ground, has been built on the site of the former Purple Nightclub. Close attention to detail and an extremely high specification were the goals of the creative team, headed by concept designer Jim Cafarelli (of House of Blues fame), Ian Woodall (of XL Video), and Andrew Frengley (Matrix Nine).

Both Woodall and Frengley have worked closely together in the past and it was the latter's extensive experience of touring EAW systems for many years (while a director of premier rental company, Canegreen) that drove them to the brand.

But they weren't looking for an off-the-peg solution for the main PA system, as Ian Woodall confirms. "What we really needed was a KF730 on steroids," he quipped, referring to the company's small format line array. Such was their enthusiasm that they headed to Frankfurt's Pro Light + Sound to petition EAW's engineering guru, Kenton Forsythe, charging him with developing a custom KF740, with additional drivers.

In the event, the KF740 ended up being merely a prototype for the system that is now commercially in production (the 'CFC-740' imprint on the enclosures bearing testament to the fact that the originals were destined for Chelsea Football Club).

Featuring four phase-aligned 10" woofers (double the complement found in the KF730) the new KF740 remains lightweight and compact while also incorporating two 8in horn-loaded cones and two 1.4in exit, 2.5in horn-loaded voice coil compression drivers. Driven three-way, this exhibits exceptional pattern control, further enhanced with EAW's proprietary Focusing and Resolution software.

These have been designed into a flown L/C/R system (four + two + four) to take account of the venue's extreme width. "We hadn't even heard them when we first fired them up," states Woodall. "But as the venue is so short and wide it was important to keep as much energy up in the air as possible."

But this is only one piece of the EAW jigsaw at Under the Bridge, where nearly 80 enclosures in total have been specified.

Low frequency extension is provided by six EAW SB1000 subs on individual sends under the stage apron. "As the stage is arranged an arc, and the subs are staggered and offset, we can delay them individually and achieve greater control," says the installer.

Main system stage right outfills are provided by 4x KF730 elements - with further KF695 covering the stairs on stage left. EAW's KF850/SB330 provides stage fills (upstage and downstage), while a pair of EAW's JF80's adds sparkle to the more enthusiastic stage-huggers in the mosh pit. Elsewhere, large quantities of MK2396 and JF80s provide further delay coverage.

For reference, sound bands can call on as many as 16 low-profile EAW MW15 MicroWedge 15 floor monitors - and there is even a pair of MicroSubs for visiting drummers.

"Although we had options we decided to opt for EAW because of the history we have with the brand, and the fact that pretty much every engineer has mixed a gig through an EAW PA in his time," says Ian Woodall, qualifying the decision.

With its highly-sophisticated green room, state-of-the-art alcove seating, a host of rock photograph memorabilia lining the walls - and brilliant mosaics in the rest rooms (depicting Annie Lennox in the ladies and John Lennon in the gents) - Under The Bridge is perfectly set to host a wide range of music events, including artist showcases, record company launches and various festivals.

The venue's creative manager, Alan Tenenbaum, expects this to quickly become established on the London landscape.