Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South West London, in the Lambeth district of Brixton.
Opening in 1929 as a cinema, the venue was converted into a discotheque in 1972, then reborn as a concert hall in 1983. It is owned by the Academy Music Group (AMG), and has become one of London's leading music venues,[3] hosting over 50 live albums,[4] and winning the NME Best Venue 12 times since 1994.[5] It has been home to several notable performances, including The Smiths' last gig (December 1986),[6]Leftfield's June 1996 concert which set a decibel record for a live gig at 137db,[7] and Madonna's gig in 2000, which was watched by an online audience of 9 million.[8]
In December 2022, two people died and others were seriously injured following a crowd crush at the door. The venue is currently closed and can re-open once licensing conditions outlined by Lambeth London Borough Council have been met as agreed by the Licensing Sub-Committee on 11 September 2023.
The venue started as a cinema and theatre in 1929 on the site of a private garden in Stockwell Road. Designed by the architects Thomas Somerford and E. A. Stone,[9] it was built at a cost of £250,000 as an "Astoria" theatre. The opening show was the Al Jolson film The Singing Fool, followed by a variety act, including Heddle Nash and Derek Oldham which was broadcast by the BBC. The theatre eventually closed its doors as a cinema on 29 July 1972. It was then converted into a discotheque in September 1972, known as the "Sundown Centre".[10] The club was not a success and closed down some four months later. In May 1974 planning permission was sought to demolish the Grade II listed building and replace it with a motor showroom and petrol station. However, the redevelopment scheme was scrapped. The building was kept heated after it closed, and was used as an equipment store by the Rank Organisation.[11]
In 1981, the venue was remodelled by Sean Treacy, who later ran the entire site services, was re-opened as a rock venue called "Fair Deal"[12] with a concert by UB40 and an interior restoration. The Clash played the venue in 1982 on their Casbah Club tour (30 July) but the venue closed later that year due to debt. In 1983, Simon Parkes bought the venue for £1, and re-opened it as the Brixton Academy.[13] The academy's success steadily grew throughout the 1980s with numerous reggae productions and it was hired out to major rock and pop acts such as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits and the Police for rehearsal. The venue was also used for video shoots for Wham! (Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go) and Culture Club.[14] Parkes would go on to write a book about his experience of running the venue, Live At The Brixton Academy: A Riotous Life in the Music Business, which was published in 2014.[15]
In 1995, Parkes sold the theatre to Break for the Border. Under its new ownership (McKenzie Group),[16] reinvestment started immediately, with a complete £500,000 refurbishment of the Art Deco building frontage to its original grandeur, additional facilities both front of house and backstage and a capacity increase to just under 5,000. The venue is currently run by the Academy Music Group after a rebranding in August 2004[17] and hosts a range of live acts and club nights. With the sale, the venue's title was changed to Carling Academy Brixton. In 2008, naming rights were purchased for £25.5 million by the O2 brand, owned by the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica.[18]
Being one of the biggest non-arena music venues in London, the academy has been used by many very successful acts. It has also been voted venue of the year 12 times since 1994 in the annual NME Awards.[19] In addition the venue has won the Music Week Award for Venue of the Year several times including 2009.[20]
2022 Asake concert crush
A crowd crush outside a performance by Asake on 15 December 2022 seriously injured four people,[21] two of whom died in the following days.[22][23]The Guardian cast doubt on early reports that people were trying to force their way in without a ticket.[24] The newspaper also questioned the management of the building and its entrances.[25] As a result of the crowd crush, Lambeth councillors met in the early hours of 22 December 2022 and decided to suspend the academy's operating licence following the "severity of events" and "risks to public safety" from "a lack of crowd control at the front doors". The licence was suspended until a full hearing on 16 January 2023,[26] when it was suspended for a further three months.[27]
The BBC reported that security staff were said to accept bribes to allow people in without a ticket.[28] In April 2023 the Metropolitan Police stated that they had no confidence in the holder of the venue's licence and that they were applying for the licence to be revoked.[29] In September 2023, the police stated that they were not opposed to the venue reopening, but simply opposed to AMG operating it.[30]
On 15 September 2023 Lambeth Council announced that the venue was permitted to re-open after the incident,[31] providing they meet new licensing conditions including strengthened doors, a new security contractor and additional safety procedures. A full list of the conditions is published online by Lambeth Council.
Notable performances
The decorative proscenium arch, framing the stage, with a concert in progress (Sex Pistols, 2007)
The Smiths played their last gig here in December 1986[6] which was an Anti-Apartheid benefit scheduled for the Royal Albert Hall but rearranged to the Brixton Academy due to Johnny Marr being involved in a car accident.[32]
The Ramones played their final European show at the venue on February 3, 1996, before touring for the last time in South and North America.[33]
Madonna played a special concert at the venue in 2000, to promote the release of her album, Music. The concert was broadcast live online and was watched by a record-breaking audience of 9 million.[8]
Artists such as The Clash, Deborah Harry, The Prodigy, Arcade Fire, Nine Inch Nails and Bob Dylan have all played five consecutive nights at the venue.[citation needed] In 2002, Iron Maiden played three consecutive nights as a part of charity event "Clive Aid 2002". The band set the record for merchandise and ticket sales.[34]The Mighty Boosh broke this record in 2008, with their second live show Boosh Live, playing seven consecutive nights.[35]The xx equalled their record in March 2017, playing seven consecutive nights in support of third record I See You, becoming the first music act to reach that number.[36]
Leftfield set the world's decibel record for a live concert in 1996 when they reached 137db.[7] They were summarily banned from using the same sound system at the venue after the high bass levels started disintegrating the ceiling, resulting in showers of dust and plaster.[37] They returned in 2000 using a different sound system.[citation needed]
Space Ritual, a 1972 live album by Hawkwind, recorded in 1972 at Brixton Sundown and Liverpool Stadium.
Live at the Academy, Brixton, an album by Gregory Isaacs, recorded in May 1984.
Pete Townshend recorded Deep End Live! at Brixton Academy on 1/2 November 1985.
Academy, a 1989 VHS video by New Order was recorded live at the Brixton Academy on 4 April 1987 as part of the International AIDS Day fund-raising season
Live at the Brixton Academy, a live album released by Sizzla on 29 August 2000
David Gray recorded his concert on 16 December 2000 as the album Live at Brixton Academy December 2000.
Motörhead recorded their 25th Anniversary concert on 20 October 2000 at Brixton Academy entitled 25 & Alive Boneshaker, released as DVD music video in 2001 and as an audio album later in 2003 under the Live at Brixton Academy title, the latter featuring the façade of Carling Academy Brixton on the cover.
ConflictTurning Rebellion into Money. Recorded 18 April 1987 during The Gathering of the 5000.
Under a Pale Grey Sky, live album by Sepultura released in 2002, but recorded in 1996. Last concert featuring founding member and vocalist Max Cavalera, that left the band shortly after the show, following an argument in the backstage.
Machine Head recorded their live CD Hellalive at the Brixton Academy on 8 December 2001. This CD was released on 11 March 2003.
Scarred: Live at Brixton Academy, a 2003 live album by Gary Numan, recorded in 2001.
Live at Brixton Academy, a 2003 live DVD by the Inspiral Carpets.
Damian Marley recorded the album Damian Marley, Live at the Brixton Academy in 2006
Live at Brixton Academy London, UK 11/13/07, a Limited Edition CD recorded by Concert Live for Alexisonfire, and distributed after the show
Live in the UK 2008 at Brixton Academy 1 February 2008, a Limited Edition CD recorded by Concert Live for Paramore, and distributed immediately after the show
Live in the UK at Brixton Academy 3 May 2008, a Limited Edition CD recorded by Concert Live for The Wombats, and distributed after the show
Live from Brixton Academy, a live recording from the band Kasabian, available only from some digital download services and encumbered with DRM. It was recorded at Brixton Academy on 15 December 2004. This was the band's final show of their momentous breakthrough year, and band member Sergio Pizzorno's birthday.
Jimmy Eat World recorded their concert on 18 February 2008 and a double CD of the recording was available to buy at the venue after the show and also online. The show was a sell-out despite not having a major hit in the UK.
Carter USM recorded their show at Brixton Academy on 14 November 2009. This recording was released as part of the two disc ' The Drum Machine Years' release which also included a recording of the previous night's gig at London (HMV) Forum.
Carter USM "The Final Comedown" Live CD & DVD was recorded in November 2014. Said to be as the best live film & audio recording of the band that has ever been made & a fitting end to the band's live career.
Mastodon recorded their Brixton show on 11 February 2012, releasing the Live at Brixton album of the recording in 2014.
Gojira recorded their show at Brixton Academy on 24 March 2013, later releasing it on 11 March 2014 as Les Enfants Sauvages.
Deaf Havana recorded their show at Brixton Academy on 7 December 2018. They made a live album called, Deaf Havana Live at Brixton Academy’which was released in 2019.
Bombay Bicycle Club recorded their show at Brixton Academy in 2019, playing their debut album in full. They released the recording in January 2021.
Videos recorded at Brixton
The ITV PantoCinderella, which was not actually released on DVD or VHS.
Queen guitarist Brian May performed at the venue in 1993
Tenacious D has the entire performance from 3 November 2002 at the Brixton Academy on the second disc of their DVD, The Complete Masterworks.
Iron Maiden recorded three videos here: "Women in Uniform", "Run to the Hills" and "The Trooper"
Boy George and Culture Club filmed the video for their 1986 top-ten hit "Move Away" at the Brixton Academy. The video has extensive footage of the venue, including the entrance hall, the staircase and the circle. The band is also seen as silent film-stars racing cars across the venues former film-screen.
Moloko recorded a live DVD: 11,000 Clicks at The Brixton Academy on 22 November 2003. It was the last show of a long tour for Moloko and was likely their final performance as a band.
N.E.R.D. recorded their second single "Spaz" from third album Seeing Sounds at The Brixton Academy on 14 June 2008.
Pulp – F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.I.V.E. recorded 21 December 1995. Reissued on ultimate live DVD
Rammstein recorded 4 songs performed at Brixton in February 2005 (Sonne, Ohne dich, Rein Raus and Feuer Frei) and released on Völkerball.
Sea Girls launched a short documentary titled "Brixton at Night", that featured fan interviews and live performance clips from the band's sold-out headline show at Brixton Academy in 2021.[41]
^Visvardi, Aikaterini (31 March 2016). "The Sound of Music". Vicinity Magazine: 89. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via Issuu.
^Parkes, Simon; Rafaeli, J.S. (23 January 2014). Live at the Brixton Academy: A Riotous Life in the Music Business. London, England: Profile Books. ISBN978-1847659934.
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