The Prodigy share support for save Brixton Academy campaign
The Prodigy have shared their support for the campaign to save the O2 Academy in Brixton.
The iconic London venue drew controversy last year following a fatal crowd crush that occurred at an Asake concert. The event — which left two dead and one in critical condition — ultimately led to the academy having its licence suspended for three months.
The Metropolitan Police have since claimed to have “lost confidence” in the safety of the venue and made a push for the location to close its doors for good.
An online petition was then launched to counteract the closure while various artists and industry professionals also spoke out against the potential shutting down of the venue.
Yesterday the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) launched a campaign alongside Save Our Scene and Brixton BID to keep the O2 Academy in Brixton open. You can support their campaign here.
Now, The Prodigy have backed the campaign and urged the public to support it too.
It is super important that it's able to continue to be a place that you can go and see bands play live. If you agree please, put your full support behind them, as we do.https://t.co/PbCyxw4vNq
— The Prodigy (@the_prodigy) May 14, 2023
They wrote: “Brixton Academy is our home. What happened there a few months ago was tragic & very serious lessons need to be learnt from it. It’s the venue that has been at the heart of our band, the one that we have played the most and where fans from all around the world come to see us play.
“It is super important that it’s able to continue to be a place that you can go and see bands play live. If you agree please, put your full support behind them, as we do.”
The NTIA previously said the venue “has been part of the cultural tapestry of London” and “one of the most celebrated venues in the UK, hosting performance royalty from a hugely diverse internationally acclaimed pool of talent”.
Despite the Metropolitan Police recently saying it had “lost confidence” in the venue’s operator AMG, the NTIA said: “For decades the Brixton Academy under Academy Music Group management has been a safe and inclusive space for people to enjoy a wide range of cultural activities, from awards, live and recorded music, comedy to corporate events and filming. The venue has a considerable workforce and is one of the key employers of young people within the area, supporting a wide range of businesses and freelancers within the local community and across the UK, making a huge contribution to the local and national economy.”
It added: “We cannot lose sight of the tragic incident that occurred in December, but would respectfully ask that the Authorities consider working with AMG and the venue to learn from what has happened and enhance the licence and safety measures to ensure that this never happens again.”
Meanwhile, George Fleming, CEO of Save Our Scene, said that he was concerned that “if the [Lambeth] council & [the] government continues to undermine culture and close down venues, we could see the industry move further underground where there is not the same level of regulation or safety. All they have to do is look at what happened in the 90s”.
He went on: “In this case, we are urging Lambeth Council to work with Brixton Academy on finding a constructive way to keep this sacred space open & safe for people to enjoy. It’s far too important for the local economy & our culture to close down and would set a precedent, which our sector can not afford.”
The post The Prodigy share support for save Brixton Academy campaign appeared first on NME.
Damian Jones
NME
