Artists and industry speak out to save Brixton Academy: “It’d be a tragedy to lose such an iconic venue”

28 April, 2023

Brixton

Various artists and industry professionals have spoken out against the potential closure of 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.

Earlier this week, however, the Metropolitan Police claimed to have “lost confidence” in the safety of the venue and made a push for the location to close its doors for good.

The attempt to shut down the venue led to backlash from music lovers almost immediately. This morning (April 28), it was reported that an online petition had launched on Change.Org to counteract the attempt, and had already gathered nearly 10,000 signatures.

Within a matter of hours, the number of signatures has accelerated to nearly 15,000.

Brixton Academy
Police tape cordons off the O2 Academy Brixton after a crowd crush at Asake’s gig on December 15, 2022. Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.

A number of musicians and industry professionals have also weighed in on the debate — taking to social media to try and save the venue.

“Lost count of the amount of times we’ve played Brixton Academy – it’d would be a tragedy to lose such an iconic venue,” wrote The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, who shared four images documenting the band’s time at the location.

Primal Scream bassist Simone Marie Butler also shared her thoughts on the debate, adding: “Brixton Academy is such an important and historic venue for south London and live music. There is a police a station literally opposite, surely with new management / infrastructure + security it can be improved ? instead of just shutting it down?”

American alt-rock icons Garbage spoke out against the choice on Twitter too, simply writing “Save Brixton Academy” and attaching a link to the online petition. Check out more industry responses below.

Following the fatal incident at the Asake concert, the venue had its licence temporarily suspended until January 16, with Lambeth Council saying that it would discuss the issue again at that date. This was later voluntarily extended for three months by the venue’s operator AMG.

The closure of the South London venue has left many artists forced to postpone their pre-scheduled shows, and play at alternative venues instead.

The post Artists and industry speak out to save Brixton Academy: “It’d be a tragedy to lose such an iconic venue” appeared first on NME.