The Black Keys announce 2024 UK shows – including Brixton Academy dates
The Black Keys have shared details of UK live shows for 2024 – including shows at London’s Brixton Academy. Find ticket details below.
News of the tour dates come following the band revealing details of their new album ‘Ohio Players’ back in January, which they shared with the lead single ‘Beautiful People (Stay High)’.
The album – which is a follow-up to 2022’s ‘Dropout Boogie’ – is set for release on April 5, and will now be followed by three shows across the UK later this spring.
The first of the three shows will be held on April 27, with an opening night at the new Co-op Live arena in Manchester. From there, the remaining two nights will be held with back-to-back slots at the O2 Academy Brixton on May 7 and May 8.
Confirmation that the London shows will be held at the venue comes after news broke earlier this morning (March 4) that the space will be reopening in April. The O2 Academy in Brixton closed its doors in December 2022 after a fatal crowd crush took place at an Asake concert, which left two people dead.
Tickets for the Black Keys shows go on sale this Friday (March 8) at 10am local time and can be found here. Pre-sale options are also available for those who pre-order the new album.
Announced back in January, ‘Ohio Players’ will mark The Black Keys’ 12th studio album and is set to feature a variety of guest appearances, including collaborations with the likes of Noel Gallagher and Beck.
Following the lead track, the duo have also gone on to share another teaser from the LP in the form of the emotive single ‘I Forgot To Be Your Lover’.
Their upcoming shows in Brixton come after the future of the iconic London venue was thrown into question following the tragic events in 2022. During the Asake gig, fans Gabrielle Hutchinson, aged 23, and 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo were killed, and a third was left in critical condition.
Following the fatal crush in 2022, Lambeth Council suspended the venue’s license and the Metropolitan Police reportedly made a push for the location to close its doors for good as it faced indefinite closure.
An online petition was launched to counteract the closure, and various artists and industry professionals also spoke out against the potential shutting down of the venue.
In December 2023, it was announced that the venue would be allowed to retain its licence and re-open if it can meet “robust” safety rules. After doing so, the first run of comeback gigs were shared this morning.
Nirvana UK (tribute to Nirvana) and The Smyths (tribute to The Smiths) will perform at the venue on Friday, April 19, followed by Definitely Mightbe (tribute to Oasis) and UK Foo Fighters (tribute to Foo Fighters) on the following Friday (April 26).
Beyond that, Editors have also announced a show at the iconic London venue on Thursday, May 2.
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Liberty Dunworth
NME
