The O2 Academy Brixton is set to reopen its doors this month, more than a year after closing following a deadly crowd crush.
In December 2022, Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were killed after people tried to force their way into a performance by Asake.
Commonly known as the Brixton Academy, the venue has remained closed since the incident.
This week, however, the venue's organisers confirmed that it would reopen on April 19 with performances from several tribute bands.
The O2 Academy said on its X (formerly Twitter) account: “O2 Academy Brixton will reopen on Friday 19 April with Nirvana UK (tribute to Nirvana) and The Smyths (tribute to The Smyths), followed by Friday 26 April with Definitely Mightbe (tribute to Oasis) and UK Foo Fighters (tribute to Foo Fighters).”
The venue initially faced permanent closure but councillors last year voted to allow it to continue operating as long as it implemented new safety procedures.
Here’s everything you need to know about the venue and what happened in December 2022.
Who owns the O2 Academy Brixton?
Academy Music Group (AMG) owns and runs the venue, which has won the NME Best Venue award 12 times since 1994 and hosted more than 50 live albums.
Brixton Academy opened in 1929 as a cinema, before being converted into a discotheque in 1972. It became a concert hall in 1983.
AMG also owns the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire and other O2 Academy venues in Islington, Bournemouth, Glasgow, Leeds, Bristol, Liverpool, Leicester, Sheffield and others.
An AMG representative told the Standard on December 14, 2022: “Academy Music Group (AMG) continues to be devastated by the events of 15 December 2022, and our heartfelt condolences remain with the family and friends of Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson. What happened was and is a tragedy.
"Over the past year, we have been driven by determination to learn all appropriate lessons from that night to ensure it can never be repeated. We are pleased that the comprehensive plan for reopening the venue met with the approval of Lambeth Licensing Sub-Committee. AMG is working hard to implement the new conditions before welcoming fans back to O2 Academy Brixton. There will be an announcement for the reopening timeline in due course."
What happened during the fatal crowd crush at the O2 Academy Brixton?
On December 15, 2022, ticketless fans stormed the Brixton venue during a sold-out concert by the Nigerian Afrobeats star Asake. This was despite the artist's warning that the venue had reached capacity.
Hutchinson and Ikumelo sustained serious injuries during the chaotic crowd surge and both later died.
A 22-year-old woman is also understood to remain in hospital in a serious condition following the incident.
Metropolitan Police revealed that all three had been in the foyer of the O2 Academy when the incident happened.
Eight people in total were taken to hospital.
What happened next?
AMG temporarily lost its licence to run the venue, which has been shut ever since.
In April 2023, the Metropolitan Police said they wanted the licence revoked for Brixton Academy — and did not have confidence in the owners to run it safely.
However, in September 2023, councillors voted to restore its licence.
Lambeth Council’s licensing sub-committee said the venue must meet “77 extensive and robust new conditions”.
Brixton Academy said it was “immensely grateful” to Lambeth Council and would reopen at first with test events. AMG said changes to its operating policies had been developed by “leading professionals” to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.
The company had done “all in its power to analyse what went wrong”, the barrister representing AMG, Mr Philip Kolvin, added. It is not clear how many of the 77 conditions have been fulfilled.
Several major bands, including the Black Keys, Arcade Fire, and Vampire Weekend, have been booked for performances later this year following the April 19 reopening.
