It’s great Brixton Academy is reopening, but they owe it to London to get it right
MORE than a year after a fatal crush killed two people at the O2 Brixton Academy, the south London gig venue is gearing up for a carefully managed reopening, with a long list of robust safety guidelines now in place.
In December 2022, security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and mother-oftwo Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were both killed when a crowd of people without tickets attempted to force their way into a concert by the Afrobeats star Asake. The venue has remained shut ever since, and quite right, too.
What happened that night was a disgrace and a disaster, forever tarnishing the legacy of one of our city’s bestknown live music venues. It is imperative that those involved in bringing it back do not screw things up; we cannot ever see such a senseless loss of life ever again, in any of London’s gig venues.
But it would also be a huge shame if fans were permanently robbed of a beloved music venue as a result.
So far, the signs look promising. Stronger entrance doors, a new security team, an improved and more secure ticketing system, and the introduction of a command centre at the venue to take control in the event of an emergency are just a handful of the 77 measures that Brixton’s operator Academy Music Group has agreed to, in a bid to prevent a disaster like this happening ever again.
During the closure, they say, £1.2 million has been spent on maintenance and improvements.
Rather than reopening with great fanfare — which would feel pretty distasteful, given the tragic
circumstances — the venue will quietly return with a string of tribute bands: Nirvana UK and The Smyths play tonight, with UK Foo Fighters, and Oasis covers group Definitely Mightbe following on April 26. Later this summer, bigger gigs will return: The Black Keys, Royal Blood, Janelle Monae, Arcade Fire and Chappell Roan are among some of the first announced acts appearing there in 2024.
It is completely right that so much time has been taken to fully ensure Brixton Academy is a safer place in the future; here’s hoping it prevents a similar tragedy from ever taking place again.
What happened in December 2022 was a disaster and forever tarnished the legacy of one of our best venues