Brixton Academy

Brixton Academy
Exterior of venue (in 2019)
Map
Former namesAstoria Variety Cinema (1929–39)
Odeon Astoria (1939–72)
Sundown Centre (1972)
Fair Deal (1982)
Brixton Academy (1983–2004)
Carling Academy (2004–09)
Address211 Stockwell Road
London, UK
Coordinates51°27′54″N 0°06′54″W / 51.465107°N 0.114922°W / 51.465107; -0.114922
Public transit
OwnerAcademy Music Group
Capacity4,921
Detailed capacity[1]
  • General admission: 4,300
  • Reserved: 3,820
  • Theatre: 2,315
Construction
Opened19 August 1929 (1929-08-19)
Renovated
  • 1983
  • 2006
Closed
  • 29 July 1972 (1972-07-29)
  • January 1973
  • April 1982
  • December 2022
Reopened
  • September 1972
  • 12 March 1982 (1982-03-12)
  • 7 October 1983 (1983-10-07)
  • 19 April 2024 (2024-04-19)
Construction cost£250,000
(£17.5 million in 2023 pounds)[2]
Architect
  • Thomas Somerford
  • Edward Albert Stone
Website
Official website Edit this at Wikidata

Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South West London, in the Lambeth district of Brixton.

Opening in 1929 as a cinema, the venue was converted into a discotheque in 1972, then reborn as a concert hall in 1983. It is owned by the Academy Music Group (AMG), and has become one of London's leading music venues,[3] hosting over 50 live albums,[4] and winning the NME Best Venue 12 times since 1994.[5] It has been home to several notable performances, including The Smiths' last gig (December 1986),[6] Leftfield's June 1996 concert which set a decibel record for a live gig at 137db,[7] and Madonna's gig in 2000, which was watched by an online audience of 9 million.[8]

In December 2022, two people died and others were seriously injured following a crowd crush at the door. As a result the venue was closed, with reopening subject to meeting council licensing conditions. It reopened on 19 April 2024.

  1. ^ "Company Profile: O2 Academy Brixton". Academy Music Group. December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  2. ^ United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the MeasuringWorth "consistent series" supplied in Thomas, Ryland; Williamson, Samuel H. (2024). "What Was the U.K. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Visitor Information: O2 Academy Brixton". LondonTown. April 2012. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012.
  4. ^ "A Brief History of Brixton Academy". southlondonclub.co.uk. 17 August 2017.
  5. ^ Rhian Daly (8 February 2017). "VO5 NME Awards 2017: 9 Things You Might Not Know About London's O2 Academy Brixton". NME.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Smiths was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Loud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference mad was invoked but never defined (see the help page).