Brixton Academy facts for kids
Exterior of venue (in 2019)
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| Former names | Astoria Variety Cinema (1929–39) Odeon Astoria (1939–72) Sundown Centre (1972) Fair Deal (1982) Brixton Academy (1983–2004) Carling Academy (2004–09) |
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| Address | 211 Stockwell Road London, UK |
| Coordinates | 51°27′54″N 0°06′54″W / 51.465107°N 0.114922°W |
| Public transit |
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| Owner | Academy Music Group |
| Capacity | 4,921 Detailed capacity
General admission: 4,300
Reserved: 3,820 Theatre: 2,315 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 19 August 1929 |
| Renovated |
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| Closed |
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| Reopened |
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| Construction cost | £250,000 (£14.5 million in 2019 pounds) |
| Architect |
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The O2 Academy Brixton, often called Brixton Academy, is a famous music venue in South West London, UK. It is located in the Brixton area.
It first opened in 1929 as a cinema. Later, it became a discotheque in 1972. Then, it was reborn as a concert hall in 1983. The venue is owned by the Academy Music Group. It has become one of London's most important music places. Many famous bands and artists have played here. It has even won awards for being the 'Best Venue' many times since 1994.
In December 2022, the venue closed due to safety concerns after an incident. It reopened on April 19, 2024, after making sure it met new safety rules.
Contents
History of Brixton Academy
The Brixton Academy started as a cinema and theatre in 1929. It was built on the site of a private garden in Stockwell Road. Architects Thomas Somerford and E. A. Stone designed it. The building cost £250,000 to build.
The first show was the film The Singing Fool with Al Jolson. After that, there were live acts, including singers Heddle Nash and Derek Oldham. The BBC even broadcast this opening show! The theatre stopped being a cinema on July 29, 1972.
Changes Over the Years
In September 1972, the building became a disco called the "Sundown Centre." But it didn't do well and closed just four months later. In 1974, there were plans to knock down the building. They wanted to build a car showroom and petrol station instead. However, these plans were stopped. The building was then used to store equipment.
In 1981, Sean Treacy changed the venue. It reopened as a rock music place called "Fair Deal." UB40 played the first concert there. The Clash also played in 1982. But the venue closed again later that year because of money problems.
In 1983, Simon Parkes bought the venue for only £1. He reopened it as the Brixton Academy. The venue became more and more popular in the 1980s. It hosted many reggae shows. Big rock and pop stars also used it for rehearsals. Bands like The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, and the Police practiced there. Music videos for Wham! and Culture Club were also filmed at the Academy. Simon Parkes later wrote a book about his time running the venue.
New Ownership and Awards
In 1995, Simon Parkes sold the theatre. The new owners started making improvements right away. They spent £500,000 to restore the beautiful Art Deco front of the building. They also added more facilities for both the audience and the performers. The capacity of the venue increased to almost 5,000 people.
The Academy Music Group now runs the venue. In 2004, its name changed to Carling Academy Brixton. Then, in 2008, the O2 brand bought the naming rights for £25.5 million. This is why it's now called the O2 Academy Brixton.
The Brixton Academy is one of the biggest non-arena music venues in London. Many very successful artists have performed there. It has also won the 'Venue of the Year' award at the NME Awards 12 times since 1994. It has also won the Music Week Award for Venue of the Year several times, including in 2009.
Safety Measures and Reopening
On December 15, 2022, an incident happened outside a concert by Asake. This led to injuries and sadly, two people died. Because of this, the local council decided to stop the venue from operating. This was to make sure public safety was the top priority.
The Metropolitan Police also looked into the incident. In September 2023, the police said they were not against the venue reopening. However, they wanted to make sure it was operated safely.
On September 15, 2023, the Lambeth Council announced that the venue could reopen. But it had to meet many new safety rules. These included stronger doors, a new security team, and more safety procedures. The venue officially reopened on April 19, 2024.
Famous Performances at Brixton
Many famous artists have played at the Brixton Academy.
- The Smiths played their very last concert here in December 1986.
- The Ramones played their final European show at the venue on February 3, 1996.
- Madonna performed a special concert in 2000. This show was watched live online by a record-breaking 9 million people!
- Artists like The Clash, Deborah Harry, The Prodigy, Arcade Fire, Nine Inch Nails, and Bob Dylan have all played five nights in a row at the venue.
- In 2002, Iron Maiden played three nights in a row for a charity event. They set a record for merchandise and ticket sales.
- The Mighty Boosh broke this record in 2008. They played seven nights in a row with their show Boosh Live.
- The xx matched this record in March 2017, also playing seven nights in a row. They were the first music act to do so.
- Leftfield set a world record for the loudest live concert in 1996. They reached 137 decibels! After this, they were not allowed to use the same sound system again. The loud bass levels caused dust and plaster to fall from the ceiling!
Albums Recorded at Brixton
Many live albums have been recorded at the Brixton Academy. Here are some of them:
- Space Ritual by Hawkwind (1972)
- Live at the Academy, Brixton by Gregory Isaacs (1984)
- Deep End Live! by Pete Townshend (1985)
- Academy by New Order (1987)
- See You Up There by Stiff Little Fingers (1988)
- A New Decade: Live From Brixton Academy by Soul II Soul (1990)
- You Fat ...: Live at the Brixton Academy by Faith No More (1990)
- Weird's Bar & Grill by Pop Will Eat Itself (1992)
- Live at the Brixton Academy by The Brian May Band (1994)
- Hole recorded their MTV Unplugged sessions here (1995).
- Live at Brixton Academy by Atari Teenage Riot (1999)
- Live at the Brixton Academy by Sizzla (2000)
- Live at Brixton Academy December 2000 by David Gray (2000)
- 25 & Alive Boneshaker and Live at Brixton Academy by Motörhead (2000)
- Under a Pale Grey Sky by Sepultura (recorded 1996, released 2002)
- Hellalive by Machine Head (recorded 2001, released 2003)
- Scarred: Live at Brixton Academy by Gary Numan (recorded 2001, released 2003)
- Live at Brixton Academy by the Inspiral Carpets (2003)
- Live in London by Judas Priest (recorded 2001, released 2003)
- Live albums from all four Pixies 2004 concerts.
- Part of Franz Ferdinand live DVD by Franz Ferdinand (2004)
- Satan's Circus (live CD part) by Death in Vegas (2004)
- Rumble in Brixton by Stray Cats (2004)
- Live at Brixton Academy by Dido (2004)
- Good Charlotte Live at Brixton Academy by Good Charlotte (2004)
- Live at Brixton Academy by Groove Armada (2004)
- Part of Völkerball by Rammstein (2005)
- Live concert recording by Moby (2005)
- Over the Years and Through the Woods by the Queens of the Stone Age (2005)
- The Poison: Live At Brixton by Bullet For My Valentine (2006)
- Damian Marley, Live at the Brixton Academy by Damian Marley (2006)
- Live at Brixton Academy London, UK 11/13/07 by Alexisonfire (2007)
- Edgy In Brixton by The Fratellis (2007)
- Live in the UK 2008 at Brixton Academy 1 February 2008 by Paramore (2008)
- Live in the UK at Brixton Academy 3 May 2008 by The Wombats (2008)
- Live from Brixton Academy by Kasabian (2004 concert, released digitally)
- There'll Always Be an England by Sex Pistols (2007)
- Live concert recording by Jimmy Eat World (2008)
- Live at Brixton Academy by Pendulum (2008)
- Across the Pond (part of Europe 2009) by Dave Matthews Band (2009)
- Live concert recording by Jamie T (2010)
- Live at Brixton Academy by Chase and Status (2012)
- Passing The Baton by Faithless (2012)
- Live album for Beacon by Two Door Cinema Club (2012)
- Live From Brixton And Beyond by Asking Alexandria (recorded 2013, released 2014)
- The Drum Machine Years by Carter USM (recorded 2009)
- The Final Comedown by Carter USM (2014)
- Live in London: Babymetal World Tour 2014 by Babymetal (2014)
- Live at Brixton by Of Mice & Men (recorded 2015, released 2016)
- NOMC15 by New Order (recorded 2015, released 2017)
- Live at Brixton by Public Service Broadcasting (2016)
- Live at Brixton by Mastodon (recorded 2012, released 2014)
- Les Enfants Sauvages by Gojira (recorded 2013, released 2014)
- Deaf Havana Live at Brixton Academy by Deaf Havana (recorded 2018, released 2019)
- Live recording of I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose by Bombay Bicycle Club (recorded 2019, released 2021)
Videos Recorded at Brixton
Many music videos and live concert films have been recorded at the Brixton Academy.
- The ITV Panto Cinderella
- Queen guitarist Brian May performed here in 1993.
- Tenacious D's performance from November 3, 2002, is on their DVD The Complete Masterworks.
- Iron Maiden recorded three videos here: "Women in Uniform", "Run to the Hills", and "The Trooper".
- Faith No More's 1990 performance was filmed and released as You Fat ...: Live at the Brixton Academy.
- In Bed With Carter features a live gig by Carter USM.
- The movie 9 Songs includes many performances filmed at Brixton Academy.
- Suede's VHS/DVD Love and Poison (1993) was filmed here.
- In 1990, AC/DC filmed the music video for "Thunderstruck" at the Academy.
- Boy George and Culture Club filmed the video for "Move Away" (1986) at the Brixton Academy.
- Video shoots for Wham! were held at the venue.
- Billy Ocean's video for "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" was shot here.
- Elegies, a 2005 DVD by Machine Head, includes material recorded at Brixton Academy.
- The Mighty Boosh Live DVD was recorded here in 2006.
- The video for Who's Got A Match? by Biffy Clyro was recorded in October 2007.
- Moloko recorded a live DVD: 11,000 Clicks here on November 22, 2003.
- N.E.R.D. recorded their single "Spaz" here on June 14, 2008.
- Bullet For My Valentine recorded their gig for the DVD The Poison: Live at Brixton here on January 28, 2006.
- Alanis Morissette's Flavor of Entanglement tour was televised from here in the UK.
- On June 26, 2009, Dave Matthews Band filmed the music video for "Why I Am".
- Placebo filmed the video for their 1999 single "Every You Every Me" during a gig at the Academy.
- A 1992 concert by Ride was recorded for the VHS Going Blank Again – Live at Brixton Academy.
- You Me At Six filmed the music videos for "Underdog" and "Reckless" at Brixton Academy.
- Gabriella Cilmi filmed the video for her 2010 single Hearts Don't Lie at the venue.
- Queens of the Stone Age's Over the Years and Through the Woods DVD was partly recorded here.
- Deadmau5 recorded 5 videos from his 2010 album 4×4=12.
- DJ Shadow, In Tune and On Time.
- Meat Loaf's February 23, 1985, show was recorded as Bad Attitude Live!.
- Placebo – We Come In Pieces.
- Groove Armada – Brixton Academy (December 13–14, 2002)
- Steel Panther recorded their live DVD British Invasion here in 2010.
- The Smashing Pumpkins recorded their performance in 1996.
- The music video for "Run Free" by Asking Alexandria was filmed at Brixton.
- Asking Alexandria's January 2013 performance was recorded for a live DVD.
- Babymetal – Live in London (2014 performance, released 2015).
- Pulp – F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.I.V.E. (recorded 1995).
- Rammstein recorded 4 songs performed at Brixton in February 2005 for Völkerball.
- Sea Girls launched a short film called "Brixton at Night" with clips from their sold-out show in 2021.
- The Prodigy recorded a concert on December 20, 1997, featured on the DVD edition of Their Law: The Singles 1990–2005.
See also
In Spanish: Brixton Academy para niños
