2 years ago
Brixton O2 has had its doors closed since the tragic events of 15th December last year. Now there’s a campaign to reopen the venue.
Brixton O2 has a new campaign which hopes to save it from closing. The iconic music spot was opened in Brixton in 1929 and since has seen some impressive acts take to the stage. Lady Gaga, Coldplay and Stormzy have all played to crowds in the venue and it really has become a piece of the cultural tapestry of the music industry, attracting 650,000 people over 150 shows every year.
However, in December 2022 an Asake concert ended in tragedy when two were killed, Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson, and one left in a critical condition after a surge of people caused a crush in the venue. Since that happened, the Metropolitan Police suspended the licence of the O2 and have been pushing for it to close its doors for good, having ‘lost confidence’ in its organisation and since writing to Lambeth Council asking for the licence to be revoked.
The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) have launched a brand new campaign to keep the O2 Academy opened and functioning. Despite the concerns of the police force, the NTIA have said:
“For decades the Brixton Academy under Academy Music Group management has been a safe and inclusive space for people to enjoy a wide range of cultural activities, from awards, live and recorded music, comedy to corporate events and filming. The venue has a considerable workforce and is one of the key employers of young people within the area, supporting a wide range of businesses and freelancers within the local community and across the UK, making a huge contribution to the local and national economy.”
The campaign, in collaboration with Brixton BID and Save our Scene, closes at midnight tonight, and has already had over 100,000 signatures in just two weeks, going to show the vast amount of support for the O2 Academy Brixton. Lambeth Council are yet to respond to the campaign.
