The NME awards tour visited Brixton at the O2 academy on February 11 bringing visitors to the area from around the country. New Musical Express magazine has a long-standing relationship with the venue awarding it its prestigious best live venue seven years in a row. The big acts that visited with the magazine included Bloc Party, Drenge, Rat Boy and Bugzy Malone.
Large events like this have over time become commonplace to the area and it is well known that the academy is a major London and Brixton venue which started life as a cinema in 1929. It has changed hands many times, but is currently owned by the Academy music group under the name The O2 Academy. It is heralded as one of the biggest non arena venues in London and has had a diverse history of performers like Madonna, The Smiths, Arcade Fire, Sex Pistols, Bob Dylan, Nine Inch Nails, James Bay, Sam Smith, George Ezra and many more.
A queue forms for Twenty One Pilots at 2pm
With a max capacity of 4,921 people, which it often reaches, the venue obviously brings a lot of people into Brixton. However this influx is not without flaws. The roads around the venue are often littered with rubbish with revellers who have been camped out for front row positions. Ahead of the Twenty One Pilots sell out show on February 25, visitors had been camped out all day with people leaving rubbish and walking in to what is still an active road.
The venue has also been a victim of crime. In 2014 Police seized 43 mobile phones suspected of being stolen on the same night at a Courteeners concert. Similarly there were suggestions that phones were being stolen from the venue in mass in 2009 causing the police to issue a statement: “The Met Police, is working closely with venues and local police across London and other parts of the country to address the problem. … It is carrying out intelligence-led operations to target offenders. In a recent operation, six people were arrested in connection with linked offences following a concert at another London venue.”
A running theme in complaints is that the low ticket prices at the venue often attract figures not going to enjoy music instead looking for dropped valuables or to start fights. Samantha Morgan said in response to the 2009 allegations that “There were loads of people there who didn’t seem to know the band at all, looking for a fight, lots of people being pretty aggressive and not that into the music.”
However it cannot be denied that many local pubs have benefited from increased footfall on the nights of big shows, with visitors coming in before and after performances; often due to the high cost of drinks inside the venue. The Beehive, SW9 bar, the Canterbury Arms and Craft Beer Co are all a short walk away and offer cheaper options than the £5+ pints inside the O2.
Brixton Academy is very well established as a popular London venue and shows no signs of falling in popularity. Its effect on Brixton is important and its a key part of the night life of the area. To experience the venue in the future there are tickets on sale now for the 1975, Grimes, The Stranglers, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Armin van Buuren.
