London music venue Brixton Academy to reopen with tribute to Nirvana and Smith

Brixton Academy has reopened for the first time since closing in December 2022 after two people died due to crowding.

Tribute shows by Nirvana and The Smiths will take place at the O2 Arena on April 19th, followed by a tribute to Oasis and the Foo Fighters on April 26th.

More traditional acts will take place next month, with indie band Editors playing on May 2 and Black Keys hosting a two-night residency on May 7 and 8.

A ruling in September said the venue could retain its license and later reopen if it complied with “strict” safety rules and 77 requirements related to issues such as policing, risk assessment, security, ticketing and evacuation. .

The venue loses after Gabrielle Hutchinson and Rebecca Ikumelo died in the crowd after a concert by Nigerian singer Asake was cancelled. Got a license. Lambeth City Council suspended the license and the Metropolitan Police unsuccessfully tried to permanently revoke it. One security guard claimed that other security guards often took bribes to let people in without tickets.

In December, Hutchinson’s family urged Asake to put out an appeal to fans with information about the crush. While the Afrobeat star expressed his condolences to the victims, he did not issue any appeal for information.

Hutchinson’s sister Kelsey said Asak “has never officially acknowledged our family”, adding: “The singer has such an influence on his listeners and followers that I don’t think anyone The biggest way that can help the police is if the singer asks them to provide information about what they heard that night, what they recorded, anything would help, the singer has the most power in this situation.”

The Music Venue Trust “welcomes” the decision to reopen the venue, which originally opened as a cinema in 1929 and later became a theater and discotheque. In 1981 it reopened as a live music venue and was renamed Brixton Academy in 1983.

The grassroots venue charity said the venue has “huge cultural significance to the local community, music fans and the wider live music ecosystem” and said it looked forward to “supporting all those involved in the safe and successful relaunch of this iconic event.” People “venue”.