Brixton Academy licence suspended after Afrobeats gig crush deaths

Lambeth Council suspended venue’s licence at request of Met police

The O2 Academy Brixton has had its licence suspended after chaotic scenes at the south London venue led to two deaths.

Fans attending Afrobeats singer Asake‘s appearance at the South London venue were trapped in a crowd surge a week ago, when a large crowd of people without tickets stormed the venue. Two people died soon after the event, which was abandoned, while a third person is still in a critical condition and eight others needed hospital care.

Lambeth Council suspended the venue’s licence at request of Met police last night, with a hearing to decide the venue’s ongoing future scheduled for January 16. As a result, the Academy’s New Year’s Eve Drum & Bass Allstars party, featuring Shy FX, P Money, Benny Page, and Deekline been cancelled, along with three concerts by Chase Atlantic, Heilung and Trivium.

The suspension also casts doubt on dozens of other shows booked into the Academy for the rest of the year including Viagra Boys, Orbital, Royksopp, Ezra Collective, Pendulum, Father John Misty, Suede, Fatboy Slim, girl in red, Yard Act and Turnstile.