Brixton Academy confirms reopening date with massive return line-up | Music | Entertainment

O2 Academy Brixton just confirmed it will be reopening its doors over a year after it was shut down.

The music venue’s official Twitter account wrote: “O2 Academy Brixton will reopen on Friday 19 April.”

This comeback follows over 12 months of closure for the historic venue, which had its doors sealed shut in December 2022 after two people died at the concert hall.

Afrobeats star Asake played at Brixton on December 15, 2022, but an overcrowding and subsequent stampede left two people dead.

As a result, AMG temporarily lost its license to run the venue and has been shut ever since.

The confirmation of Brixton Academy’s reopening comes with the announcement of its first line-up of music.

The official Twitter account confirmed April 19 will have two bands playing.

Made up of some tribute acts, O2 Academy Brixton will be played by Nirvana UK (a Nirvana tribute) and The Smyths (A The Smiths tribute),

The following week, on Friday April 26, two more tribute bands will play.

Definitely Mightbe (an Oasis tribute band) will play, followed by UK Foo Fighters (a Foo Fighters tribute band).

This yearlong closure was a struggle for AMG, who have run the venue for years.

They told The Standard in December: “Academy Music Group (AMG) continues to be devastated by the events of 15 December 2022, and our heartfelt condolences remain with the family and friends of Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson. What happened was and is a tragedy.

“Over the past year, we have been driven by determination to learn all appropriate lessons from that night to ensure it can never be repeated. We are pleased that the comprehensive plan for reopening the venue met with the approval of Lambeth Licensing Sub-Committee. AMG is working hard to implement the new conditions before welcoming fans back to O2 Academy Brixton. There will be an announcement for the reopening timeline in due course.”

Tickets for the comeback shows are out now, you can get them from Ticketmaster below.

Buy O2 Academy Brixton gig tickets here.