Brixton Academy crush: What happened at O2? Asake gig tragedy which killed 2 people explored as venue scheduled to reopen

The O2 Academy Brixton, commonly known as Brixton Academy, is set to open its doors in April 2024, nearly 16 months after it shut down following a crowd crush that left two people dead and one in critical condition on December 15, 2022. The incident, which happened during Afrobeats singer Asake's gig, saw nearly a thousand people try to storm into the mid-sized venue without tickets.

Brixton Academy, owned by the Academy Music Group (AMG), can hold almost 5000 people and has seen the likes of Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine, and Coldplay perform at the venue.

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The 2022 Asake gig at the Brixton Academy explored

According to The Standard, Brixton Academy, located in South London, was set to host Nigerian singer Asake on December 15, 2022. However, the sold-out gig was overrun as people, many of whom were allegedly thought to be ticketless, tried to force their way into the venue.

This resulted in a chaotic crowd surge, which led to the deaths of two people: Rebecca Ikumelo, a 33-year-old mom of two, and Gaby Hutchinson, a 23-year-old security guard. A third woman was badly hurt and was hospitalized in critical condition.

Following the incident, AMG lost its license to run Brixton Academy, and the Metropolitan urged the Lambeth Council's licensing sub-committee to permanently revoke the venue's license in April 2023. However, the council reinstated the license in September, provided the venue followed “77 extensive and robust new conditions.”

According to London World, the police investigated this incident but were unable to work out exactly why the crowd crush occurred. The incident was dubbed a "large-scale disorder," and six months into the investigation, senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney said:

“Six months on from this tragic incident, we remain absolutely committed to finding out what happened that night. We offer our heartfelt support to the victims’ families as they pay tribute and remember their loved ones. It is of the utmost importance that we work out why the surge happened, for the families of those who never returned home, and those who were injured and traumatised.”

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Tribute bands scheduled to play during Brixton Academy's reopen

According to The Independent, a lineup of tribute acts to famous rock bands is scheduled to play at Brixton Academy's opening on April 19. The performances include Nirvana UK and The Smyths, followed by Definitely Mightbe (a tribute act to Oasis) and UK Foo Fighters (a Foo Fighters tribute band) on April 26.

Brixton Academy was cleared to open after a two-day hearing in September 2023. After the hearing, AGM released a statement saying that it was "devastated by the events" that happened in December 2022.

It also expressed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, reiterating that it was "committed" to ensuring that the incident is never repeated.

“Over the past nine months, the venue’s importance to the local community and the live music scene in the UK has been made clear. Academy Music Group is determined to learn all appropriate lessons from the night of December 15 2022,” the statement continued.

The venue spent close to £1.2 million on maintenance and arena improvement, the hearing was told. AGM also reassured the hearing committee that the venue has developed new safety measures to help prevent new incidents, like investing in stronger doors, a better queuing system, and more secure ticketing.