NTIA calls for support to save Brixton Academy being 'lost forever'

15-May-2023 - Last updated on 15-May-2023 at 10:55 GMT

Emotional connection: campaign to save Brixton Academy from permanent closure exceeds 10,000 representations (Credit: Getty/GoodLifeStudio)

A campaign to save the Brixton Academy from permanent closure has received more than 10,000 written representations, the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA) has confirmed.

Each representation will go towards a licensing review into the South-London venue’s future, which is due to take place at a later date.

The Save Brixton Academy campaign was launched on Thursday 11 May by the NTIA in partnership with Save Our Scene and Brixton BID and closes at midnight today (Monday 15 May).

In addition, more than 100,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org in a bid to keep the academy open.

NTIA CEO Michael Kill said: “This level of response really shows the emotional connection this venue has with music fans across the UK and around the world.”

Enormous downturn in trade

This comes as last week the NTIA estimated local businesses had lost £500,000 each week since the academy’s temporary license suspension by Lambeth Council in December 2022, following a fatal incident at the venue.

Craft Beer Co., which has a site near the academy, co-founder and managing director Martin Hayes added the venue was “important to the social fabric” of Brixton and that event days were “extraordinary” drivers of trade for nearby businesses.

“[There’s been] an enormous downturn in trade since it closed this year; every month has been quite badly affected. It’s been a huge blow”, he continued.

Following a meeting to access the sites license in January this year the Academy Music Group (AMG), which owns the venue, confirmed it would voluntarily stay closed until April this year as investigations into the unfortunate incident continued.

Lambeth council then announced the establishment’s license would be suspended for three months as it reviewed licensable activities at the venue.

Productive discussions

The iconic venue first opened in 1929 as a cinema before resurrecting as a discotheque in the 1970’s, eventually reopening as a concert hall in the 1980’s.

Since then, it has seen a diverse selection of internationally recognised acts perform, including Madonna, Lady GaGa, Coldplay, Artic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, the Prodigy, UB40 and many more.

Kill added: “The Brixton Academy is a huge part of the social and cultural economy within London and the UK; it is without doubt one of the landmark performance spaces in the world.

“The potential loss of this venue would be catastrophic for the industry. Most people who are engaged with this campaign are angered and shocked that this venue could be lost forever.

“We want to again, urge all involved to step forward and engage in productive and meaningful discussions, with an aim to resolve the current challenges and present a unified position on delivering the safe and effective management of this space in the future.”