O2 Academy Brixton opens for first time since fatal crush

O2 Academy Brixton has opened its doors again for the first time since two people were killed at the venue 16 months ago.

A test event, controlled at 50% capacity, featuring tribute acts Nirvana UK and The Smyths took place after Lambeth Council voted to allow the venue to continue operating following a two-day hearing in September last year.

It came following the council’s decision to temporarily suspend the venue’s licence a week after Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson were killed when fans without tickets tried to force their way into a show by artist Asake on Dember 15 2022.

A 21-year-old woman also remains in hospital with injuries sustained from the event.

The council has said that the 5,000-capacity venue would have to meet “77 extensive and robust conditions” in order to regain its licence.

The key conditions that the venue has to meet include installing stronger doors, implementing new crowd management systems, a new ticketing system, more detailed risk assessments, a new centralised control and command centre, and new security and management.

Some of the conditions were originally put forward by the venue owners themselves prior to the hearing. The owners also said they spent £1.2m ($1.4m/€1.3m).

“The council has worked to ensure that these conditions have now been met, and will continue to monitor safety at the venue,” said Lambeth Council chief executive Bayo Dosunmu.

“There have been regular meetings with the venue to provide the reassurance the council, and ultimately the public, requires. The council will have officers outside and inside premise on Friday evening to check all conditions are being followed.”

The night of the tragedy saw around 1,000 people outside of the venue with crowds eventually pushing the doors open, according to Gerald Gouriet KC, who represented the Metropolitan Police.

When the doors were breached, the crowd poured into the arena and surged over people who had fallen to the floor.