Carling Academy Brixton
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[edit] History
The Carling Academy Brixton is a large music venue in Brixton, South London (), England with a capacity of 4,921.
Brixton Academy was built in 1929 at a cost of £250,000 as the largest of four "Astoria" theatres. Brixton Academy to this day still retains many of its original features, including its elaborate proscenium arch over the stage and magnificent Art Deco interior. The venue was formally opened by Mr. Nigel Colman, MP for Brixton on 19 August 1929. Situated in Stockwell Road, South London, the site had previously been a private garden to which only a few local residents had access.
The Astoria eventually closed its doors as a cinema theatre on 29 July 1972. It was then converted into the Sundown Centre. The new rock venue opened in September 1972, but was not a success and the Sundown closed down some four months later. In May 1974 planning permission was sought to demolish the Grade II listed building and replace it with a motor showroom and petrol station. However the redevelopment scheme was scrapped. The building was kept heated after it closed, and was used as an equipment store by the Rank Organisation.
In 1981, The Astoria re-opened as a rock venue called "The Fair Deal" with a concert by UB40 and an interior restoration, but the venue quickly closed in 1982 due to debt. The venue was bought by Simon Parkes in 1983 and in the same year re-opened as Brixton Academy.
The Academy's success steadily grew throughout the 1980s with numerous reggae productions and it was hired out to major rock and pop acts such as Eric Clapton, Dire Straits and The Police for rehearsal. The venue was also used for video shoots for the likes of pop icons Wham and Culture Club.
In 1995, Break For The Border bought the Brixton Academy. Under its new ownership (McKenzie Group), reinvestment started immediately with a complete £500,000 refurbishment of the Art Deco building frontage to its original grandeur, additional facilities both front of house and backstage and a capacity increase to just under 5,000.
The venue is currently run by the Academy Music Group after a re-branding in August 2004, and hosts a range of live acts and club nights.
As one of the biggest non-arena venues in London it attracts many big names and has seen many famous bands perform there. The venue has also been voted venue of the year several times in the annual NME awards. However, it should be noted that Carling sponsors the NME Awards and so the legitimacy of this award is questionable.
The nearest tube and train station is Brixton.
[edit] Trivia
Massive Attack, The Clash, The Prodigy, Bob Dylan and HARD-Fi have all played five consecutive nights at the venue.
The movie 9 songs features numerous performances (e.g. Franz Ferdinand) all shot in the Brixton Academy.
