Brixton Academy forced to temporarily close following death of two people at Asake gig

The iconic O2 Academy Brixton has been ordered to temporarily shut down following the tragic deaths of two people at an Asake gig last week.

According to Lambeth Council, the venue will remain closed until 16th January, when another hearing will take place to decide its future.

Rebecca Ikumelo, aged 33, and Gaby Hutchinson, aged 23, both died in the days following the incident, in which a crowd crush occurred after people forced their way into the venue. A third attendee, aged 21, remains in hospital in a critical condition.

Scotland Yard had applied to have the venue’s licence temporarily suspended, citing “serious crime and disorder” during the show, while a separate criminal investigation from the Metropolitan Police has been launched, applying for a review of the venue licence.

In a statement, the Met said: “The decision whether or not to suspend or vary the premises licence will be made by a Local Authority Licensing Subcommittee.”

The venue said they “continue to be devastated by this tragic situation and are fully supporting the ongoing investigation”. The police have called for anyone with information that could help the case to come forward and have set up an online portal for people to submit information, images or footage.