Beginning life as a cinema and theatre in 1929, Brixton Academy has become the leading venue in South London to see a live act. I say live act rather than band, because the place does not cater exclusively for bands.
That said, if you do want to see a band, I would say that the Academy is the place to see your favourite act. I’m not too sure why it is...is it that the bar is always rammed? Is it that the place retains many of its original features? Is it because the acoustics seem very good? Or is it because, at capacity, it only holds just short of 5,000 people which gives the Academy an air of intimacy so often lost in larger venues? Big names play here and it’s a much better place to see bands rather than Wembley for instance. Even at the back of the Academy you can still see the stage. Yes, you might have to do a bit of bobbing and weaving around that 6 and a half foot bloke who’s just decided to come and stand right in front of you, (Why does that always happen?) but for the most part you will still be able to see, at least some of the time.
Afterwards, there’s the obligatory scramble for the door, past the street vendors with shabby looking exhibition stands (a blanket laid out on the street) selling dodgy t-shirts and posters (actually, not always that dodgy) and as you and the rest of the happy throng wend your way to Brixton tube talking about how good your favourite band were, you feel like you’re a part of something important, and I like to think that the Academy itself is partly responsible for that warm, fuzzy feeling you’ve got as you go and get yourself a seat on the tube.
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