The residency marks a return to familiar ground for the band, who played a sold-out six-night run at Brixton in 2022. This time around, all eight dates sold out swiftly, confirming the band’s enduring appeal.

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Opening the show with ‘You Wanted A Hit’, frontman James Murphy addressed the crowd: “We played here a few years ago and we really liked it. Now we’re back, and we really appreciate that you came to see us. We don’t take it for granted.” Mid-set, Murphy explained the band’s choice to return to Brixton instead of opting for a larger venue: “We like to play in rooms that have some character and some love in them”.

The beloved dance-punk revival band were formed in Brooklyn, New York in 2002 by James Murphy and are signed to his own DFA Records label. Their sound fuses punk attitude with dance-floor rhythms, earning them critical acclaim and a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in 2018 for ‘tonite’. Their live performances are known for sonic complexity, with a line-up featuring guitars, bass, drums, synthesizers, pianos, and a variety of percussion instruments.

Backed by a nine-piece band, the 55-year-old Murphy led an electrifying two-hour set bursting with hits, including ‘I Can Change’, ‘All My Friends’, ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ and ‘Someone Great‘. More recent singles ‘new body rhumba’ (2022) and ‘x-ray eyes‘ (2024) also featured, as the packed venue sang along to every word.

Murphy was in typically playful form, shimmying across the stage in a neon green T-shirt, straddling monitors and delivering a tongue-in-cheek rendition of ‘New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down’, complete with faux-crooner vocal intonations and a dramatic tempo shift.

The band entered the stage to The Beach Boys’ ‘Good Vibrations’, a touching tribute to the late Brian Wilson, whose passing was announced the previous day. During the intermission, they exited to Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Hot Fun in the Summertime’, in homage to Sly Stone, who also recently passed away. Our recent coverage on the death of Brian Wilson can be read here.

LCD Soundsystem – Brixton Academy Setlist (2025)

1. You Wanted A Hit
2. Tribulations
3. Movement
4. Yr City’s a Sucker
5. I Can Change
6. Time to Get Away
7. Other Voices
8. Oh Baby
9. Get Innocuous!
10. new body rhumba
11. Someone Great
12. Home

Encore:

1. North American Scum
2. tonite
3. x-ray eyes
4. New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down
5. All My Friends

Our coverage on the announcement of LCD Soundsystem’s 2025 residency can be read here.

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The UK leg of Smith’s tour has had eyebrows raising with its unexpected selections of towns and cities. He will perform at Scarborough Open Air Theatre (24 August), Bute Park, Cardiff (25 August), O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester (27 August), Brixton Academy, London (28 August), and Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (30 August).   

While major cities such as Manchester and London do not come as a surprise, the inclusion of Scarborough, and particularly Wolverhampton, will come as a relief for certain parts of the UK music industry. The Music Venue Trust’s recently released 2024 report highlighted how many areas had fallen from touring schedules in favour of the larger arena-hosting cities. Wolverhampton was named among 17 cities to no longer be included on primary or secondary circuits, a decline that has been four decades in the making.

Presale tickets will be available from 10am on Wednesday, 19 March, with fans being directed to Smith’s website to gain access. Otherwise, general sale for all stops begins Friday, 21 March, again at 10am. Over on the continent, the ‘Switch’ singer will have stops in various countries, including Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, and Norway, with a mixture of headline shows and festival appearances.   

The tour seems to be supporting his upcoming album, ‘Based on a True Story’, set to be released on March 28. Smith released the first single from the album at the end of January, with ‘Beautiful Stars’ drawing inspiration from The Matrix. Smith was approached for the role of Neo before Keanu Reeves eventually got the role, and the music video heavily references various elements, including the red and blue pill scene, which some took to be an allusion to personal growth after the 2022 Oscars controversy. 

Production on the album has been handled by Lexoskeleton, who worked with the ‘Men in Black’ singer on his surprise Coachella appearance last summer, and OmArr, a frequent collaborator on Smith’s film projects, including Bad Boys For Life, who has also worked with Jaden Smith. Smith announced the album last week, posting the tracklist on his Instagram, and saying “Been working on this project for a minute and I’m itchin’ to get it out to y’all.”

 

 

 

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Just on the dates announced alone, 2025 will be the 56-year-old’s most extensive year of touring since 1990. That year, he played 17 shows alongside Jeff Townes, a duo better known as DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. With 26 confirmed on this side of the Atlantic, US fans are speculating on the possibility of a tour stateside too, given the absence of North American dates. 

As part of that hip-hop duo, Smith achieved a UK No. 1 with ‘Boom! Shake the Room’, spending two weeks atop the chart in 1993, and has secured ten Top Ten hits in the UK as both a group and solo artist. Whether his newest album matches those past successes remains to be seen; however his larger-than-expected back catalogue will mean that the A-lister will have plenty of hits to fall back on.

A series of gigs have been announced next month to mark its long-awaited reopening, with its first performances taking place on Friday April 19, except it will feature tribute acts as opposed to famous bands. Nirvana UK will pay homage to the 90s grunge band, with a tongue-and-cheek The Smyths following suit. On the following Friday, April 26, two more tribute acts will take to the stage, including Definitely Might Be, inspired by Oasis, and UK Foo Fighters. Tickets for both shows will go on sale this Friday (March 8) at 9am GMT. You can purchase them here.

English quintet Editors will be the first major band to headline the venue, and are set to perform on May 2, with special guests yet to be confirmed. The band took to social media today (March 4) to showcase the gig after wrapping up their UK tour yesterday, commenting: “We’re extremely excited to return to @o2academybrix in London on May 2nd!”

We’re extremely excited to return to @O2AcademyBrix in London on May 2nd!

Tickets on sale this Friday, March 8th, at 10am -> https://t.co/9cvHB75upU pic.twitter.com/6DRZ1U8QK6

— EDITORS (@editorsofficial) March 4, 2024

In an unexpected announcement, US rock band The Black Keys have also revealed they will be playing the South London venue in a two-night residency on Tuesday 7 May and Wednesday 8 May. Tickets for both Editors and The Black Keys will also go on sale on the same date as the tribute shows, Friday March 8, but at 10am GMT. You can find them here.

Pre-order our new album Ohio Players from our UK store before March 5th, 5pm GMT to access the exclusive fan pre-sale on March 6th, 10am GMT. Fans who have already pre-ordered will also get access.

Tickets go on sale Friday 8th March, 10am local time. https://t.co/0inZOM7ceQ pic.twitter.com/mG3Avcfm4i

— The Black Keys (@theblackkeys) March 4, 2024

The future of the legendary music venue remained uncertain for the best part of a year and a half after Lambeth Council suspended its license, with the Metropolitan Police reportedly advocating for the beloved music spot to close its doors permanently. An online petition was launched after the venue confirmed its closure, with the hope that the decision would be overturned. A plethora of artists and industry professionals also spoke out, condemning the possibility that it could be closed for good.

In December 2023, it was declared that the venue would be allowed to retain its license and reopen, providing the building and its organisers can meet more than 77 “robust” safety rules and conditions. Brixton Academy has allegedly spent £1.2 million on maintenance and improvements last year, including stronger doors, a more efficient queuing system and a more secure ticketing process, according to Brixton Academy’s owners, Academy Music Group (AMG).

Interior. CREDIT: AMG.

“We continue to be devastated by the events of last December,” AMG’s statement said. “Our heartfelt condolences remain with the family and friends of Rebecca Ikumelo and Gaby Hutchinson. What happened was and is a tragedy and we are committed to ensuring that it can never be repeated.”

“Over the past nine months, the venue’s importance to the local community and the live music scene in the UK has been made clear. Academy Music Group is determined to learn all appropriate lessons from the night of December 15 2022. As the Licensing Sub Committee knows, the venue must implement all the new conditions and will reopen at first with test events. The commitment we give to work in close partnership with all the responsible authorities as we reopen is a serious and sincere one.”

The building first opened in 1929 as a cinema and boasted sleek Art Deco interior and a theatrical-style stage framed by its famous arch, which was modelled on the Rialto Bridge in Venice. In July 1972 it reopened as a disco, rebranded again throughout the 80s and 90s, and has held enormous cultural significance ever since, attracting some of the world’s greatest and most renowned acts, including Amy Winehouse, The Clash, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones.

With a string of exciting new headline shows set to take place over the coming months, this hopefully marks a new chapter and era for a venue that has been clouded by such a devastating event.

The venue was closed for several months following a stampede outside the venue on the night of an Asake concert last December, in which two people died and major questions were asked of the security of the venue as it became known that the security had previously let those without tickets into the venue.

The decision to reinstate the venues license was made at a review hearing at Lambeth Town Hall on September 11^th and 12^th. The decision was made on the premise that 77 new conditions had to be met to ensure the safety of the venue.

Lambeth Councillor Dr Mahamed Hashi released a statement saying: “Stronger doors, new crowd management systems, more detailed risk assessments, a new ticketing system, a new centralised control and command centre as well as new security and management at the venue, were among the measures proposed by AMG at the hearing to support their aim of regaining the venue’s licence so it can reopen, and making sure we never see a tragedy again like the one there in December 2022.

AMG will now need to put in place the agreed measures to enable the reopening of this much-loved local venue, which is a key part of Brixton’s cultural heritage and has been enjoyed by millions. We’ll be working to closely monitor all licensing conditions to ensure that safety is at the forefront of the venue’s future operations.”

A timeline for the venue’s reopening has yet to be announced as well as the nature of the test events that will test the venue’s new procedures and systems.

AMG (Academy Music Group), the company that runs the venue released a statement saying: “Over the past nine months the venue’s importance to the local community and the live music scene in the UK has been made clear through first-hand professional testimony, campaigns, and petitions as well as economic assessments demonstrating the financial impact to the surrounding area caused by the closure,”

“Academy Music Group is determined to learn all appropriate lessons from the night of December 15, 2022. Working at a senior level with experts across all disciplines, AMG presented a comprehensive, multi-faceted response for the licensing authorities to support their case for the safe and secure reopening of the venue. We appreciate having had the opportunity to present these detailed proposals and revised licence conditions at the hearing and we are very grateful they met with the approval of the Licensing Sub-Committee.”

Many will be happy to hear that the historic venue is reopening, as evidenced by a petition that was launched last April called #SaveBrixtonAcademy, in which over 116,000 people signed the petition including big names like The Prodigy.

The hearing occurred amidst an ongoing period of uncertainty for the Brixton Academy following the devastating crowd crush at an Asake show last December that ultimately claimed the lives of two people and left another in critical condition. The event forced the Academy to shut its doors and led to the venue having its live music license revoked. This in turn led to a backlash amongst fans of the beloved venue, leading to a petition to reopen its doors amassing quite the success.

The first day of the hearing led to the venue refusing the accusation of racial profiling, with AMG’s legal representative Mr Philip Kolvin QC quoted as saying, “My client is probably the leading host of music of Black origin in this country. That’s a position that it values and would like to continue to be. Of the 13 different risks assessed by the Academy, none of them are racial“.

Lambeth Council barrister Horatio Waller QC agreed with Kolvin on the second day of the hearing, saying, “This new process should not lead to a tunnel vision situation where risk is associated with genre or race“.

Waller also confirmed yesterday that the venue could be re-opened if certain conditions were met. He claimed that AMG have performed a “complete overhaul” of their security procedures and attitude towards risk assessments since December and that these were “independently audited” by consultants and commended as “comprehensive and robust“.

Waller also states that “the council supports, in principle, the re-opening of the venue based upon new conditions“, with these conditions including a “new, revised system for ingress entry into the venue” and the “introduction of new barriers positioned on the highway”.

Mr Kolvin QC discussed in his closing argument the installation of strengthened doors at the venue. He stated, “At the time of this incident, the doors were unable to withstand a mass and violent attack. In other words, the premises were not a fortress, they were a concert hall. Even if you consider the doors should have been more robust at an earlier stage, that is a matter of blame which is for other processes to investigate. It does not require these premises to shut down any more than any other public or private premises that are compulsorily closed following accidents, even terrible accidents. The doors have now been strengthened so as to be resilient against pressure, even if it did occur”.

Following the conclusion of the public hearing, Lambeth Council have advised that a decision on the future of the venue will be made “within five working days”, according to NME.

During a three-show run at 02 Brixton Academy last December, two people, gig-attendee Rebecca Ikumelo, 33 and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, lost their lives as a result of a crowd crush outside of the venue as a result of many fans trying to get into the show without a ticket.

Just before Asake hit the 02 Arena stage last Sunday a tribute towards the two who lost their life was carried out as their picture was shown across the stage’s big screen. This was accompanied by a spoken word poem alongside backing performers dressed in all-white surrounded in full view by flowers.

The poet went on to say: “I know some feel loss and some regret. We need to hold this moment. I need to hold this moment. They need to hold this moment.”

Throughout the poem, the big screen cycled through photos of the two victims as well as news footage from the scene and pictures of the tributes that were left outside the venue.

This was all then rounded out with a message that read “Rest well” immediately prior to the start of the concert.

The tribute was commended and praised across social media from those who attended the show and those that chose to watch the live stream.

I love Asake’s tribute to the Brixton Victims

— AJ (@liliestbaby) August 20, 2023

Respect to Asake and his team for the tribute to the victims at o2 Brixton

— ApEx (@apex_ams) August 21, 2023

However, the tribute was met with criticism from the sister of victim, Rebecca Ikumelo, as she stated on social media: “My sister lost her life at your show and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than nine months later and play her videos as a ‘tribute’?”

What a sorry excuse of a “tribute” from @asakemusik. My sister lost her life at your show and you haven’t spoken to a single member of my family since. But you can hold another concert in London less than 9 months later and play her videos as a “tribute”? RIP Rebecca Ikumelo — R (@rachaeliku_) August 20, 2023

The show itself was still mired in speculation. Asake showed up on stage 90 minutes late with there being rumours of issues with crowd control. However, it is possible extra precaution was taken as Asake went on the state “Safety is my main priority tonight”.

Investigations are still ongoing regarding what happened during that fatal crush outside the 02 Brixton Academy last December, with the venue remaining closed as Lambeth Council reviews it’s live music license. The future of the venue is currently up in the air at the moment; the Met Police have claimed to have “lost confidence” in the venue’s safety whilst online petitions have pushed for the venue to remain open.

When it came to the unsuspension of the venue’s license, the venue voluntarily decided on extending their closure for another three months. It was considered that an extra few months to unmuddle the problems at stake, in order to ensure the safety that customers deserve, was necessary.

The O2 Brixton Academy has been around for almost a century. Providing a space in South London which has dedicated it’s services as a cinema, a discotheque and a concert hall. It’s a venue which many people have relied on and where artists hold their best memories.

Just a week ago the MET Police claimed to have “lost confidence” in the Academy and have started working towards the official closing down of the venue for good. No doubt this has caused an uproar amongst artists, music lovers and people within the industry.

Many of them have spoken up through social media, expressing their disappointment. The attempt to do this has lead the public to launch a petition on Change.org to bring a halt to the Metropolitan Police’s wishes. In only a matter of hours the petition had over 25.000 signatures and is now at 50.000. The highest signed petition in Change.Org’s history.

People know the crush was caused by people – pointing out that the venue should not take the hit by having to close down. It is a fixable problem. Some even brought up the fact that there have been more deaths at the MET police than the O2 itself. Which is something to think about.

Comments on the matter have surfaced on social media; Some included Tim Burgess comment on Twitter “Lost count of the amount of times we’ve played Brixton Academy – it’d would be a tragedy to lose such an iconic venue”.

Sister Bliss posted “Brixton Academy – @faithless have graced the stage there many times – and yet a terrible tragedy happened there only recently. But it is hugely short sighted to shut the venue permanently- generating jobs, local economy- bringing the best music to London! #SaveBrixtonAcademy”. 

The rock band Garbage also had their say with a simple “Save Brixton Academy #SaveBrixtonAcademy https://chng.it/RFzJKsZF via @UKChange”. 

An endless amount of support for the space has been apparent. It has proved it’s important stance within the industry’s members and how it cannot go unappreciated. Further information will be revealed in the next coming weeks.

Click here to sign the petition.

They have just announced a rescheduling of said gig, which has been pushed back to the 15th August at the London, Brixton Academy. Consecutively, they will be playing in Manchester the following day at the Victoria Warehouse.

The last time the band set foot in the UK was last July at the Cheltenham festival, 2000 Trees. Their live performances have made quite a name for themselves through an invigorating energy brought to the stage by the band members. The barrier breaking music speaks for itself within a youthful punk band. Not to mention the liberty they transmit to the audience when they welcome their fans to jump on stage to dive headfirst into a swarming moshpit. Who would want to miss that.

Great success has come to kindly greet them since they released their latest album GLOW ON in 2021. It is their third full length studio album, which has proved to be the most successful, landing them top venue and sold-out shows around the globe. A much awaited response from a boundaryless and excavating band. “I think that there’s never really a plan set in place that has the potential to be disrupted if we wake up one morning and want to try something else. We try to never really apply too much structure to it, so it feels as boundless as it possibly can” they mention in an interview.

The Brixton Academy has been shut down ever since the fatal crowd crush during Asake’s gig on the 15th December. In order for the venue to unmuddle the circumstances, to create a safer environment for future events, Brixton Academy had no other choice other than to shut down for three months. A number of artists have had to adapt to the consequences and relocate or reschedule their shows to another time and place, including Turnstile. The venue has been shut voluntarily until April and still awaits an official date for it’s reopening.

Luckily, the punk band have managed to pull through with alternative dates and will be bringing their live sorcery back to the UK. Tickets for both gigs are now available to fetch online.

Click here for tickets.

UK Tour Dates:

15/08/2023 – Brixton Academy – London
16/08 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester

The crush occurred after a large group of fans outside the venue attempted to force their way into the Academy, with the show going on to be cancelled.

A total of eight people were removed from the scene by ambulance with crush-related injuries, with two others being treated at the scene.

Police were called to the venue at around 9:30pm on the night of the 16th, after reports that large numbers of people were gathered outside the venue, which normally has a capacity of around 5,000 people, and were attempting to force entry into the show.  Scenes outside the venue were heated, with some witnesses estimating that up to 1,000 people had gathered without tickets outside the doors, clashing with security and  police, adn even trying to force their way through locked doors.

The concert was called off within just ten minutes of it having started, with Asake telling the crowd, “They said outside is fucked up already, so we have to end the show. I don’t know why. It’s not me.”

A further announcement from the team on stage went on to tell the crowd that the situation outside had become severe, with an estimated 3, 000 people attempting to enter the building.   The announcement was followed by booing from the crowd.

After the crush, Asake took to his Instagram with this message: “My heart is with those who were injured last night and caused any form of discomfort. I pray you get well soonest. I am also in the process of reaching out to individuals. I still do not have the full brief from the venue management themselves as to what led to the disruption at the entrance of The Brixton Academy, but we are thankful that all was peaceful in the end. For my people who enjoyed the beginning of my performance, I am sorry that it was cut short. Thank you for your unbelievable love London. I love you too much! I’m looking forward to seeing you again in a bit!”

Solomon Smith, who was present at the show, took to twitter to share his feelings:

Not Asake’s fault at all, it was more people who didn’t have tickets turned up with fake tickets… #Asake #Brixton pic.twitter.com/dxDzfCEUY7

— Solomon Smith (@sollysworld) December 15, 2022

The tragic event comes after the release of the Lagos musician’s debut album, Mr Money with the Vibe, in early September this year.  Since the release, the album has climbed to become the highest charting debut Nigerian album of all time on the Billboard 200 list, making it to No. 66 in September.

Following the death of one of the victims of Thursday night’s crush, a 33-year-old east London woman who was taken to hospital following the show, Asake is said to be “devastated”, saying on his Instagram, “I am overwhelmed with grief and could never have imagined anything like this happening”.

Police and the venue management are currently working together on a debrief as to why the situation escalated with such tragic consequences.

As mentioned before, the band’s Brixton Academy residency will take up 4 nights in September, you can search for any remaining tickets here. The new instore dates will come before these gigs; right around the album’s release. The first will be at Kingston’s famous Banquet at PRYZM on August 18^th (that’s right, before the album’s release), closely followed by a night in Brighton at Resident at Chalk on the 19^th (release day, very exciting), before finally concluding back in London at Rough Trade East on the 23^rd. Tickets for all 3 shows can be found here.

Al Doyle, one of the band’s many multi-instrumentalists, explained the album’s inspiration in a press release, “The idea of being out of control is always there in dance music, in a positive sense.” Frontman Alexis Taylor added, “By the time we were able to be back together, we were turning on a tap and having a lot of ideas being poured out quite quickly.” While everyone was commenting on the album, Joe Goddard, again a multi-instrumentalist, also decided to add, “We were living through a period where it was very easy to feel like people were losing control of their lives in different ways. There’s a darkness that runs through a lot of those tracks.”

 In my opinion, Hot Chip have earned their title as one of the UK’s arguably more underrated dance groups. They may not have reached the festival-bill topping heights of a group like Disclosure, but their energy and consistency always lend themselves well to touring and performing. So, in the words of Selector Dub Narcotic, “No matter what the dancefloor, Hot Chip has the answer.”