Brixton Academy — London's Greatest Rock Venue

The Brixton Academy (currently O2 Academy Brixton) at 211 Stockwell Road is one of the most respected rock and pop venues in London and frequently voted the best live music venue in the UK. The Grade II listed art deco building, originally opened as the Astoria Cinema in 1929, was converted to a music venue in 1983 and has since hosted landmark performances by virtually every significant act in British and international music. The Clash played there; the Smiths played their final concert there in 1986; and Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys, Florence and the Machine, and Adele have all played career-defining shows in the room.

The Academy's sloping floor — inherited from its cinema origins — gives every member of the 4,921-capacity audience a clear sightline to the stage, a feature that artists consistently praise. The room's atmosphere on a sold-out night is electric, and Brixton's location in south London — a neighbourhood with a strong Afro-Caribbean community and a history of both cultural vibrancy and social tension (including the Brixton riots of 1981) — gives the venue a character distinct from the polished West End theatres.

The venue has operated under various sponsorship names (Carling Academy, O2 Academy) but is universally known as Brixton Academy. It continues to host concerts most nights and is one of the most coveted venues for touring artists in London. The building's art deco facade, with its distinctive tower, is a landmark of Brixton's Stockwell Road.