Crowd safety at London’s Brixton Academy is back in the spotlight after on-stage comments made by Gen Z sadboi favourite Sombr during a gig there earlier this week started circulating online.
Video footage shows the singer pausing his Monday night gig at the venue by declaring “stop the show, guys - there’s someone passed out over here”.
He then says, “this is the most poorly managed venue I’ve ever performed at in my life”, before turning to venue security and stating, “you guys need to pay attention - it’s insane - safety comes first”.
It’s a single incident involving a frustrated artist who may not have the full picture of what’s going on from the stage, and Sombr didn’t mention the incident in social media posts after the show.
However, crowd safety at the iconic London venue should, if anything, be industry leading following the fatal crowd crush that occurred there during an Asake show in December 2022. That resulted in two deaths, while a third person suffered life‑changing injuries.
While in that incident the two fatalities occurred because of a crowd crush in the venue’s entrance area, the venue’s operator - Live Nation’s Academy Music Group - agreed to 77 new safety conditions in order to satisfy Lambeth Council that the venue could re-open. Those included general provisions about event management plans, show stop procedures and first aid provisions.
As footage of Sombr’s on-stage comments circulated online, a number of fans who attended the show echoed his concerns on social media.
One teenage concert-goer also spoke to the BBC, saying that the venue felt “unprepared” when multiple audience members passed out during Sombr’s performance.
She added, “It was so hot inside, there was just no air conditioning. I was genuinely boiling”. And while venue staff were handing out water to audience members standing at the front of the venue, it “wasn't getting to the crowd in the back”.
AMG may argue that Monday’s issues were isolated and ultimately dealt with, though the company is yet to formally respond to Sombr’s on-stage criticism.