The evening of December 15, 2022, should have been one of music and celebration for gig-goers at O2 Academy Brixton.
Singer-songwriter Asake was playing at the South London venue, having already performed twice in the days prior without incident. That night, however, quickly descended into tragedy. The investigation into what happened at the deadly concert is still ongoing, but witnesses have described a scene of utter chaos and terror, with crowds surging outside the venue, allegedly jostling each other and pushing against the doors.
Those who lost loved ones that night still have unanswered questions as to what exactly happened that night. Some claimed the crush was caused by those without tickets, while others alleged it was caused by those with tickets.
Witnesses claimed the doors buckled and the crowds swarmed inside, in devastating scenes one onlooker likened to ‘water coming through’. The concert was underway by this point and Asake cut short his performance after just two songs, abruptly explaining to fans that there was trouble brewing outside.
Soon, the pandemonium turned to tragedy. Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and mother-of-two Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, both died in the deadly crush. A third woman, now aged 22, was critically injured and remains in hospital in a very serious condition.
On December 15, one year on from the horror concert, Scotland Yard issued pictures of 13 people they wanted to trace amid ongoing calls for justice from families. Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Penney said: “We remain focused on establishing exactly what happened that tragic evening, how Rebecca and Gaby came to lose their lives, and why a young woman remains in hospital in a very serious condition a year later.
“I am grateful to those who have already helped by either speaking to police, sharing footage or providing us with valuable advice in terms of our investigation and the impact of this tragic event on people in Lambeth and beyond.
“We owe it to the families who have been left heartbroken and with many unanswered questions to establish the truth about what happened to their loved ones, and continue to follow the evidence where it takes us – without fear or favour.
“There were thousands of people at the venue that evening, and today I am releasing images of 13 I would like to speak to as I believe they have vital information. I urge them to get in touch as soon as possible.”
As O2 Academy Brixton today reopens for tribute acts, the Mirror takes a look at what happened that terrible night, including allegations of bribes and violent clashes…
Warning to fans and swelling crowds
In an update shared from Asake’s X account – formerly known as Twitter – concertgoers were warned ahead of the Afrobeats artist’s run of three shows that the ‘usual security measures’ would be implemented. A tweet shared December 11 read: “Please do not come to Brixton Academy tonight if you do not have a valid ticket. […] The show is completely sold out and there are no tickets for sale at the venue.”
Doors opened at 7pm on December 15, with DJs playing from 7:15pm onwards. At 8pm, things were still relatively calm outside the venue, with footage showing a small number of people gathering. Things took a drastic turn in the hour that followed however and, footage taken at 9:17pm by TikTok user @yupitslydia showed hundreds over people crowded outside O2 Academy. She told followers: “They’re not letting anyone inside and the queue is all around the building.” Police say they were called at 9:30pm.
Escalation and ‘uncontrollable’ crowd
In an interview with the Mirror at the time, Mark, not his real name, spoke of his experiences of working at the venue that night, and claimed the crowd became ‘uncontrollable’. Mark recalled: “All three days were set up the same in regards to crowd control. Sunday, Monday, and Thursday were all replications.
“I would have been at the main entrance near the Nandos and at around 9.30pm there were shouts to close the front doors, and that is the protocol for a security risk. When I looked down I saw about 300 people running up the road and that is grounds enough to secure the venue and it is standard to shut the doors.
“Anybody coming after, they wouldn’t have seen that part. They would have just seen loads of people just outside the door. They came running up. Those saying ‘the barriers were moved to kettle us’ is not what happened. The barriers were not moved.”
From that point on, Mark claims the crowd quickly got out of hand, with the number of people outside the Academy growing rapidly. Mark continued: “Because of the crowd disorder, the numbers grew quite rapidly. There was agitation at the doors and we explained [to the crowds] that we can’t check you all out we need to try and get some order.
“Then it started becoming ‘we’re getting in’. At this time there was hostility towards security and it wasn’t uncontrollable but it was growing fast. The dog handlers were pretty much swamped. The dog handlers aren’t allowed to take off the muzzles but they can bark and get crowd control.
“There are so many of them and the dogs were then given access into the building to be placed in the holding area and they came to the inside of the front doors to act as a deterrent. The crowd were incited or incensed. They appeared to have one goal – to gain access.”
According to Mark, he then went inside the building and ended up on the other side of the front doors – which were about to buckle as the crowds allegedly pushed their weight against them. Mark said: “They are fighting to get the doors open, and I got inside and could see what was transpiring from behind the doors. I thought to myself, ‘if these doors open people are going to get seriously hurt’.”
Terrified gig goers left ‘running for their lives’
Witnesses say the doors gave way, and the crowds poured inside the building – in a moment Mark likens to ‘water coming through’. He witnessed people being trampled underfoot during the ‘stampede’, remembering: “If you trip over, you fall or if you are pushed down then you got a problem.”
In a separate interview, a concertgoer named Pearl Adewale told the Mirror that she believed she would die, describing her ordeal as the ‘most traumatic’ experience ‘ever’. Pearl said: “Everybody just started running for their lives. I initially thought someone was shooting. I was in a panic. My heart started racing. I thought I would die honestly and that I had no control over the situation.
“I couldn’t see a way of even getting out. I was holding onto my friend because we were all running and scattering and she let go of me. I wanted to cry at that moment because I didn’t recognise anyone around me. I was trying to find my friends. I lost my friends and screaming like, ‘what’s going on?’”
While scrambling to find her friends, Pearl, 21, recalled how organisers told concertgoers to exit via the rear exit. Amid the chaos, however, she ended up getting backed into a corner close to the stage. Pearl remembered: “They said we couldn’t exit through where we came from when we entered because the police barricaded it. While we were running, we didn’t know where to go. We were like being backed into a corner next to the stage. We were standing there all shivering and scared and then I finally found my friends.”
After eventually managing to get out of the building, a terrified Pearl was met with yet more scenes of people ‘getting hurt’. She added: “We came outside to realise that a bunch of people were running. We saw a bunch of people out by the street. People getting hurt. The police were absolutely everywhere.
“And to be sent outside where it’s dangerous and as young females – it’s been reported that females are the ones who got hurt so I just feel like it was handled very poorly and we were just told to get out. I’m so glad I made it out of that. I was very grateful.”
Bribe money allegations
In January 2023, two months after the tragedy unfolded, a whistleblower claimed that some security guards had repeatedly let people in without tickets in exchange for bribes. Rohan, which was not his real name, told BBC’s File on 4 that some members of his team at AP Security would permit ‘a couple of hundred’ extra people into venues for ‘a lot of cash’, with certain workers making as much as £1,000.
According to Rohan, who had been working on the front doors on the night the crowds broke through, alleged that AP Security was aware of what was going on, and the individuals who were doing it, and yet did nothing about it. He also claimed that certain bouncers had ‘started getting greedy’, resulting in the situation spiralling out of hand.
There was no suggestion that Gaby, who worked as a specialist dog handler for another security company called County Security had been involved in taking bribes or letting people in without tickets. After being contacted by the BBC for comment, AP Security declined to comment. The Mirror has also attempted to approach the firm.
Reopening after 16 months
Today, April 19, O2 Academy Brixton will reopen once more, 16 months after the catastrophic incident. The venue faced permanent closure after the Metropolitan Police urged the council to remove its licence but following a two-day hearing in September 2023, Lambeth Council’s licensing sub-committee voted to allow the venue to continue operating so long as it meets “77 extensive and robust new conditions”.
It has now been confirmed the first shows at the venue will feature tribute acts, rather than famous bands. The venue initially faced permanent closure after Met Police urged Lambeth Council to remove its licence. Following a two-day hearing in September 2023, the council’s licensing sub-committee voted to allow the Academy to continue operating under the condition that it meets ’77 extensive and robust new conditions’.
It has now been confirmed the first shows will feature tribute acts, rather than famous artists and bands. A statement shared via X read: “O2 Academy Brixton will reopen on Friday 19 April with Nirvana UK (tribute to Nirvana) and The Smyths (tribute to The Smiths), followed by Friday 26 April with Definitely Mightbe (tribute to Oasis) and UK Foo Fighters (tribute to Foo Fighters).”
The Mirror has reached out to AP Security and Academy Music Group (AMG) for additional comment.
Anyone with information is asked to call the investigating team on 020 7321 9425. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.
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