Famous concert venue receives protection status to secure its future

A long-standing venue that has hosted artists from Soul II Soul to Suede has been given heritage protection to keep it open for future generations.

The Electric Brixton has been declared an Asset of Community Value by Lambeth Council, giving it greater protection from developers.

This means that the owners of the property must notify the council if they wish to sell it, and that the council can impose a six-month moratorium on any sale to give the owners time to raise the money to buy it.

Councillor Donatus Anyanwu said: “Electric Brixton is part of Brixton’s modern cultural history and makes an important contribution to the economy of our vibrant town centre.

“By recognizing this institution as a community asset, we hope to ensure that future music fans can continue to enjoy and appreciate the fantastic cultural contribution that this iconic live music venue has made to the wealth of our district.”

The venue on Brixton Hill has been a cinema, nightclub and concert venue in its over 100-year history and was once home to The Fridge nightclub.

Before that it was closed in 2010.

Dominic Madden, co-founder of Electric Group, said: “Electric Brixton is a hugely important venue in London’s cultural landscape. This iconic venue has been in operation for over 100 years and has evolved with the times, from the Palladium Picture House, to the ABC Cinema and the Ace, which was a groundbreaking rock concert venue and hosted David Bowie, to the Fridge, which launched Soul II Soul and the new romantic movement.

“Electric Brixton is the latest incarnation of this journey of reinvention and has hosted a wide and varied range of acts of all sizes. Electric Brixton is hugely loved by Londoners and the Brixton community and we look forward to playing a major role in the next 100 years.”

Artists who have played at Electric include Liam Gallagher, 2manyDJs, George Ezra, Emily Sande and Kendrick Lemar.