Brixton Academy 2026: bass pressure, guitar bite, and big-room catharsis
If Brighton Dome’s diary is a beautifully curated mixtape, Brixton Academy’s upcoming run is a full-volume festival in a single room: drum & bass history lessons, electronic royalty, punk-ska chaos, indie icons doing victory laps (without turning into tribute acts), and one seriously heavy metal headline that’s basically a gym session with riffs.
Andy C: Return to Brixton (Fri 31 Jan 2026, 9:00pm–2:00am)
This one’s got the feel of a homecoming gig with extra voltage. Andy C returning to Brixton is framed as a landmark moment: he’s back at the venue for the first time in over a decade, having previously made history as the first drum & bass artist to headline the room. In other words, it’s not just “a show”, it’s a reset point for anyone who measures their nightlife in drops-per-minute.
The listing also flags a no-phones experience, which is basically an invitation to time-travel back to the pre-screen era, when the only thing glowing in the dark was the strobe and someone’s luminous wristband. Expect three hours of pure Andy C, spanning classics, deep cuts and whatever future-forward heat he’s currently carrying. If you like your nights out as a single, continuous surge rather than a playlist of stops and starts, this is the one.
Underworld (Thu 5 Feb 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Underworld at Brixton Academy is the sort of booking that quietly reminds you how much modern electronic music still traces its fingerprints back to the duo’s work. Rick Smith and Karl Hyde have spent decades refusing to stand still, pushing their sound through new shapes while keeping that unmistakable pulse: euphoric, relentless, weirdly human.
The event description leans into the scale of their legacy (from the landmark dubnobasswithmyheadman era through to a new album, Strawberry Hotel), with nods to huge tracks that have called millions to dancefloors across the world. This won’t be nostalgia. It’ll be the ongoing present tense of Underworld: immersive, physical, and likely to leave you walking out into the night feeling like the pavement has its own BPM.
Robbie Williams: Long 90’s Tour (Sun 8 Feb 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Robbie at Brixton Academy is already a headline, but the angle here is what makes it properly interesting: the listing says this tour sees him playing two albums in full: Life Thru A Lens and Britpop. That’s a very particular kind of nostalgia, not the “greatest hits scattergun”, but the deep-dive version, where the arc of an era gets rebuilt in front of you.
Expect a crowd that ranges from people reliving their teenage CD wallet to younger fans discovering how enormous those records still feel when the choruses hit. Brixton Academy is also a great room for a show like this, where you want the intimacy of a gig but the roar of a pop event. If you’re going, get ready for the kind of communal chorus that makes the building feel like it’s singing back.
Less Than Jake: Winter Circus Tour 2026 (Sun 1 Mar 2026, 5:30pm–10:30pm)
If your ideal night out involves brass blasts, sweat, and the happy chaos of a crowd moving like one big organism, Less Than Jake have you covered. The listing calls them “live-show ringmasters” and the “Winter Circus” name fits: their gigs are basically a touring celebration of punk energy with ska bounce, built for big singalongs and bigger grins.
The support line-up is stacked: The Bouncing Souls, The Aquabats!, and The Bar Stool Preachers. That’s not support, that’s an entire alternate headline tour hiding under the main bill. Expect a full-throttle evening that starts early and leaves you feeling like you’ve done cardio without noticing. If you’ve missed the feeling of a room turning into a friendly riot, circle this date.
Sleaford Mods (Sat 7 Mar 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
There are gigs you attend. Then there are gigs that confront you. Sleaford Mods sit firmly in the second category: sharp, direct, and unafraid of making the air feel slightly radioactive. The listing mentions this is part of a UK and Ireland headline run, with their first new music since the 2023 album Grim, which suggests the set will have fresh teeth.
It also notes their partnership with PLUS1 supporting War Child, with £1 from each ticket sold going toward helping children affected by war. In the room, you can expect that trademark blend of minimal production and maximal impact: beats that hit like a boot on a floorboard, and delivery that lands like a headline you can’t ignore.
Franz Ferdinand (Wed 11 Mar 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Franz Ferdinand at Brixton Academy is practically an invitation to dance whether you planned to or not. The listing frames this tour around their sixth studio album, The Human Fear, and teases that crackling “alive” energy that’s always been their strength: smart songs that still punch like pop.
The description plays with the idea of fear, bangers, legacy, and momentum, which is basically Franz’s sweet spot: music that can feel slick and spiky at the same time. If you want a night of sharp guitar lines, tight grooves, and choruses that snap into place like perfect Lego, you’re in.
The Vaccines: What Did You Expect Tour (Sat 14 Mar 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
This one comes with a built-in time machine. The Vaccines are marking the 15th anniversary of their debut album What Did You Expect from The Vaccines? and the listing says the band will perform the album in full, plus fan favourites from across the catalogue.
That debut is wall-to-wall snap-and-sparkle indie: songs that arrive fast, hit hard, and leave you humming before the next track even starts. There’s also a special guest noted: Brigitte Calls Me Baby, which adds extra flavour to the bill. Expect a crowd that knows every word, and the kind of shared chorus that turns Brixton Academy into one big lungs-and-heart singalong.
City Pop Waves: Masayoshi Takanaka (SUPER TAKANAKA WORLD LIVE 2026) (Tue 31 Mar 2026, 6:00pm–10:00pm)
This is a brilliant curveball for Brixton’s calendar: Masayoshi Takanaka, a legendary Japanese guitarist, composer and producer whose career spans five decades, bringing his “SUPER TAKANAKA WORLD LIVE 2026” tour to London.
The listing leans into his technical brilliance and colourful style, which is exactly what you want from a guitarist whose sound can be both virtuosic and joyfully melodic. It also notes the show was moved from O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on the same date, with tickets remaining valid, so expect a crowd that’s committed and ready. If you want a night that feels like a sunlit sprint through jazz-funk, city pop sheen, and guitar fireworks, this is your ticket.
Spring into late April: South London voices and transatlantic indie
Dry Cleaning (Wed 22 Apr 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Dry Cleaning are South London’s best argument that deadpan delivery can still hit like an uppercut. The listing notes their third studio album Secret Love, with influences ranging from early 1980s US punk and hardcore to a “dry strut” that hints at classic rock attitude, while Florence Shaw’s spoken-word style places her in a lineage of sharp-tongued narrators.
In Brixton Academy, that sort of cool intensity scales beautifully: riffs that lock in, rhythms that push forward, and lyrics that make you laugh and wince in the same breath. Expect this to be a “lean forward” gig: you’ll want to catch every line.
Big Thief (Sun 26 Apr 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Big Thief have become one of those bands that can feel huge without ever resorting to bombast. The listing describes them as one of the most exciting live bands of their generation, with a creative output that’s “seemingly limitless” across five critically acclaimed albums. That tracks: they’re a band that can switch from delicate to devastating in seconds, and make it all feel effortless.
At Brixton Academy, expect songs that breathe: space for quiet moments, then the kind of swell where the whole room lifts together. If you like gigs that feel emotionally cinematic, this is the one that’ll stick with you afterwards.
May 2026: dancefloor momentum and metal gravity
Example (Sat 16 May 2026, 7:00pm–11:00pm)
Example is built for big rooms: crossover dance-pop that’s designed to hit fast and stay stuck in your head. The listing frames him as a dance music icon with chart-topping singles, festival sets, sold-out tours and multiple platinum records, plus the slightly larger-than-life status of someone who’s soundtracked multiple generations’ nights out.
In Brixton Academy, expect a crowd ready to move from the first beat. This is the kind of show where the “hands up” moments aren’t forced, they just happen, like a reflex. If you want maximum energy with minimum fuss, you’ve found it.
An Evening With Machine Head (Sun 17 May 2026, 6:00pm–11:00pm)
Heavy riffs in a venue that can take the weight, and then some. The listing describes Machine Head as masters of “huge riffs, pugnacious grooves and ferocious hooks” since 1991, and nods to the impact of 1994’s Burn My Eyes, which helped redefine what “heavy” could mean.
This is positioned as a proper event, the kind of “Evening With…” that suggests more depth than a standard set: big songs, big presence, and that sense of a band with a long arc behind them still playing like there’s something to prove. If you want the room to feel like it’s shaking itself awake, don’t miss it.
