Sombr hit out at Brixton Academy mid-show last night (March 10), calling it “the most poorly managed venue I’ve ever played at in my life”.
The artist played three nights at the 5,000-capacity venue from March 8-10 and during the third show, he lambasted security for not paying enough attention when someone in the crowd fainted.
“Alright, stop the show, guys, there’s someone passed out over here,” he said mid-song, gesturing towards the area where the incident had taken place. “This is the most poorly managed venue I’ve ever played at in my life.”
“You guys need to pay attention, it’s insane,” he told security. “Safety comes first.”
@livryding other than that the concert was AMAZING 🔥🔥 #fyp #sombr #concert #67
Brixton Academy was closed for over a year after a crowd crush at an Asake concert in December 2022 that left two people dead.
Lambeth Council suspended the venue’s license and the Metropolitan Police reportedly made a push for the location to close its doors for good as it faced indefinite closure.
Its future remained in doubt until a hearing that determined that the venue was allowed to retain its licence and re-open if it can meet “robust” safety rules, with a total of 77 measures put in place. Brixton Academy then re-opened its doors in April 2024.
Brixton Academy has not publicly addressed the incident at the Sombr show. NME has reached out to Academy Music Group for comment.
In other news, Sombr caught up with NME on the red carpet for the 2026 BRIT Awards and shared his love for UK music, and said that he thinks that Britain surpasses the US when it comes to producing “iconic acts”.
When asked about why the UK feels like a second home to him, he told us that it was predominately due to artists like “The Beatles, the Stones, David Bowie, and Elton John” resonating with him, as well as local Manchester talent including The Stone Roses, The Verve and Oasis.
“The list goes on,” he said, adding that he was planning on going round the room during the live event to “try to introduce myself” to some of his favourite artists.
“I just love it here,” he added. “It’s the music that comes from the UK [that clicks with me]. In my opinion, I love America, but I think acts from the UK just beat them, in terms of iconic acts”.
He took to the stage during the ceremony for a performance of ‘Undressed’ and ‘Back To Friends’ too, and got fans talking after his set ended abruptly with someone rushing to the stage and pushing off the platform, sporting a shirt that read “Sombr is a homewrecker”. He later revealed that the moment was a planned stunt.