Misplaced Pages

#863136

66-594: Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema , previously known as Carling Academy Brixton , currently named O 2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O 2 brand ) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South London, in the Lambeth district of Brixton . Opening in 1929 as a cinema , the venue was converted into a discotheque in 1972, then reborn as

132-539: A broadband and telecommunications company. The company originated as a collection of worldwide telecommunications companies, known in the later half of the 1990s as BT Wireless, and a global mobile data business known then as Genie Internet, both subsidiaries of British Telecommunications (British Telecom or BT). As part of a reorganisation of Telefónica in 2014, Telefónica Europe's holdings and operations became direct subsidiaries of its parent: Telefónica S.A. Telefónica Europe provided mobile telephony operations in

198-506: A fluid , with individuals moved about by the pressure of those around them, and shockwaves can pass through the crowd as pressures within the crowd change. This can be highly dangerous, although some people actively seek this experience, such as at rock concerts or football matches, where the excitement, camaraderie, and literally "going with the flow" is for some an essential part of the experience, and activities like dancing and moshing are common. The danger inherent in these conditions

264-596: A 60:40 venture between British Telecommunications (British Telecom or BT) and Securicor respectively. In 1999  ( 1999 ) , BT purchased Securicor's shares in Cellnet for £3.15 billion. The company was later rebranded as BT Cellnet, and it became a part of BT Wireless , a group of subsidiary companies owned by BT. BT invested £2 billion in BT Cellnet, and in 2000  ( 2000 ) , BT Cellnet had over 6 million customers. In October 2001  ( 2001-10 ) , at

330-419: A body of people becomes dangerously overcrowded. When numbers are up to about five people per square meter, the environment may feel cramped but manageable; when numbers reach between eight and ten people per square meter, individuals become pressed against each other and may be swept along against their will by the motion of the crowd. Under these conditions, the crowd may undergo a progressive collapse where

396-561: A concert hall in 1983. It is owned by the Academy Music Group (AMG), and has become one of London's leading music venues, hosting over 50 live albums , and winning the NME Best Venue 12 times since 1994. It has been home to several notable performances, including The Smiths ' last gig (December 1986), Leftfield 's June 1996 concert which set a decibel record for a live gig at 137db, and Madonna 's gig in 2000, which

462-407: A crowd can become so packed that people are crushed together to such an extent they can no longer breathe and are asphyxiated. Such crowd crushes can occur when a moving crowd is funneled into a smaller and smaller space, when it meets an obstacle (such as a dead end, or a locked door), or when an already densely packed crowd has an influx of people, causing a pressure wave toward those at the front of

528-479: A crowd has swept over them where they have lain. It is believed that most major crowd disasters can be prevented by simple crowd management strategies. Crushes can be prevented by organization and traffic control, such as barriers. On the other hand, barriers in some cases may funnel the crowd toward an already-packed area, such as in the Hillsborough disaster. Hence barriers can be a solution in preventing or

594-403: A crush is inexperienced security officers who assume that people's behaviour in a dense crowd is voluntary and dangerous, and start applying force or preventing people from moving in certain directions. In the 1989 Hillsborough disaster , some police and stewards were so concerned with what they saw as possible hooliganism that they took actions that actually made matters worse. There is risk of

660-416: A crush when crowd density exceeds about five people per square meter. For a person in a crowd a signal of danger, and a warning to get out of the crowd if possible, is the sensation of being touched on all four sides. A later, more serious, warning is when one feels shock waves travelling through the crowd, due to people at the back pushing forward against people at the front with nowhere to go. Keith Still of

726-671: A general meeting held in Birmingham , 4.297 billion BT shares voted in favour of BT Cellnet's demerger from BT, with 0.67 million shares voting against. In 2001, BT Cellnet demerged from BT as mmO2 plc , and was relaunched on 1 May 2002 using the O2 brand. The company changed its name from mmO2 to O2 plc in March 2005. In 2021 it merged with Virgin Media to form Virgin Media O2 . Digifone

SECTION 10

#1732772276864

792-478: A key factor in causing a crush. One problem is lack of feedback from people being crushed to the crowd pressing behind—feedback can instead be provided by police, organizers, or other observers, particularly raised observers, such as on platforms or horseback, who can survey the crowd and use loudspeakers to communicate and direct a crowd. In some cases it may be possible to take simple measures such as spreading movements out over time. A factor that may contribute to

858-615: A management buyout in 2007. O2 Asia, headquartered in Singapore , operating in Far East , South Asia , Middle East, and Australasian countries, for a short time developed and marketed a range of wirelessly connected PDA and smartphone products branded Xda for both the Asian and European markets, and further such products under the "MWg" brand, short for Mobile & Wireless Group. In 2015 there were talks for Li Ka-shing , owner of

924-521: A stampede. People don't die because they panic. They panic because they are dying". Paul Torrens, a professor at the Center for Geospatial Information Science at the University of Maryland , remarks that "the idea of the hysterical mass is a myth". Incidents involving crowds are often reported by media as the results of panic. However, the scientific literature has explained how panic is a myth which

990-406: A subsidiary of mmO2 plc. On 4 June 2010, Manx Telecom was sold to UK private equity investor HG Capital (who were buying the majority stake), alongside telecoms management company CPS Partners. HG Capital indicated that the enterprise value of the deal was £158.8 million ($ 232.5 million). Genie Internet Ltd and Genie Asia were created as autonomous but wholly owned subsidiaries of BT in 2000. By

1056-429: A ticket. The newspaper also questioned the management of the building and its entrances. As a result of the crowd crush, Lambeth councillors met in the early hours of 22 December 2022 and decided to suspend the academy's operating licence following the "severity of events" and "risks to public safety" from "a lack of crowd control at the front doors". The licence was suspended until a full hearing on 16 January 2023, when it

1122-502: Is crowd density rather than crowd size. Crowd collapses and crushes are often reported incorrectly as human stampedes , which typically occur when a large group of people all try to get away from a perceived risk to life. One study has calculated that there were 232 deaths and over 66,000 injuries in the ten years between 1992 and 2002 as a result of such incidents, but crowd scientists believe that such casualties are both vastly under-reported and increasing in frequency. One estimate

1188-554: Is a loaded word as it apportions blame to the victims for behaving in an irrational, self-destructive, unthinking and uncaring manner, it's pure ignorance, and laziness ... It gives the impression that it was a mindless crowd only caring about themselves, and they were prepared to crush people. In virtually all situations it is usually the authorities to blame for poor planning, poor design, poor control, poor policing and mismanagement. Edwin Galea, professor of fire safety engineering at

1254-458: Is essential for life. With this, the company logo and associated graphics were designed, using air bubbles to present this. O2 currently sponsor the England rugby team , and in 2003 launched a mobile video service allowing customers to download or stream video content related to the 2003 Rugby World Cup . In 2005, Telefónica O2 extended their involvement in rugby union , signing a new deal with

1320-495: Is that only one in ten crowd injuries occurring in doorbuster sales are reported, while many, if not most, injuries at rock concerts go unreported. The average individual occupies an oval floorspace approximately 30 by 60 cm (1 by 2 ft), or 0.18 square metres (2 sq ft) and at densities of one to two per square metre (0.1 to 0.2/sq ft) individuals can move freely without contact. Even if people are moving quickly, at this density one can avoid obstacles, and

1386-467: Is that the crowd will collapse in on itself or become so densely packed that individuals are crushed and asphyxiated. A crowd collapse occurs when a crowd is so dense that each individual is touching others all around and is, to an extent, supported by those around. This can occur whether the crowd is moving or stationary. If a person then falls, the support to those around is lost, while the pressure from those further out remains, causing people to fall into

SECTION 20

#1732772276864

1452-595: Is therefore now officially known as ' The O2 '. The company extended their relationship with music venues in 2008 when all Academy Music venues became known as 'O2 Academies', replacing Carling as venue sponsors. For short time, the naming rights arrangements with AEG also apply in Germany, with large sport and concert venues known as O2 World in Berlin and Hamburg . Crowd crush Crowd collapses and crowd crushes are catastrophic incidents that can occur when

1518-453: Is used to mislead the attention of the public from the real causes of crowd incidents, such as a crowd crush. In crowd collapse and crush incidents the most common cause of death is asphyxiation , caused either by vertical stacking, as people fall on top of one another, or by horizontal stacking, where people are crushed together or against an unyielding barrier. Victims can also exhibit fractures due to pressure, or trampling injuries, when

1584-674: The Academy Music Group after a rebranding in August 2004 and hosts a range of live acts and club nights. With the sale, the venue's title was changed to Carling Academy Brixton. In 2008, naming rights were purchased for £25.5 million by the O2 brand, owned by the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica . Being one of the biggest non-arena music venues in London, the academy has been used by many very successful acts. It has also been voted venue of

1650-591: The Esat name as Digifone, became a part of the newly formed separate company, mmO2 plc. Digifone became O2 Ireland in 2001 as a subsidiary of mmO2 plc following the demerger from BT. O2 Ireland became a subsidiary of Telefónica in 2006, after its parent company O2 in the United Kingdom was purchased. In June 2013, Hutchison Whampoa announced it would acquire the Republic of Ireland arm of O2 for €780m. O2

1716-406: The University of Greenwich , England The term " stampede " is usually used in reference to animals that are fleeing a threat. Stampede events that involve humans are extremely rare and are unlikely to be fatal. According to Keith Still, professor of crowd science at Manchester Metropolitan University , "If you look at the analysis, I've not seen any instances of the cause of mass fatalities being

1782-637: The Wireless Festival , a music festival held annually in London (and near Leeds in 2006 and 2007). Telefónica O2 was the sponsor of the Cork GAA Football and Hurling teams and the Irish rugby team . The partnership with Irish rugby went interactive in 2006, when Ireland fans were offered access to daily updates from head coach Eddie O'Sullivan . In 2009, O2 launched their 'BeTheDifference' integrated advertising campaign where fans had

1848-530: The "Sundown Centre". The club was not a success and closed down some four months later. In May 1974 planning permission was sought to demolish the Grade II listed building and replace it with a motor showroom and petrol station. However, the redevelopment scheme was scrapped. The building was kept heated after it closed, and was used as an equipment store by the Rank Organisation . In 1981, the venue

1914-467: The 1980s with numerous reggae productions and it was hired out to major rock and pop acts such as The Rolling Stones , Eric Clapton , Dire Straits and the Police for rehearsal. The venue was also used for video shoots for Wham! ( Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go ) and Culture Club . Parkes would go on to write a book about his experience of running the venue, Live At The Brixton Academy: A Riotous Life in

1980-602: The England rugby team and the Rugby Football Union , as well as O2 rugbyclass and Premier Rugby Ltd for the English Premiership . Telefónica O2 also had a long-standing relationship with Arsenal F.C. , being their shirt sponsor from 2002 to 2006. In 2005, a three-year deal was signed that saw Telefónica O2 become the team's exclusive Mobile Communications Partner. From 2005 to 2008, O2 sponsored

2046-513: The Fire Safety Engineering Group, University of Greenwich, said "Be aware of your surroundings. Look ahead. Listen to the crowd noise. If you start finding yourself in a crowd surge, wait for the surge to come, go with it, and move sideways. Keep moving with it and sideways, with it and sideways." Other recommendations include trying to remain upright, and keeping away from walls and other obstructions if possible. After

Brixton Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2112-697: The German UMTS licence auction the previous year. Viag Interkom's mobile operations were transferred into the BT Wireless family and the fixed business became BT (Germany) GmbH & CO. Viag Interkom became O2 Germany as a subsidiary of mmO2 plc in 2001, following the demerger from BT. Telfort was created in March 1997 as a 50:50 joint venture between BT and Nederlandse Spoorwegen (the Dutch national railways operator) and headquartered in Amsterdam. Telfort

2178-588: The Music Business , which was published in 2014. In 1995, Parkes sold the theatre to Break for the Border. Under its new ownership (McKenzie Group), reinvestment started immediately, with a complete £500,000 refurbishment of the Art Deco building frontage to its original grandeur, additional facilities both front of house and backstage and a capacity increase to just under 5,000. The venue is currently run by

2244-506: The Netherlands, and Genie Asia became O2 Asia. O2 Asia became a subsidiary of O2 UK for governance purposes. Following the demerger of British Telecommunications plc in 2001, mmO2 plc was created as the holding company for BT's former mobile network assets and was split from the rest of the company, now named BT Group plc. During this period, O2 Netherlands was sold to Dutch investment group Greenfield Capital Partners in 2003. mmO2 plc

2310-735: The Netherlands. The Genie Asia business continued portal operations in Asia. After demerging from BT in 2001, the European Genie business became the basis of a central products and services division called 'Products O2' and the Genie Mobile business was rebranded to 'O2 Online' which continues in the UK as a mobile communications service provider tied to the O2 UK network. The Genie portal properties were rebranded O2 Active in UK, Germany, Ireland and

2376-583: The O2 network. In May 2020, it was reported that Telefónica and Liberty Global plan to merge the UK operations of O2 with Virgin Media , a pay-TV and broadband provider in that country, owned by Liberty Global. Telefónica Ireland was providing broadband and telecommunications in Ireland under the O2 brand. O2 Ireland was previously called Esat Digifone when it was owned by Esat Telecommunications (and Telenor ) from 1997 to 2006. O2 Ireland became part of Telefónica in 2006 as part of its purchase of O2 in

2442-594: The Royal Albert Hall but rearranged to the Brixton Academy due to Johnny Marr being involved in a car accident. The Ramones played their final European show at the venue on February 3, 1996, before touring for the last time in South and North America. Madonna played a special concert at the venue in 2000, to promote the release of her album, Music . The concert was broadcast live online and

2508-541: The UK. In June 2013, Hutchison Whampoa announced it would acquire the Irish arm of O2 for €780m. In March 2015, the company was merged into Hutchison Whampoa's subsidiary Three Ireland . Český Telecom was the new name given to a company previously known as SPT Telecom which was formed from the splitting off of the Czech Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications into postal and telecom sides in 1993. The company

2574-657: The United Kingdom and Germany, and licensed its brand to former operations in the Republic of Ireland , the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. O2 has additionally established a joint venture with Tesco Mobile in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and in Slovakia, and the Tchibo Mobilfunk network in Germany. Cellnet was launched in January 1985 as a subsidiary of Telecom Securicor Cellular Radio Limited ,

2640-577: The architects Thomas Somerford and E. A. Stone, it was built at a cost of £250,000 as an "Astoria" theatre. The opening show was the Al Jolson film The Singing Fool , followed by a variety act, including Heddle Nash and Derek Oldham which was broadcast by the BBC . The theatre eventually closed its doors as a cinema on 29 July 1972. It was then converted into a discotheque in September 1972, known as

2706-404: The chance of a crowd-related incident is minimal. Even at three or four people per square meter, the risk is low; however, at densities of five per square meter, it becomes more difficult for individuals to move, and at higher densities of six to seven per square meter, individuals become pressed against each other and can be unable to move voluntarily. At this point a crowd can begin to act like

Brixton Academy - Misplaced Pages Continue

2772-585: The chance to have their names included on the O2 Rugby posters and on the Irish Rugby players' jerseys. The integrated campaign was created by O2's two Irish advertising agencies: McConnells ( above-the-line ) and Brando ( below-the-line ). The interactive campaign won an award at the 2009 Kinsale Sharks. On 31 May 2005, Telefónica O2 acquired the naming rights for the redeveloped Millennium Dome in London from Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). The Dome

2838-528: The company back to the Telfort name. Telfort eventually became a wholly owned subsidiary of KPN . Manx Telecom was demerged from BT as part of the mmO2 flotation in 2001. Unlike some of the company's counterparts, the fixed and mobile arms of Manx Telecom were not split prior to the demerger, which meant that Manx Telecom was the mmO2 group's only fixed operation at the time. After the demerger from BT in 2001, Manx Telecom continued to trade under its brand as

2904-603: The completion of the acquisition in February 2006, Telefónica undertook a corporate organisational change that saw the merging of its fixed and mobile businesses in Spain, and the transfer of Telefónica's non-Spanish European telecommunications properties into the O2 brand. Thus, the Český Telecom and Eurotel operations in the Czech Republic as well as the Telefónica Deutschland business in Germany were brought into

2970-926: The crowd. In this situation those entering may be unaware of the effect on those in front and continue to press in. Examples of crushes are the Hillsborough disaster in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England in 1989, the Love Parade disaster in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany in 2010, the Astroworld Festival crowd crush in Houston, Texas, and the Itaewon Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea in 2022. Stampede

3036-480: The first music act to reach that number. Leftfield set the world's decibel record for a live concert in 1996 when they reached 137db. They were summarily banned from using the same sound system at the venue after the high bass levels started disintegrating the ceiling, resulting in showers of dust and plaster. They returned in 2000 using a different sound system. O2 (brand) Formerly, all European branches of Telefónica were managed by Telefónica Europe plc,

3102-483: The governance of O2, which retained its UK registered public company status with its own board of directors and corporate governance structures and processes. Telefónica chose to keep their existing mobile phone operations in the rest of the world under the brand Movistar . This name is used in Spain and in most Latin America countries, operated by a separate management team. Telefónica sold its O2 Asia subsidiary in

3168-565: The pressure pushes people off their feet, resulting in people being trampled or crushed by the weight of other people falling on top of them. At even higher densities, the pressure on each individual can cause them to be crushed or asphyxiated while still upright. Such incidents are invariably the product of organizational failures, and most major crowd disasters could have been prevented by simple crowd management strategies. Such incidents can occur at large gatherings such as sporting, commercial, social, and religious events. The critical factor

3234-546: The rival UK network Three , to buy the company. The following year, the European Commission blocked the takeover. Telefónica operates its businesses under the O2 brand through its subsidiaries Telefónica UK and Telefónica Germany . Telefónica Spain uses Movistar as its flagship brand, while O2 is a secondary low-cost brand. Telefónica owns the Giffgaff MVNO in the United Kingdom, which uses

3300-411: The time it became a part of the BT Wireless family of companies in 2001, Genie had mobile portal operations in the UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and Japan, and an Internet MVNO operation in UK called Genie Mobile. Prior to the demerger of O2 from BT, Genie scaled back its global operations in order to align with the mobile businesses demerging with it; namely UK, Germany, Ireland and

3366-469: The venue was permitted to re-open after the incident, providing they meet new licensing conditions including strengthened doors, a new security contractor and additional safety procedures. A full list of the conditions is published online by Lambeth Council. The venue reopened on 19 April 2024. The Smiths played their last gig here in December 1986 which was an Anti- Apartheid benefit scheduled for

SECTION 50

#1732772276864

3432-602: The void. This process is then repeated, causing a bigger void, and will progress until the pressure eases; meanwhile, those who have fallen are at risk of being smothered by the weight of bodies on top or being trampled as the crowd is swept over them. An example of a progressive crowd collapse was the 2015 Mina stampede in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj when over 2,400 people were reported to have died. At even higher densities (up to ten people per square metre (0.93/sq ft))

3498-518: The year 12 times since 1994 in the annual NME Awards . In addition the venue has won the Music Week Award for Venue of the Year several times including 2009. A crowd crush outside a performance by Asake on 15 December 2022 seriously injured four people, two of whom died in the following days. The Guardian cast doubt on early reports that people were trying to force their way in without

3564-464: Was announced that it would be sold with its parent company to PPF. The BT Cellnet consumer brand was renamed O2 – the chemical symbol for unbound oxygen – as were all the group's other businesses (other than Manx Telecom ). The re-branding was designed by the Lambie-Nairn design agency, which developed the idea of the company supplying services that were essential, much the same as oxygen

3630-497: Was awarded a licence by the government of the Netherlands to provide fixed telecommunications services in November of that year, and a mobile licence was awarded the following year. In 2000, the mobile operations of Telfort became a part of the BT Wireless family. Telfort became O2 Netherlands as a subsidiary of mmO2 plc in 2001, following the demerger from BT. In 2003, O2 sold the company to Greenfield Capital Partners which reverted

3696-550: Was created in 2000, as the demerged mobile business of the prior Esat Digifone which had just been purchased by BT. Esat Digifone was originally a joint venture between Esat Telecom and Telenor. After the acquisition of Esat Telecom by BT, the Telenor share in Esat Digifone was also acquired by BT. Subsequently, the fixed operations, Esat Telecom later became BT Ireland and the demerged mobile operations, rebranded without

3762-446: Was later renamed O2 plc before being taken over by Telefónica. On 31 October 2005, O2 plc agreed to be taken over by Telefónica , a Spanish telecommunications company, with a cash offer of £17.7 billion, or £2 per share. According to the merger announcement, O2 retained its name and continued to be based in the United Kingdom, keeping both the brand and the management team. The merger became unconditional on 23 January 2006. Following

3828-579: Was merged into Hutchison Whampoa's subsidiary Three Ireland in March 2015. Viag Interkom was created in 1995 as a joint venture of the German power supply firm VIAG (45%), British BT Group (then called British Telecommunications) (45%) and Norwegian Telenor (10%) in order to compete for official licence to provide services in the rapidly liberalising German (fixed and mobile) telecommunications market at that time. In 2001 BT acquired VIAG's share (owned by German energy company E.ON) for €11.4 billion following

3894-531: Was providing services for large corporations only. In 2006 the company was renamed Telefónica O2 Slovakia and won a tender for the 3rd mobile phone operator in Slovakia . On 2 February 2007, Telefónica O2 Slovakia started providing services in Slovakia for first customers "O2 Jednotky". On 28 February O2 launched classic services and opened first shop in Slovakia (in Bratislava on Obchodná street). In 2013 it

3960-429: Was remodelled by Sean Treacy, who later ran the entire site services, was re-opened as a rock venue called "Fair Deal" with a concert by UB40 and an interior restoration. The Clash played the venue in 1982 on their Casbah Club tour (30 July) but the venue closed later that year due to debt. In 1983, Simon Parkes bought the venue for £1, and re-opened it as the Brixton Academy. The academy's success steadily grew throughout

4026-432: Was renamed to Telefónica Czech Republic. In 2013 was announced that Telefónica would sell its stake in the company to PPF . Under the terms of the sale, the company would continue to use the O2 brand for a maximum of four years. The agreement was later extended, and the company continues under the O2 brand as of January 2024. In 2002 Český Telecom founded Czech Telecom Slovakia , its subsidiary in Slovakia . The company

SECTION 60

#1732772276864

4092-467: Was renamed to Český Telecom in 2000 and remained a government-controlled company until its complete privatisation in 2004. Along the way, rapid modernisation of the network occurred with the help of funding and expertise of the Dutch and Swiss consortium called TelSource. In parallel to the evolution of Český Telecom, the Eurotel mobile phone business was established in 1990 in a joint venture between what

4158-571: Was suspended for a further three months. The BBC reported that security staff were said to accept bribes to allow people in without a ticket. In April 2023 the Metropolitan Police stated that they had no confidence in the holder of the venue's licence and that they were applying for the licence to be revoked. In September 2023, the police stated that they were not opposed to the venue reopening, but simply opposed to AMG operating it. On 15 September 2023 Lambeth Council announced that

4224-517: Was then known as the Czechoslovak telecom ministry, Bell Atlantic and US West. In 1996, GSM services were introduced, and in 2003 Český Telecom acquired full control of Eurotel. The Czech Republic government sold its remaining stake in Český Telecom (along with its Eurotel subsidiary) to Telefónica in 2005 which renamed it to Telefónica O2 Czech Republic and since 2006 started to use the O2 brand for both fixed and mobile services. In 2011 company

4290-633: Was watched by a record-breaking audience of 9 million. Artists such as The Clash , Deborah Harry , The Prodigy , Arcade Fire , Nine Inch Nails and Bob Dylan have all played five consecutive nights at the venue. In 2002, Iron Maiden played three consecutive nights as a part of charity event "Clive Aid 2002". The band set the record for merchandise and ticket sales. The Mighty Boosh broke this record in 2008, with their second live show Boosh Live , playing seven consecutive nights. The xx equalled their record in March 2017, playing seven consecutive nights in support of third record I See You , becoming

4356-463: Was watched by an online audience of 9 million. In December 2022, two people died and others were seriously injured following a crowd crush at the door. As a result the venue was closed, with reopening subject to meeting council licensing conditions. It reopened on 19 April 2024. The venue started as a cinema and theatre in 1929 on the site of a private garden in Stockwell Road. Designed by

#863136