A part of the N1 shopping mall that lies off Upper Street in Islington, North London, the O2 Academy Islington is an 800-capacity live music venue. Unlike many of the 'Academy' venues owned by the Academy Music Group in the country, the O2 in Islington is a purpose-built entertainment centre. It is used for hosting club nights as well as live music.
The venue first opened in 2002 when it was named the N1 Marquee, which was the brainchild of – among others – Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. That project was short-lived, however. A year later, the venue was acquired by its current owners. A smaller space for live performances is available for performances. This is the O2 Academy 2 Islington and is capable of holding audiences of up to 250 attendees.
Opening in its current form in September 2003, the O2 Academy Islington first staged a performance by US rock band Alkaline Trio, and a number of high-profile acts soon followed in their wake. During the early years of the Academy's history, the likes of Muse, the Cure and Biffy Clyro all put on shows there. American acts were also a regular feature of the bill in this corner of London. For example, the hugely popular rap artist Eminem performed there, as did Beck and glam rockers KISS.
Although the O2 Academy Islington put on shows that covered a wide range of musical genres, it soon began to gain a reputation as a venue that was favoured by hard rock and metal enthusiasts. For example, the Essex-based alt-rock band InMe chose the Academy for an exclusive concert at which they performed two of their classic albums from start to finish. Bon Jovi guitarist, Richie Sambora, took to the Academy's stage in 2014 for a sell-out performance. In addition, the Grammy-nominated American rock band Fall Out Boy played a show there in 2013, when many might have expected them to book a larger venue. Finally, it is worth mentioning that Funeral For A Friend recorded their live album Hours at the Academy, due to its enthusiastic crowd and excellent sound qualities.
Many bus routes pass close by to the venue and the nearest tube stop on the London Underground is Angel, on the Northern line. A car park is nearby at the London Design Centre and disabled parking bays are located on Liverpool Road. Age restrictions apply to some of the events held at the venue.
At StubHub, you can find other venues, such as the O2 Academy Brixton and Monto Water Rats, which stage similar gigs.
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