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J. S. Rafaeli

JS Rafaeli

Live At the Brixton Academy: A riotous life in the music business Paperback – 23 Jan. 2014

by JS Rafaeli (Author), Simon Parkes (Author)

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In 1982, aged twenty-three, Simon Parkes paid £1 for a virtually derelict building in Brixton. Over the next fifteen years he turned it into Britain's most iconic music venue. And now he's telling his story: full of fond - and wild - reminiscences of the famous musicians who played at the venue, including Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, The Ramones, New Order, the Beastie Boys and The Smiths.

This is about one man's burning desire for success against the odds, his passion for live music and the excitement of those wilderness years, a far cry from the corporate world that controls the scene today. From rock-star debauchery and mixing it up with Brixton gangsters to putting on the first legal raves in the UK and countless backroom business deals, this is the story of how to succeed in business with no experience and fulfil your teenage fantasies.

Print length

432 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Serpent's Tail
Publication date

23 Jan. 2014
Dimensions

15.3 x 3.1 x 23.4 cm
ISBN-10

1846689554
ISBN-13

978-1846689550
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Product description

Review

The king of gigs ― Sunday Times

Brixton was always the one. It was so authentic as a venue, it's when things became 'real'. A proper old Victorian beer hall of a place with a century's sweat and ale steeped into the woodwork and plaster, and the faded glamour of that mighty proscenium arch. The first time I stood on that stage was in the Libertines supporting Morrissey. All my life I'd wanted to be an actor playing to an adoring theatre crowd, and here I was in front of a sea of stony faces with beer cans bouncing off my head. -- Carl Barat

Brixton Academy has always been a special venue to me. From the age of 15 I saw countless shows there, from Blur to Foo Fighters. London is a city of countless music venues but in my eyes playing Brixton was the true sign of a successful band. I've been fortunate enough to play there a number of times now, firstly as part of the NME Awards tour but subsequently as the headline act - and the feeling of prestige never gets old -- Russell Lissack, Bloc Party

For me, the Brixton Academy has something of a mythical status. As a young teenage boy in south east London I'd always see the listings in the NME or Melody Maker, listings for bands that I desperately wanted to see, but at the time was too young. I remember a school friend claiming that he "knew a back way in" and perhaps we should chance it for the Food Records Christmas Party - playing host to Jesus Jones, and at the time a lesser known Blur. That prospect of this 'back way in' stayed with me until a few years later, when at the height of their powers, the Lemonheads' Evan Dando treated those of us who'd hung around the side alley to an impromptu acoustic set of covers and requests as he straddled the dressing room windowsill.

The thing that I always remembered was that it felt like outside inside. If they'd have painted stars on the ceiling I would have believed it was so. Those turrets and balconies... It seemed vast. Playing there with Hot Chip, our front of house engineer pointed out the 'sweet spot' where you could clap your hands and hear a never ending echo as the sound bounced from floor to ceiling to floor and back, proving there was indeed a roof, but to me it sounded like a flock of birds. From the stage, the width of the audience is what first surprised me, twice as wide as it is deep, and on a full house you can still see every face.

-- Rob Smoughton, Grosvenor/Hot Chip

Book Description

Sometimes you have to take a chance, and Simon Parkes is nothing if not a risk-taker. The riotous life-story of a music impresario and how he turned a near-derelict hall into a legendary stage.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Serpent's Tail; Main edition (23 Jan. 2014)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1846689554
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1846689550
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.3 x 3.1 x 23.4 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 139,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 699 in Popular Music
- 1,066 in Business Biographies & Memoirs (Books)
- 1,169 in Rock Music

Customer reviews:
527 ratings

About the authors

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J. S. Rafaeli
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JS Rafaeli
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JS Rafaeli is a writer and musician based in London. He is the author of "Drug Wars", "Good Cop, Bad War" and "Live At The Brixton Academy", and a frequent contributor to Vice.
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Simon Parkes
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

527 global ratings

5 star		71%
4 star		22%
3 star		4%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Amazon Customer

Great fun and excellent history

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 27 October 2022

Verified Purchase

I have always been interested in Simon Parkes and the Brixton Academy and now he fills in the details with fun and excitement a great book to read for many many reasons

Helpful

Lee Theasby

Behind the Scenes at the Brixton Academy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 15 July 2021

Verified Purchase

The author owned the Brixton Academy, one of the most iconic music venues, during the 80s and 90s. Although I've never had the chance to pay it a visit, you can almost smell the excitement of so many big names playing gigs. There's a revealing look behind the curtain at what a venue owner has to deal with, whether it's gangsters, drug dealers, police undercover operations or jobsworthy council employees. I suspect these are just a small fraction of what could be printed!
Simon got out of the business in the late 90s when everything became slickly operated by the big names and I think he made the right choice.
This is a gripping read and one of those "I'll just read another chapter before bed" type books.

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TG

Fantastic read on the inside story of this legendary venue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 February 2014

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Like thousands of others, I've been lucky enough to visit Brixton Academy on a number of occasions to witness amazing gigs (The Prodigy and The Chemical Brothers immediately spring to mind) but I was never aware of the story behind the venue. Parkes eloquently lays out the meandering path he took in great detail, from his early child right up to selling the venue when it was at its peak. The book is littered with feel good, and often nerve-wracking, accounts of how Parkes and his team over came adversity in it's many forms (both legal and illegal), as well as numerous stories about the world class rock, hip hop, metal, dance, reggae and even pop acts that passed though the doors during his tenure.

Parkes is openly honest about it all, without ever really breaking rank by fully lifting the lid on what undoubtedly went on behind the Academy's closed doors. I suppose this is my only slight gripe in that, aside from the opening gambit about the Manchester promoter, there's very little detail or even tales of the sex, drugs and debauchery that he occasionally alludes to. I'm sure there's at least another book in him if he ever wanted to divulge the full story, although his (and their) lawyers would probably have the final say on that!

Parkes predominantly comes at this from a logistical perspective and, as a avid gig goer and music fan, it was fascinating to find out first hand what went on behind the scenes to make the many hundreds of gigs and raves a reality. Very enjoyable from start to finish!

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Daemon

Good read if you went there in the 80s/90s

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 January 2022

Verified Purchase

Great story. Went to venue alot to see punk/metal during 80s and 90s.
Huge respect for author/owner and what he had to overcome both personally and to keep the place going.
Nice to know he still remains in the area.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

nicholas cozens

Beast of a place, great read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 2 September 2021

Verified Purchase

I worked at Brixton police station in the late eighties. On big nights would hover in Astoria walk to hear how the band was doing and try to keep an eye on the local Herbert's who preyed on the punters leaving the venue. As Simon says, the Conflict concert was the most colourful night out on the street!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 30 August 2015

Verified Purchase

A really good read. Many books written about music are penned by musicians. The problem with musicians is that they have big egos, and are often convinced that they're good writers. Often they are wrong - see Morrissey's unreadable autobiography. In this case, Simon Parkes is an excellent writer with an easy, free flowing style, and he's got some great stories to tell. The industry was certainly very different back in the seventies and eighties and the story of how he took the decrepit building from ruins to riches is a fascinating one. The slimy agents, nasty bank managers, local gangsters and exploding drummers are all here in a book that's hard to put down. Highly recommended for any live music fans, particularly ones who've experienced a gig or three at the Academy over the years.

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hs

Epic story of a legendary venue

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 21 January 2021

Verified Purchase

Proper, real deal rock n' roll stories about setting up and running a music venue in one of Londons most dangerous areas during the 80s and 90s. Essential reading if you're into your music history as Simon and The Academy survived some truly tumultuous moments and facilitated several cultural milestones.

Have re-read it twice already!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 8 August 2020

Verified Purchase

An interesting and funny account of the glory days of The Brixton Academy.
Well written and quite inspiratioal at times.

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Live At the Brixton Academy: A riotous life in the music business Paperback – 23 Jan. 2014

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J. S. Rafaeli

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