Remi Wolf shows why it’s great to have Brixton Academy back in business.

To say that 2024 has been big for Remi Wolf would be an understatement. She kicked the year off with a supporting slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s earthshattering Guts World Tour (although for Wolf, this is pretty standard behaviour – she did the same for Lorde in 2022 and Paramore in 2023), then the release of her sophomore album Big Ideas came with appearances on Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel and Jools Holland, as well as a NPR Tiny Desk Concert. Now she’s halfway through a world tour of her own, with the European leg coming to a close at the Brixton Academy on a very rainy Thursday night.

The miserable weather outside was quickly forgotten about by myself and the other “Remjobs” in the crowd, largely due to the energy that Remi Wolf gives out the second she’s on stage. She wasted no time in making everyone feel welcome by leading the entire room in a warm up, complete with vocal exercises and a full-body shakeout. No amount of limbering up could have prepared the crowd to match Remi’s step-count though – strutting, kicking and prancing back and forth for almost two hours, and she didn’t even seem tired. 

You only have to take a quick look at her socials to see that Remi Wolf isn’t too precious about what she says or what people think of her (exhibit A: “My BO smells like maple syrup”), and this honesty and openness has helped her develop a close bond with her fans. She’s more than happy to share personal anecdotes about a song’s meaning – ‘Alone in Miami’ was apparently from “a time spent alone in meeting strangers and doing a lot of cocaine” – and even ensures each show is unique by asking random audience members for words to include in an improvised song. Remi’s stage presence is exactly as wild, spontaneous and fun as you hope it’s going to be, and her face is expressive enough to make the delivery of every line hit home, even in a big venue like the Academy.

It’s great to see the Brixton Academy back and thriving again. Following the Asake tragedy, the decision to put the venue on hiatus was completely justified, but losing the venue for good would be robbing the London music scene of a piece of its history. The list of icons that the Academy has played host to is endless: Madonna, Dr. Dre, Iron Maiden, The Clash, Bob Dylan, Sex Pistols, The Prodigy, The Rolling Stones and Diana Ross gives you an idea of the variety and prestige of the place. Throughout its almost century-long existence, the Academy has gradually become recognised as an iconic landmark for Brixton.

It’s not just the history attached to it that makes the Academy worth keeping around – it’s simply a great place to watch live music. The sloped floor in the stalls means shorter fans have a much better chance at getting a good view, rather than being stuck staring at the back of a lanky bloke for hours (and as a lanky bloke myself, I can tell you it helps with the guilt). The stage is framed by columns and arches inspired by the Rialto Bridge in Venice, and the acoustics of the space are perfect for booming vocals.

No better is this demonstrated than with Remi Wolf, who has some serious, serious pipes. It’s always interesting going to see someone famed for their voice, as it’s impossible not to compare their live performance to how they sound on their recordings. With Wolf, she sounds either exactly the same, or at time even better – she can do pretty much everything with her voice, from belting out choruses, to playfully delivering punchlines, to randomly screeching at the Remjob horde.

But a big part of what makes a Remi Wolf show work is the band’s chemistry – there’s an obvious bond between Wolf and her ensemble, which includes bassist Maddie Jay, who performed her own stuff as the support act. Only at a Remi Wolf show do you get half the band twerking while the other half are shredding a sychronised guitar solo. At one point, Remi even hopped on the drums herself and went to town for a couple minutes, before lobbing the sticks out for a fan to (hopefully) catch.

Remi Wolf fans head to her live shows with the hope that there will be the same chaotic, carefree fun conveyed in her music and in her online presence – and if this show is anything to go by, I can’t see how any Remjobs will leave disappointed. This show was also the perfect reminder of why Brixton Academy has a reputation for being one of the best places in the Big Smoke to see live music.