A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A much loved south London venue is set to reopen this autumn, with the old Brixton Fridge being relaunched as the Electric Brixton.

With work underway to restore the fine Edwardian interior – and add some modern touches – the Electric will offer a capacity of 1,700 people for club events and 1,500 for live shows.

On Thursday 22nd September, there’ll be an invite-only industry launch followed by a series of public launch events.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Designed in the Edwardian neo-classical and Baroque style by Gilbert Booth, the building opened as the Palladium Picture Playhouse on 20th March 1913.

Surviving as a cinema for nearly 70 years before closure in March 1981, the building went through several names, changing from the Palladium, to the Regal in 1956 (-1963), the ABC 1963-1977, the ACE 1977-1984 and the Fridge 1985-2011.

A rather brutal remodelling in 1955 saw the classical frontage being replaced with the austere post-war modernist façade that remains today (but the skanky old fridges that were stuck on the front have now been removed).

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Refurbishment work underway inside, with the old none-more-black of the Fridge being replaced by a jauntier gold and blue colour scheme. I think it looks rather splendid.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Looking towards the stage.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

The old boxes overlooking the stage will be restored.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Old cinema equipment.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

View from a box seat.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Stage view.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

First floor view.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Ornate Baroque detail.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Old lighting equipment.

A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge

Read more about the history of the Electric/Fridge below:

Fridge history in photos
Palladium Cinema/Fridge (1915)
Palladium Cinema/Fridge (1945)
Brixton Ace flyer (1983)

15 Comments on “A look inside the Electric Brixton, formerly the Brixton Fridge”

  1. Has that weird atmosphere of a nightclub during the day – a bit hinky & slightly spooky.

    Looks stunning, but I’m not too sure the mangled clubbers who’ll be there will appreciate all the fabulous restoration work that’s gone on!

  2. Bloody marvellous pictures. I hope they’re not chucking out the old cinema stuff when they could donate it to the cinema museum.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.