Great location with good sound and handy bar running the length of the (upstairs) venue. Unfortunately, there were not really enough bar staff working for the numbers present, though the staff who were working tried to stay on top of the queues. Short walk from Angel tube station, which is incredibly handy. It helped that the band seen were incredible! Highly recommended. Will absolutely visit again.

The O2 Academy Islington is a good venue that has multiple rooms to cover the various shows that are on. The sound quality is good for the venue though like most places, the bar situation is an utter nightmare, Sound insulation is good. On the night there was the live band I saw and in another room a club night. There was no bleed through from the club into our show. Where the venue could really do with improvement is not putting the merch stand in the middle of the way out as it blocks the stairs down, and like most, the limited number of toilets. Other than that, it's conveniently located to the station and neighbouring restaurants.

My girlfriend and I went here to watch Electric Six. We got there late and arrived just in time for ES to start. The show was great, but the venue and crowd need a lot to be desired. It’s bizarrely in a shopping complex. You enter on a lower level and walk up a series of stairs to get to a foyer that leads up to the stage area. Note, it a really good idea to take your jacket with you rather than use the cloak room at the entrance because the queue was massive upon leaving. So long in fact it was like people were just loitering and not leaving, or so we thought. The toilets aren’t adequate for a venue of its size. The crowd love to push into space (I mean what is it with North Londoner’s 😵‍💫). So many of them were using the C word after they had had too much to drink after the show was done. And security wouldn’t let fans wait around to ask the band or sound team questions. Personally that’s a major no no for me. All told it’s a bit of a Winchester mystery house.

As a full time wheelchair user, I was very impressed on how well I was looked after by staff. They were very helpful, enabling us to get to the VIP photos with the band (SCANDAL) and then up to the mezzanine where the view was very good. Sound in the venue was also very good. All in all a great night, and the most enjoyable concert that I have been to. Thanks to all for making this such an enjoyable experience.

Small, quite intimate venue. There is a balcony but not sure what the view is like. Two bars left and right with expensive cider in the usual plastic glasses which is the norm. Sound was good. The worst thing about this place is the toilets, tiny, smelly and disgusting. Someone should throw in a hand grenade and it would be an improvement. Set in amongst the shopping mall, can be confusing when looking for on Google maps. Would go back to see a gig but drink before and wait for the loo.

Second time, I've been here for a show so I didn't get lost this time 🤣 you have to pass through, a shopping centre to get to the venue. But once inside its not a bad size, good sound and view of the stage, usual o2 prices on drink etc. Watched the exploited and discharge this time round

Easy to get to with decent amenities nearby. Thorough but gentle and professional security. Sound and lighting were good. Bar service was quick, bar staff were polite and friendly. Pint of cider was cold. Signage makes sense. Toilets were clean. Good venue for small gigs.

We went to see Ryan Mack's first gig in London at the O2 Academy in Islington. It was my first time here and I must admit the security was too strict because they took my mint off me. The venue was well organised and they avoided overcrowding the gig. Overall the gig was excellent. Ryan Mack's gig was excellent.

The 15th October 2023 in O2 ISLIGTON Academy, Emre Aydın's live music was amazing. The concert live was unique experience. I really enjoyed his live performance.

Sound quality was awful and left 4 songs into the headliner I'd been looking forward to seeing for months. Kick drum and snare sounded great, but the rest was just low end rumble. Barely any guitar or vocals. It was the same for all three support bands, who I probably would have enjoyed given the chance. Very disappointing.

Went to the venue upstairs which is a superb place for watching gigs. Easy to get served at the bar (very pricey) and clean toilets. Sound quality is amazing and easy to see the stage from wherever you stand. It was an amazing night of UK Hip Hop and I would love to go back soon.

Fantastic venue. Will definitely be back again!

Overall a decent venue (we watched Nothing More who were great) the bar downstairs was rammed but tried the one on the balcony and got served immediately. Only thing I’d say is get there early (we didn’t) as the room is long and fairly narrow with the stage at the far end and if you’re not there early enough then you’ll be stood right at the back as we were and with a flat floor, unless you’re 7’, the view of the stage can be a bit limited

Very good small/medium sized gig space in Islington. Excellent venue for accessibility. Good sound and friendly staff. Only downer is a flat floor.

Absolutely the most patron-friendly venue my husband and I have ever been to, hands down! Every staff member was courteous and went out of their way to answer questions and make our experience fantastic. They had everyone's safety and comfort of utmost importance. I wish we would have asked people for their names but anyone working the evening of Monday, May 9th, 2022. There was not a single staff member who wasn't exceptional and far exceeded any prior experience at a concert venue. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I saw Dead Man's Whiskey here and the sound quality was average at best. This might be because we were in the smaller box like Academy2. You get a pretty good view though and staff seemed nice. As usual with gig venues, the toilets are pretty rank and drinks are over priced. 2 pints of Pepsi Max was £8.50. On the plus side, it's really close to Angel Station and there are numerous bus routes nearby too.

My best friends phone was stolen and the whole time one of the bouncers had it and didn't give it to lost property. The next day we get calls telling us to come and get it from a completely different location than where the club is. Just a messed up experience.

Got denied access to O2 Academy as photographer because of prescribed medication I am a patient with sapphire medical clinics and have been for over a year, and never had problems declaring my medication to venues or even international travel. I was to shoot for the main performers at O2 Islington however when I got to the door they denied my access because of my medication. I explained to the security that I have all the relevant documentation and that it’s for medical use and still didn’t allow me to enter to do my job despite having a legal prescription. Terrible service and no understanding from the security team. Will be taking this forward !

I don't like giving 1 stars to a music venue but I don't think I've ever had a good gig here and it is largely to do with the venue. The problem is that they have a 11pm curfew and that means that the main act are often on so late. Not everyone is local, and so like myself people have to leave early to enable me to get a train back to afar. The venue is badly set up and when a gig is sold out its frighteningly so packed you can barely move. Toilets in the small lobby at the back mean you have to fight your way through to get there and then back. Upstairs is heavily restricted for a view, meaning it is only the front row that gets a view of the gig, so obviously people pile downstairs, plus the sound in there is massively off too. VIP / photographers get a huge area downstairs with also disabled could have been moved along upstairs to give more room to regular goers. The cloakroom is £4 an item?! - tip, o2 priority will get you this for free. I'm sorry but whoever plays here I won't ever be coming back.

Quite small venue. It gets crowed easily with about 400 people. When it is not crowed with bigger concerts, it is quite cozy place with 2 x bars serving drinks and snacks.

This is a great mid-size venue. Two bars on the dance floor and even a couple of decent beers (as well as the standard watery "gig lager"). Sometimes you can go upstairs and get a good view from the balcony. And they've renovated the toilets since I was last there!

First time at this venue. First impressions are important and i have to say the security are amazing. Friendly and efficient. Lauren is a stand out. Great size venue. Sound was good. Bar staff are great. Drinks are a little overpriced and the selection could definitely be improved. Lots of toilets which were clean. Overall a big thumbs-up

Went to see Rolling Quartz. Good venue. Had an overhead gallery which gave me a good view of the gig. Sound could have been a little louder.

Brilliant night at the O2 Academy Islington, the venue accommodated my additional access requirements and I had a enjoyable evening. It was well staffed with excellent security and event staff.

Another O2 I really enjoy. You feel part of concerts here. It's small and if you get the right place , you will have a fantastic night. Staff are helpful and nice.

Great view basically anywhere you stand. Attentive staff who gave out water and helped people who fainted. Xdinary Heroes were incredible.

Good little venue, Massive Wagons were class.

Come for the drinks so overpriced your friends who drove all the way from Guilford will turn around and leave. (Over 13 quid for a double with mixer). Stay for the bar that closes 2 hours(!) before the end of the event. Foreigner bonus: your credit card (even if Mastercard or visa) is not accepted, only one bar takes cash, and that bar is severely understaffed by people that don't know what they are doing. (I actually started timing them and between *all* of them the bar was serving one person every 2 minutes or so, you can see with 20 people waiting to be served this becomes a problem quickly)

The O2 Islington is a fantastic venue and even post Covid has not disappointed. It felt like we had gone back to 2019 however bar staff, technical crew and cast of the evening (Club de Fromage) were adhering to strict covid secure protocol. The last stage to be unlocked was 100% worth it, had a blast of a night and would happily come back again very soon next time I'm in London!

Went to the Academy with my 12 year old daughter and her friend for their first proper concert (Sueco) . We had a brilliant night. Staff was super friendly and accommodating. Both juice and sodas were available in the bar and even tho it was busy, the service was quick. I must say the crowd was fantastic as well - it could be a bit intimidating for younger people at concerts, but all were very respectful. An impromptu meet and greet with the artist topped the evening off. Would recommend it for anyone and kids are no exception. The venue is big enough for it to be a proper concert experience while still being small enough to feel the energy only live music can bring. Only problem is I now have two girls who want to go back as soon as possible.

Love it I had a awesome night watching fozzy live great place to go and watch live bands

Great venue.. not good if you want a drink though.. ridiculously over the top on Covid protocol at entrance..

Good venue, very thorough security at entrance

As an artist appearing from the moment we arrived for load in, every member of the team was incredibly friendly and professional and we had a great evening. Thank you, G.O.A 👻🔱

Decent live music venue. No frills- does the job fine!

Great, intimate venue to see live music with great sound but ridiculous drinks prices

Nice venue with good sound, but the drinks are ridiculously expensive and the cloakroom is quite slow. The balcony overlooking the stage is quite cool

Terrible drinks choice. Classic O2 over capitalised souless aesthetic that feels unfitting for a rock venue.

Played here with Goldie lookin chain. Was great

Fozzy fozzy Fozzy !

I really liked this venue, its a lot smaller given its literally in a small shopping complex. However it being smaller it felt more intimate with the artist which was nicer. I would advice getting there early so you can be closer to front as it can be harder to see with taller people and people filming in the way. Nice experience.

Small and intimate = loud for rock & roll. Easy to find, in shopping precinct, Angel tube station 2 mins walk. I enjoyed seeing Crazy Lixx supported by Chez Kane.

We had a Great time seeing The Wailers here. Nowhere is far away from the stage so had a fairly intimate feel. We were in the standing section and there was seating upstairs. Staff were really friendly & helpful. There's a Long bar so we got served quickly. Lots of loos which were kept clean throughout the evening. Getting out on the tubes was a slight issue but was expected so...Generally a nice venue & would return!

Great little venue, superb bands

Great venue. Big enough to enjoy a crowd, small enough to feel close to the action. Well worth a visit for some live music. Skynd were phenomenal.

Tiny venue, but a great experience nonetheless! I saw Fit For An Autopsy (metal band) back in May and it was a great experience. The place was also a relatively cool temperature despite the fact that it was packed. The security staff deserve as much praise as the acts, as they were constantly running around catching crowd surfers and ensuring that people weren't ruining it for others.

Saw zillakami. Was great.

Fantastic venue to watchlive music. The drinks are pricey which is a bit of a bad thing. But get there early as they check your phone to make sure you took your covid test so you could miss some of the show but the staff are very friendly

I sent this to the customer care team i had a bad experience previous as a wheelchair user and offered free tickets as compensation. Sadly the experience was even worse . Hello there ,yes me again and sadly more upset than ever. You might want to sit down with a cup of coffe. The event last night was worse than last time. After last night I'm a bit worried about attending next week. We managed to get a space in the acces area but we couldn't see. There were speakers in the way that blocked two members, same issue as last time. Sadly, once we were in this area there was no acces to leaving. Although we had access to drinks, the crowd didn’t. They relied on the security to hand out cups of water as people were blocking the bar. This is also the pathway to get to the acess area. If anyone needed to leave from the acess area then they're boomed. Your security is well aware of people standing in the pathway as my daughter brung it up to a security guard after the concert and told us this happens all the time, they know but they let it happen. I needed to throw up during the concert but couldn't get out so we had to get brung backstage by security. Obviously going backstage isn't the best idea, especially if you wanna protect the artists. In the photo attached isn't even all the people in the pathway (it was taken many minutes before more people came) but as you can tell, no one can get to the bar because of them. Some of these people ended up coming in the acess area! (The blonde lady, who when the members would speak would get up off a chair and stand behind my daughter, blocking her way to get to my wheelchair. Her lightstick died twice and she wouldn't move.) There are barriers for a reason and those who brought those tickets should stay there.You didn't pay money to trap the people in the acess area in. I've been to many venues and there are alot of things you clearly aren't solving. We've been told you've improved but where? It's also insanely difficult to get someone in a wheelchair around as you have to go to different areas and lifts. If there was a fire there would be no way for us to get out. At other venues they have a clear walk way around sides and have a member of staff constantly walking up and down insureing that these areas are clear. All it would take is two members of staff either side to insure that people can have acess, not just people with mobility needs but for people actually in the crowd to be able to move to allow people out. A trip hazard was also in the pathway, there was a raised area possible cables? Personally you would be much better off having the disabled area on the other side of the room, away from the bar. Although you probably think it's not my place to say all this, this is stuff we have to deal with all the time at concerts. Even small venues like yourself that I've attened have a raised area, even sometimes in the middle. I'm really worried about coming next week. Lastly there were people with AAA badges on, some of which kindly moved to the opposite side of the venue as they were very aware they were blocking our view. Some actually came back again but some in the actual acess area, which is not what it's used for? I'm really sorry for the horrible rant, many thanks, Claire. I am yet to wait for someone to speak to me about this although they did say they would look into this

I came on 26 January to see Rolling Quartz. Brilliant performance, very good sound quality, easy access. My only criticism is the queue management, I was given conflicting info by staff on which line was which outside, they really didnt seem to know. Some printed signs would have helped. Apparently there were signs but fixed to the barrier at waist level and thus hidden as soon as people stood in front of them. Similarly after the show, poor info on the 'meet the band' options depending on what ticket you had.