London's music scene: highlights and news
Explore the latest music news unfolding in London, from festival announcements and classical music programmes to venue updates.
French electro pioneers Justice announced as headliners for Field Day 2024

The Chemical Brothers. Field Day 2022. Photo by Eric Aydin Barberini.
Electro legends Justice have been announced as headliners for Field Day Festival's 17th edition, alongside PinkPantheress, Charlotte DeWitte. Due to take place in Victoria Park in August 2024, the iconic festival event promises a diverse lineup spanning electronic genres.
Date: 24th August 2024. Location: Victoria Park, East London. Price: Early birds from £50. Book now. Instagram: @fielddayfestivals
La Linea Festival Announces Second Wave of Artists

La Linea London Latin Music Festival. Ana Tijoux.
La Linea, London's Latin Music Festival, unveils its second wave of shows for the 24th edition in April. The festival will feature specially curated performances across the capital. Highlights include Desta French & Friends at the Jazz Café, Domenico Lancellotti and Ricardo Dias Gomes at Cafe Oto, and Nacao Zumbi at the Jazz Café.
Date: 12 - 22 April 2024. Website: la-linea. Instagram: @lalineafestival.
Brand New All-Dayer Event Set to Take Place at Crystal Palace Bowl

Grace Jones . Photo by Lawrence Watson.
Get ready for an electrifying addition to the summer festival calendar with Love Motion, a brand new all-dayer event set to ignite Crystal Palace Bowl on 26 July, as part of the South Facing festival. Headlining this exhilarating affair is the legendary Grace Jones, alongside Irish sensation Róisín Murphy, disco icons Horse Meat Disco, and a stellar lineup of DJs including Dimitri from Paris, Oli Keens, and J-Felix. With its historic setting and vibrant lineup, Love Motion promises to be a highlight of the season, offering a day filled with infectious beats, incredible performances, and unforgettable memories.
Date: Friday 26 July 2024. Location: Crystal Palace Bowl. Price: from £43.70. Book now.
Chaka Khan to Curate Meltdown 2024 Festival at Southbank Centre

Chaka Khan. © Jo Metson Scott.
Iconic musician Chaka Khan has been announced as the curator for the upcoming Meltdown 2024 festival, hosted by the Southbank Centre. Celebrating her legendary 50-year career, Khan will infuse the 10-day summer event with her incredible voice and global influence, promising a celebration like no other in June.
Date: 14 - 23 June 2024. Location: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX. Website: southbankcentre.co.uk.
Cassie Kinoshi's will celebrate Women in Music at the Barbican

Casse Kinoshi. © Aurore Fouchez.
Cassie Kinoshi will present her largest show yet at the Barbican in March, in celebration of International Women’s Day. Joined by her ensemble seed, turntablist NikNak, and the London Contemporary Orchestra, Kinoshi will revisit her acclaimed 2023 piece 'gratitude' and premiere a new composition inspired by women's role in British music history.
Date: 7 March 2024. Time: 7.30pm. Location: Barbican Centre. Price: £10-£15. Book now.
Pioneering choreographer Merce Cunningham’s work will “forever” be revered. The Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections festival has brought two of his works back to life performed by the Lyon Opera Ballet at Sadlers’ Wells…
Born in 1937 in what is now West Bengal, Arpita Singh is one of India’s pioneering post-independence artists. Remembering marks her first institutional solo exhibition outside India, featuring key works from her prolific six-decade long career…
Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary will be marked with a free four-day celebration in May 2025, featuring art displays, live performances, music, workshops, and family activities….
There were two compelling reasons to attend this performance: the venue itself and the cutting-edge artist collective known as (LA) HORDE. Sadler’s Wells’ newest state-of-the-art venue is a welcome addition to Stratford, boasting rehearsal studios…
Gabriele Beveridge is known for her sculptural and conceptual practice that combines materials as diverse as hand-blown glass, photo chemicals, and found images…
The legacy company of the pioneering American choreographer Trisha Brown opened the Van Cleef & Arpels Dance Reflections Festival at Sadler’s Wells with a striking performance…
Design and Disability will showcase the radical contributions of Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent designers, exploring accessibility, innovation, and identity through 170 objects spanning fashion, art, architecture, and technology…
Robyn Orlin is a South African dancer and choreographer born in Johannesburg. Nicknamed in South Africa "a permanent irritation", she is well known for reflecting the difficult and complex realities in her country. Robyn integrates different media into her work (text, video, plastic arts) to she investigates a certain theatrical reality which has enabled her to find her unique choreographic vocabulary…
Chiharu Shiota: The Soul Trembles · The Flowers of Yves Saint Laurent · Collective Joy – Learning Flamboyance! · The People of the North · Corps et âmes · Louvre Couture: Art and Fashion—Statement Pieces · David Hockney 25 · Paris Noir · Olga de Amaral · Azzedine Alaïa / Thierry Mugler: 1980-1990 – Two Decades of Artistic Affinities
Katrina Palmer, an artist known for exploring materiality, absence, and dislocation, recently spoke to us following her year-long residency at the National Gallery about her exhibition The Touch Report…
The British Pavilion at the 2025 Architecture Biennale in Venice will explore the role of architecture in addressing the legacy of colonial geological extraction through innovative, earth-based repair practices in a UK-Kenya collaboration…
Lola Young at O2 Forum Kentish Town · British Pie Week · Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Opera House · Weather Girl at Soho Theatre · Czech Philharmonic with Sheku Kanneh-Mason · Jasmin Vardimon: NOW at Sadler’s Wells East · Mitsuko Uchida · Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2025 · Jorge Jobim: Fantastical Autonomy · Siena: The Rise of Painting 1300‒1350· Art After Dark…
Leigh Bowery (1961-1994) packed more into his brief life than most would manage in two lifetimes. He passed away from an AIDS-related illness in 1994, at the age of just 33….
For the first time in the UK, the Royal Academy of Arts will present an exhibition exploring the lasting influence of Vincent van Gogh on Anselm Kiefer Hon RA. Running from 28 June to 26 October 2025…
AllBright’s Step Forward Summit · Firebird & Friends with Savannah Hagendijk · Art Exhibitions Celebrating Female Artists · Art After Dark · Marylebone Village Celebrates Female Founders · International Women’s Day Dinner at CORD by Le Cordon Bleu · WOW at 15 with Angela Davis · Boxcar Bar & Grill x Sara Dongiovanni · International Women’s Day Art of Self-Connection Workshop…
Arments Pie and Mash · Holborn Dining Room at Rosewood London · The 411 · The Audley Public House · The Devonshire · St John · Three Cheers Pubs · The Georgian at Harrods · The Marksman · The Connaught Grill · Quo Vadis…
The British Council has announced that Lubaina Himid CBE RA will represent Great Britain at the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia in 2026…
Enej Gala is an artist who splits his time primarily between London and his hometown of Nova Gorica, Slovenia. A graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and the Royal Academy Schools (2023), Gala first gained our attention with Neighbour’s Harvest, an installation that cleverly combined puppetry and conceptual art…
Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art (Goldsmiths CCA), located on the campus of Goldsmiths, University of London, has announced its exciting exhibition programme for 2025. From immersive digital worlds to poignant reflections on the female experience…
babirye bukilwa’s debut play is an unflinching expose of psychosis and manic depression, and the impact it can have on our relationships, love and identity…
Collect Art Fair · Flavour&Some X Control Room A · Highsnobiety’s Not In London · Paavo Järvi Conducts Stravinsky’s The Firebird · Young Barbican Takeover Festival 2025 · Winter Sculpture Park · Leigh Bowery! · Claudia Pagès Rabal · Ella Kruglyanskaya · Dada Khanyisa · The Arts Society…
Feel the Sound, a new multi-sensory exhibition opening at the Barbican Centre in May 2025, will feature 11 installations, including six new commissions, and a new club space in the Centre’s car park…
The timing of this exhibition could not be better. At the end of a long winter, and egging on London’s reluctant spring, the Saatchi Gallery brings us FLOWERS in full bloom…
Little Simz, one of the UK’s most innovative and celebrated artists, has been announced as the curator for the 30th edition of the Southbank Centre’s Meltdown Festival, set to take place in June 2025…
David Ottone is a Founding Member of Award-winning Spanish theatre company Yllana and has been the Artistic Director of the company since 1991. David has created and directed many theatrical productions which have been seen by more than two million spectators across 44 countries…
Darren Appiagyei is a London-based woodturner whose practice embraces the intrinsic beauty of wood, including its knots, cracks, bark, and grain. Highly inspired by Ghanaian wood carving, Darren explores raw textures and new woods in his work…
