SXSW London is set to return for its second year from June 1 to 6, bringing the future of music to venues, clubs, and cultural spaces across Shoreditch. The festival's music programme features an eclectic mix of established and emerging talent, including American rapper Earl Sweatshirt, afrobeats queen Tiwa Savage, south London punks Shame, indie titans Circa Waves, and alt-pop singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri.
Today, Metro can reveal the final additions to the line-up: Dallas rap collective Cure for Paranoia, K-Pop idol Yunjin, Croydon-based grime artist Jords, folk-pop supremo Oscar Blue, and Finnish bunnymetal band Rabbit Cult. These artists join a roster spanning hip-hop, R&B, electronic, indie, jazz, global club, gospel, rock, and experimental sounds.
Curating the Future
Adem Holness, the festival's head of music, has shaped this year's programme with co-curators from the music industry. Holness, formerly head of contemporary music at the Southbank Centre, also curated last year's line-up featuring Erykah Badu (as DJ Lo Down Loretta Brown), Alice Glass, and Tems.
Holness told Metro: 'The ambition for the festival is that we are not just presenting individual artists, but the context that they come in. As a Londoner born and raised, what I love about London is that you can step out and find yourself in a really distinct community.'
He added: 'I want each of our showcases in these amazing, iconic East London venues to be a gateway into different underground music scenes from around the world. Each showcase is presented by an organization or collective embedded in a specific music culture, and together we present the future from their perspective.'
Showcasing Underground Scenes
Holness highlighted bands like Shame, part of the Huck magazine showcase focusing on underground youth culture. 'Having a band who are absolutely paving the way on their own terms, coming from the Windmill scene in south London, is really important,' he said.
He tipped Chicago soft rock siblings Infinity Song as one of the acts to see, along with Hackney-based Jamaican Guyanese singer-songwriter Amaria BB and Grammy-winning producer Fraser T Smith. 'We have about 200 artists playing, and we are invested in each and every one. I feel honoured that they are showing up with us,' Holness said.
Holness also expressed excitement about the Caribbean music culture showcased at the festival. 'Our festival is for people who are independently minded, who want to experience music in real life and discover artists who might become some of the biggest in the world, changing their local music culture. It's somewhere for people to discover what the future of music is going to be.'
