London's Most Exciting New Music Extravaganza Has A Stellar Female Line-Up

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London's Most Exciting New Music Extravaganza Has A Stellar Female Line-Up

This article is sponsored by Sounds Like London.

Jade Bird performs a unique show, inside Tower Bridge

200 gigs will rock London throughout June, for the month-long music extravaganza Sounds Like London.

Grassroots music venues and female musicians top the agenda — with smaller, teeth-cutting venues and stellar women artists getting the exposure they deserve. Yup, this is the programme that our city craves.

Here's a taster of what you can get up to, during the 30 days that will rock London this June.

Get down and grimy in grassroots venues

Spend the month watching awesome acts shake grassroots venues to their foundations, courtesy of Fightback London. City Funk Orchestra bring the boogie to legendary live music pub Half Moon Putney (2 June). Dutch singer-songwriter Amber Arcades' thoughtful guitar pop graces Omeara, near London Bridge (7 June). And you can belt out classics by The Fall — in honour of the late Mark E Smith — with all-female karaoke act The Fallen Women, at The Lexington (15 June).

The Half Moon, Putney, which is hosting some of the Fightback gigs

There are multiple gigs every day in June; make it the month that you (re)discover grassroots gems, and pick up a new band or three on your music radar.

Money raised from Fightback goes to MVT's Emergency Response service, which supports grassroots music venues threatened by closure.

See a gig inside Tower Bridge

As part of Airbnb Concerts — who've twinned with Little Concert — the astounding Jade Bird is pulling off a London first. The songstress performs in the bridge's North Tower — a fittingly lofty setting for a female artist who's soared into the music world. 11 Airbnb Concerts — each with unique London backdrops — are being held as part of Sounds Like London.

Party in a Peckham car park

There's no cooler car park anywhere, than the multi-storey in Peckham. And what better way to showcase this hub of concrete cool, than an all-nighter featuring live performances from the Multi-Storey Orchestra, a talk from Turner Prize-winner Jeremy Deller, and lashings of Campari, from the much-loved Frank's Bar. Yep, this place is far better now the cars have gone.

BBC DJ Abbie McCarthy presents a night of fresh female acts

BBC all-women bonanza

The BBC has done much to champion women in music, and on 7 June it's at it again — as Radio 1 presenter Abbie McCarthy hosts an all women-programme live from The Lexington. Acts include the soulful Kara Marni, angelic-with-attitude Tiana Major 9 and the stunningly-voiced Olivia Nelson.

"A powerhouse of music"

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is firmly behind Sounds Like London, saying "London is a powerhouse of music, having produced artists from Adele to Stormzy, and the XX to Dua Lipa. Grassroots music venues are at the very heart of our success as a global capital of music — they are the places where emerging artists are able to hone their talent, and great producers and promoters are able to cut their teeth.

London based hip-hop producer, writer and performer, appears as part of Sounds Like London

"However, too many venues find themselves under threat due to rising rents, business rates or encroaching development. I’m doing everything I can as Mayor of London to protect and support grassroots music venues.

"This year's Sounds Like London programme will put women artists, DJs, producers and promoters front and centre — showcasing the best of the industry and inspiring the next generation of female talent."

That's just a taster of the tantalizing events taking place over a whole month of Sounds Like London. For full listings, and to book your tickets, head to the Sounds Like London website.

Last Updated 28 May 2018