Brick Lane Jazz Festival announce the second wave of artists
Brick Lane Jazz Festival returns in 2025 for its fourth year, with a genre-defying line-up that mirrors the vibrant convergence of London’s thriving underground music scenes. Focused on spotlighting local and emerging talent, the festival brings together artists from jazz, hip-hop, neo-soul, R&B, breakbeat, and electronic music, performing across twelve iconic music venues on and around Brick Lane.
Having firmly established itself as a cornerstone of East London’s cultural landscape, the festival continues to uncover underground jazz gems while drawing in artists making waves on the UK scene, all set against the backdrop of some of the capital’s most renowned cultural hotspots. All festival venues are within a short walk from the central hub at the iconic Truman Brewery space on Brick Lane, transforming the site and surrounding area into a vibrant hive of gig-hopping excitement for three days every April.
Last month, the festival returned with their first announcement for 2025 including headliners Laraaji, Adi Oasis, and Ragz Originale, alongside groundbreaking artists such as Ogunjobi (winner of this year’s Parliamentary Jazz “Best Newcomer” award), Rebecca Vasmant Ensemble, Last Nubian, Marysia Osu, Marla Kether, Alina Bzhezhinska, Bnnyhunna, Jelani Blackman, Astrønne, and many more. Today’s new announcement sees the festival add a whole host of eclectic artists to the 2025 line-up including Tottenham DJ, MC, and producer Reek0, Birmingham trailblazer Xhosa Cole, French electronic jazz luminary Neue Grafik, cult Tokyo multi-instrumentalist Takuya Nakamura, drummer-in-demand and Stormzy collaborator MckNasty, and many more. Full line-up so far with day-splits below:
FRIDAY
Ragz Originale - Jelani Blackman - BINA. - Move 78 - Àbáse - Allysha Joy - Last Nubian (live) - MckNasty - Marla Kether - Andrew Ashong (DJ set) - David Walters - Rio Rainz - ECHT! - Faye Meana - Ari Tsugi - Allexa Nava - Tendayi & Friends - Kezia Abuoma - Emily Tran Quintet - KO Quartet - Viva Msimang (DJ set) - Arsen Superfly (DJ set) - Rohan Rakhit Presents: The Cockney Sikh vs Kieran Dotwav (B2B) - Nadī + many more TBA
SATURDAY
Adi Oasis - dialE - Afriquoi - Ife Ogunjobi - Reek0 + Live Band - Takuya Nakamura (live) - oreglo - Sans Soucis - Bnnyhunna - Liv East - edbl & Jackson Mathod - Katie Tupper - Richie - Audrey Powne - Neue Grafik - August Charles - Close Counters - papaya noon - Deschanel Gordon - Xhosa Cole - Shanise Hall - Toby Corton - Tomorrow’s Warriors Frontline - BXLxLDN Interplay - Joti - Tru Thoughts Records Presents: Steve Bamidele - WheelUP - Footshooter & Vimbai - Robert Luis - Lucy Michael & Rhys Baker + many more TBA
SUNDAY
Laraaji - Gary Crosby’s Groundation - Madison McFerrin - Flock - Quinn Oulton - Jasmine Myra - Ray Lonzano - Astrønne - Marysia Osu - Alina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi - Orii Orchestra - Bruno Berle - DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson - Jay Phelps - Sol Paradise - Mark Kavuma - Aldorande - Lox - Alley Lloyd - Jamie Leeming - Klara Devlin Quartet - David Kayode + many more TBA
Brick Lane Jazz Festival has been making waves on the UK music scene, growing from its modest debut across four venues in 2022 to a 12-stage extravaganza spanning Brick Lane and Shoreditch in just three years. With over 100 artists set to perform across this three-day celebration, the festival has quickly become a fixture on the music calendar. Crowned #1 Best London Festival by The Standard and #1 Best UK Festival by TimeOut in 2023, the festival has only amplified its impact in 2024 with the launch of BLJF Presents—a year-round event series showcasing the UK’s most exciting artists, record labels, and parties. After sell-out shows in Manchester, Glasgow, and London this October, BLJF Presents is heading to new heights with a major event at the iconic Barbican Centre planned for early spring 2025, plus more regional stops in Bristol, Brighton, and even Paris later in the year.
The Festival also recently announced their biggest one-off show to date in conjunction with local friends and venue The Barbican. Set to take place 15th Feb 2025, the unique DREAM MANIFEST show will be led by US-based trumpeter extraordinaire Theo Croker, and co-curated by acclaimed fashion designer Nicholas Daley. The show will bring together an exploration of soundscapes, style and the global jazz community for a very special night, Theo Croker’s DREAM MANIFEST will see Croker joined on stage at the Barbican by a suite of special guests from the London and international jazz and wider music scenes in February 2025. Tickets are available here.
The festival will once again partner with Jazz re:freshed and Tomorrow’s Warriors, both vital community organizations that nurture emerging talent in UK jazz. Tomorrow’s Warriors will be back as the festival’s charity partner, bringing an Emerging Talent Stage for fans to catch the next wave of jazz stars as they debut the freshest live material.
The festival’s stages are hosted by some of the most important venues in East London including Village Underground, Ninety One Living Room (hosted by Jazz re:freshed), Rough Trade East, 93 Feet East, Rich Mix, Juju’s Bar & Stage, and many more. As always, those without tickets can enjoy free-entry spaces throughout the site, including the Tomorrow’s Warriors live stage at The Brick Lane Tap Room, the Signature Brew stage at The Big Chill, and DJ stages at 93 Feet East and Cafe 1001.
Alongside today’s line-up announcement, the festival have also announced details of two new stages and partnerships. The first of which includes a headline partnership with Swedish keyboard specialists Nord, who will be taking over a new space opposite the Rough Trade stage on Dray Walk with a showroom of audiophile equipment for festival attendees’ pursuing pleasure as well as an exclusive solo performance each day from three very exciting acts from the London jazz scene. The second comes in the form of a new, unplugged stage in partnership with local brewery and music-aficionados Signature Brew in the former Big Chill space. Alongside a night time DJ lineup, the day programme will showcase intimate acoustic sets from local emerging talent.
Reflecting on this fourth edition, the festival’s Founder, Juliet Kennedy says, “Every year I think, ‘Can we really top last year’s lineup?’ And yet, the talent in UK jazz just keeps raising the bar! This year’s lineup is a dream, and I can’t wait to bring everyone down to Brick Lane again with our fantastic partners, Tomorrow’s Warriors and Jazz re:freshed. Let’s go 2025!”
Early bird tickets for the festival are now on sale with Day Passes starting from just £29.95, and weekend passes from £89.95. Tickets and more info are available here
