Inside SXSW… MM Stage, Freequency3 and King Charles

The debut of SXSW London marked a significant moment for the UK’s cultural calendar, bringing together music, tech, film, and creative industries under one multi-venue event. While some structural growing pains were evident, the week offered a diverse and often compelling programme that balanced international vision with strong local representation.

Opening day featured the Mixtape Madness stage, setting an energetic tone and highlighting some of the UK’s most promising rap artists. The atmosphere was raw and engaging, and it served as an early indicator of SXSW London’s intention to amplify new talent. Throughout the week, The Strongroom in Shoreditch, supported by Converse, became a consistent hub for standout performances. A key highlight was the Trench Grime 3.0 showcase, which brought together a number of grime MCs who are currently shaping the
genre’s next chapter. The showcase demonstrated grime’s continued cultural relevance and the depth of talent still emerging from the scene.

Elsewhere, standout sets came from Sasha Keable, whose performance was both vocally assured and emotionally resonant, and Bashy, whose return to the stage was met with clear appreciation. These moments underlined the strength of the live music programming, which managed to offer a mix of established names and new voices across genres.

There were other gems too—tech talks that actually felt relevant (though a few veered into buzzword territory), intimate film screenings, and networking sessions that leaned more creative than corporate. The vibe across venues varied from polished to intentionally underground, which kind of worked. It gave the festival room to breathe and experiment in a way London rarely gets to.

Of course, not everything hit perfectly. Some events felt oversubscribed or under-promoted, and the sprawl of venues made it tricky to catch everything. But for a first year, it felt exciting—messy in parts, but filled with potential. Jade Denis

Mixtape Madness showcased a host of great talent on Monday at 93 Feet East. Wohdee in particular shone as an outstanding performer, while Vienna also supplied a boost of energy. Elsewhere, Trench demonstrated the growth of Grime 2.0, blending the new generation, including the likes of BexBlu and Paul Stephan, with cult legends Grandmixxer and Mez. With Pa Salieu headlining on Wednesday night, SXSW demonstrated that UK Rap is on its way back, as a host of exciting new talent emerges. Joe Simpson

The first band I saw were SUDS, featuring a tight mid-west emo approach to indie song writing. At times evoking Belle and Sebastian and The Magic Numbers, the four-piece guitar band contrasted against the general sentiment of the event; talks and music centred on digital technology and the foreboding horizon of AI. Next was kaoti with some refreshing Mancunian hyperpop. Hyperpop’s hip-hop influence, something that is commonly overlooked, was laid bare as kaoti rapped for a lot of the set. The sung vocals were equally as enjoyable and sugary though. A highlight was her take on Ceechynaa’s dominatrix anthem ‘Peggy’, opting for a cutesier lyrical and sonic position on similar themes.

The set I maybe enjoyed the most was FREEQUENCY3’s – some great
pen(wo)manship over some hard, but soulful, beats. FREEQUENCY3 displayed her tender lyricism with some really poignant bars, especially around her unfortunate experience performing at PARKLIFE festival. Another highlight was also a northern, female rapper named Kay Grayson. The Geordie rode some bouncy trap beats, masterfully composed exclusively by her producer EK. What stood out was her truly effortless demonstration of flow and rhythmic feel – her spitting came with an ease that was truly striking. My experience overwhelmingly saw northern artists demonstrate their energy, fervour, and talent. It was great to see them getting the exposure they deserve – something that is commonly harder to obtain outside of the capital. Charlie Edmondson

SXSW London was an amazing experience, an eclectic array across Music, Film, Arts, Fashion and culture. A programme stacked to the brim with engaging talks, scintillating sounds and more, with so much on offer that the list of events I wish I could’ve attended is nearly as long as the list of events that I was present for.

Spread across the winding streets of East London, those unfamiliar with the neighbourhood were able to experience all it had to offer, with around 420 talks, 250 film screenings, and 500+ gigs across 25+ Shoreditch venues intertwined into the SXSW agenda. With even King Charles dropping in at one point, it seemed like SXSW was the place to be. R’Mello Hamilton