Roundhouse Rising Festival 2021

The Roundhouse is throwing open its doors for its first music festival since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Roundhouse Rising Festival 2021 is taking place next week, Tuesday 19th to Saturday 23rd October, at the iconic venue in Chalk Farm, North London. Celebrating 11 years of championing new music, Roundhouse Rising Festival is back in person for what’s set to be an amazing five days of new music in October.

The eleventh edition of Roundhouse Rising Festival also spreads a message of gender positivity, inclusivity and diversity and will feature headline sets from rapper Shay D, vocalist-producer Grove, dream pop maverick Jerkcurb and boundary blurring rap artist Nayana IZ. These four up and coming UK artists headline four gigs curated by festival partners BBC Music Introducing, Route, Saffron and Daytimers. The progressive programming sets a new gold standard for UK festivals, with three out of four headliners being women of colour - namely Shay D and Nayana IZ - and identifying as non-binary - Grove.

Rising has always been about new music. In the last decade the festival has featured early-career performances from the likes of Little Simz, Jacob Banks, Greentea Peng, Kojey Radical, KOKOROKO and so many more. Supporting emerging artists as they take their first steps on their respective creative journeys, Rising provides a platform for artists to experiment and develop their craft in front of audiences that cherish those moments of vulnerability and are ready to lend their ears to the new and unknown.

This year, Rising is also different in expanding its talks programme beyond the music industry showcase model of previous years. Running alongside the evening's gigs, the daytime industry programme will incorporate more panels, masterclasses and workshops aimed at opening up access into the music industry for 18 - 25 year olds and breaking down barriers. More details are below on the talks hosted by Domino Recording Company, BBC Music Introducing London, United Talent Agency, managers Kaiya Milan and Shikayla Nadine and POWER UP x Daju as well as sound engineering workshops by Omni Collective.

"The Roundhouse Rising Festival is back, in real life and jam packed with performances from the freshest new artists. A decade on from the first Rising Festival and with the Roundhouse finally opening up to full capacity gigs this month, we are so excited to bring you five days of music, discussion and career advice. Whether you’re a new music fan, an artist looking to network, or a young person dreaming of a career in the music industry – there’s only one place to be this October." Stuart Readman - Music Programme Producer, Roundhouse

2021 will also signal the launch of Hub Sessions, a brand new YouTube music series filmed in the intimate venue beneath The Roundhouse. The Hub Sessions will feature sets from Scottish singer songwriter Lizzie Reid,
soulful R&B, pop and folk from Celine Love and Irish dream pop artist EFÉ.

Read on for more detail about the Roundhouse Rising Festival 2021 artists, line-up and schedule, industry programme and Hub Sessions. Tickets are on sale now, starting at £8 for the gigs, plus the daytime talks and workshops are free on sign up, available from roundhouse.org.uk.