5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
London Brings Its Own Musical Touch to South by Southwest
When South by Southwest first began in Austin, Texas, in 1987, the Shoreditch neighborhood in East London was still filled with empty warehouses. But it was beginning to attract a wave of artists who would help it eventually become synonymous with music and culture.
Almost 40 years later, this area will be the site of South by Southwest London, the organization's first foray into Europe. And for some of the London-born musicians who are performing, it's a huge opportunity that also reflects the area's reputation and artistic cachet.
'It's super exciting that it's now finally arriving on home soil,' said Joel Bailey, an R&B and soul artist from Southwest London whose stage name is BAELY. He continued: 'London's got so many different hubs of, kind of like pockets of creative spaces and Shoreditch is definitely one of them. It's thriving.'
Jojo Orme, who performs as Heartworms, was born in London and said she briefly lived in Shoreditch. 'They just have the fingers on the pulse there. It's always beating,' she said, adding that 'so many people love to travel to Shoreditch for a show because it's always a good time.'
South by Southwest London, which begins on Monday and runs through June 7, will feature performances by more than 500 artists across about 30 venues as part of its music festival. It will also include a film and conference series, just like the flagship festival in Austin. An Asia-Pacific branch of the event started in Sydney in 2023.
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