Free music in London

If you’re aged 16 to 24, you’re in luck. Not because you have fewer wrinkles than most of us and probably understand TikTok better than the majority of Time Out’s editorial team, but because you are in the enviable age bracket who have a shot of scooping up free tickets to see AJ Tracey live next Wednesday. The acclaimed London-born rapper – known for his tracks ‘Thiago Silva’ (with Dave), ‘Ladbroke Grove’ and ‘Rain’ (with Aitch) – will play Under The Bridge at Stamford Bridge on September 29, to an intimate audience of only 200 guests.  Tracey will be supported by rising pop star Mae Muller and rapper Ivorian Doll, who will join him in sharing their career experiences along with confidence-boosting tips. Random? Maybe not as random as you may think – it’s all for Apprentice Nation, an organisation aiming to help young people with their career development by highlighting alternatives to university. Tinie, Krept & Konan, Young T & Bugsey and Ray BLK are among artists who have performed at its previous shows. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Apprentice Nation (@apprenticenationuk) Speaking about the gig, AJ Tracey said: ‘I’m excited to have this opportunity to perform my latest tracks and share my story, especially at a time when there’s still so much uncertainty around. I didn’t always know what my path was, so I know it’s really important to keep highlighting the opportunities out there for those who might not know where to...

Lady Gaga’s twice-postponed Chromatica Ball tour will hopefully finally arrive in London next year (although there’s not currently a fixed date for it). In the meantime, she’s about to put out an entire new album: ‘Love for Sale’, her second set of duets with legendary crooner Tony Bennett (following 2014’s ‘Cheek to Cheek’), is released on October 1. Unlike the brash ‘Chromatica’, it’s not the sort of record you tour to football stadiums, so this time the woman born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta will be playing somewhere classier and more intimate. She’ll be playing… Westfield! Well, kind of: apparently sans Tony (who has quite reasonably retired from live performance because he’s 95, though it wouldn’t be that shocking if his voice at least featured) she’ll be playing a special free concert to promote the record on September 30 from an unspecified location that’s probably not a shopping mall. However, it will be exclusively broadcast live via Westfield’s streaming channel or, even better, at special pop-up ‘fan zones’ at all 35 of the world’s Westfields. Okay, it has the superficial air of something a bit naff, but Westfield has presumably paid out a fair amount of cash to make this happen, and one imagines Gaga wouldn’t leave her notoriously devoted fans stranded in any old pop-up zones. Plus, the whole world just went nuts for some pre-recorded versions of ABBA doing a show, so why not a live Gaga? In any case, with 2021 largely a write-off for international...

Grime music is (still) everywhere in London these days. It’s blasting from cars cruising down Kingsland High Street and hiding in voice notes on teenagers’ phones. It’s the soundtrack to blockbuster video games and influenced the finale of the 2022 Brit Awards.  In celebration of the grime’s massive popularity and its east London DIY roots, it’s now the subject of a new, free exhibition opening in the capital this June.  Taking place at the Museum of London, ‘Grime Stories: From the Corner to the Mainstream’ has been co-curated by Roony ‘Risky’ Keefe, one of grime’s early documentarians. From early 2000s record shops and pirate radio stations, to the commercial success of Dizzee Rascal’s ‘Boy in da Corner’, the exhibition explores how the scene has changed in the past 20 years and what its future may hold.  Genuinely, this show looks pretty cool. In addition to a series of commissioned films exploring the early grime community, it will feature personal artefacts central to the genre’s emergence. There’ll be an installation of the keyboard used to produce Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’, a nod to the Leytonstone basement of rapper Jammer, and a newly commissioned illustration from artist Willkay, depicting the changing face of east London.  ‘The global success of the scene could not have been achieved without the social and physical infrastructure underpinning grime music,’ says Dhelia Snoussi, the Museum of London’s youth culture curator. ‘By homing in on significant landmarks...

Kylie Minogue fans, the universe has heard your siren call (and it turns out it sounds a lot like ‘Padam Padam’). The Australian pop superstar has announced she’s doing an intimate London show later this month. This one is at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, and there’s a chance to win tickets for free.  To get to see Kylie on Wednesday September 27 at this intimate, private gig, you’ll need to be an O2 Priority customer. There are a total of 700 pairs of ticks up for grabs, with general admission or seated on Level Two or Three tickets to be won.  Kylie will perform a selection of classics and new songs, as the show will be just days after the release of her newest album ‘Tension’.  Kylie Minogue said: ‘I’m thrilled to be returning to London to play such an intimate venue. It’s going to be a really special evening playing some favourites from throughout my career and of course from my new album out that week. I can’t wait to see some of you there!’ O2 Priority customers can enter the ballot for Kylie Minogue at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire online here.  Ballot entry is now live and ends on Thursday September 14.  Did you see that Kylie will take over the Royal Albert Hall in December? Plus: The 1975’s 2024 tour in the UK: tickets, pre-sale and everything you need to know. Listen to Time Out’s brilliant new podcast ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’: episode five with Helen Bauer in Waterloo is out now. Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best...

After a triumphant headline show at the new superclub Drumsheds on Saturday, the Sugababes have announced their next gig. Next, they’ll be trading Ikea for a train station, as they take on a headline slot in a secret UK train terminal. And the tickets are free.  Keisha, Mutya and Siobhan will be performing bangers like ‘Overload’ and ‘Push the Button’ somewhere in London on Friday December 8 at 1pm. They’ll be joined by several up-and-coming artists including Isaac Levi, Theo, Ella Tobin and Stone Jets. TrainLive, run by TrainLine, will be the UK’s first-ever festival inside a train station. Hopefully they won't get in the way of too many rushing commuters.  The ’babes said they also have a cover of a Christmas song up their sleeve, making it a festive occasion. ‘This will be an intimate gig for us, and with all of us being born and bred in London, we’re excited to perform,’ Sugababes said in a statement.  To make sure you’re on the right track, you can sign up for the ballot to win free tickets online here. Names will be drawn on Thursday December 7, and the location will be revealed on the morning of the show.  If you miss out on a coveted Sugababes ticket, these are the best gigs in London this month.   Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Airports are many people’s least favourite thing about travelling. But this summer, good old Heathrow is hoping to make the switch from travel purgatory to concert venue.  Europe’s busiest airport has launched the ‘Heathrow Introducing Stage’ in partnership with music events organiser Sofar Sounds. Located in Terminal 5, the temporary stage offers up-and-coming British artists a chance to perform for an audience bigger than Glastonbury’s – sort of. In 2019, Heathrow’s busiest year, around 90,000 passengers passed through the terminal per day – that would make Terminal 5 equivalent to Glastonbury’s second biggest stage in terms of capacity.  But this summer is predicted to be the busiest on-record, with Heathrow expecting over 30 million passengers from June to September. Total traffic is set to exceed pre-pandemic highs, it should hit more than 82.4 million by the end of the year.  China Bears, The Halfway Kid and Olivia Nelson – Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent runner up – performed for passengers waiting to board flights on Monday night. The stage will move between the arrival and departure levels for the remaining performances. Victoria Canal and Kevin Davy White will play on July 12 while the final performance on July 24 features Hohnen Ford and Latir.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by heathrow_airport (@heathrow_airport)  ‘We're providing people from around the globe the chance to experience [...] a taste of UK culture from the...

This Chalk Farm Road DJ bar, music venue, kitchen and poshed-up boozer is something of a Camden institution. It's certainly still pretty popular, too, given the size of the crowds continuing to squeeze themselves into the main bar, large garden, buzzy upstairs space and impressive roof terrace overlooking Proud Galleries and Camden Market.  It's mostly about the music, with DJ nights and live sets attracting plenty of credible acts. There's a slant toward indie and dance, but don't be surprised to catch some boogie, funk, folk, soul and hip hop, too.  A short food menu leans on classic pub grub, with burgers, Sunday roasts, fish and chips and cheese toasties providing the stomach-liners. Beers are continental big-hitters such as Amstel, Moretti, Leffe and Modello.  

The Garage in Islington has been a mainstay of London’s music scene since 1993, hosting bands such as Oasis, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Radiohead and more. Now owned by the DHP Family (the guys behind Oslo in Hackney), the whole venue was refurbished in 2017 with a view to maintaining its title as one of the city’s landmark music venues. The Garage itself has a capacity of 650 and has been restored to its former glory with a state-of-the-art soundsystem and a fully refurbished bar area. There are some decent food offerings on-site as well with the newly kitted out General Store and even a cheeky night club tucked upstairs, renamed Thousand Island, decked out with mirrorballs galore.