The best gigs and concerts in March

We’ve finally made it through the winter. Our morning commutes now come with pink-hued skies, we’re seeing the London Fields wildflowers beginning to peek up from beer can-littered greens and we’re cautiously packing away our oversized Acne scarfs for another year. With the changing of the season comes a burst of live music. It feels like promoters have been frantically booking shows left, right and centre, ready for a fresh wave of gig-goers coming out of hibernation. And they’ve done a bloody good job for us. From A-list pop girlies to brilliantly cringe nu-metal rockers and calming folk heroes, you’ll find all kinds of exciting gigs in our March guide to the best live music in London. 

Georgia curates Time Out’s music section. If she's not blabbering about music on the website, she's doing it in-person (much to the office’s dismay). Keep an eye out for her at gigs; she's probably by the merch stand with a pint of Diet Coke. 

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For the aged moshpit regulars 

Napalm Death

The Campaign For Musical Destruction Tour has been carrying Napalm Death around the world for almost 30 years now. This year, it’s coming back to London with a carefully curated list of sonically like-minded bands, including this massive headliner. Napalm Death has been at the forefront of punk-metal crossover since its inception back in 1981; famed for an extreme sound that draws on industrial influences and eardrum-piercing rock. It’s gonna be intense. 

Electric Brixton, SW2 1RJ. Mon Mar 7, 5pm. From £41.75.

Limp Bizkit

Wembley, you better be ready for the wave of jorts and backwards caps that’s about to descend on you – because Limp Bizkit is bringing the Loserville tour to the UK for one night only. The Jacksonville nu-metal rockers are back after 2023’s massive Gunnersbury Park show, which had fully-grown adults skanking and swinging their arms around as if they were ready to tear the stage apart, Woodstock ’99-style. It’s sure to have many retired moshers reliving their misspent youth.

OVO Wembley Arena, HA9 0AA. Sun Mar 16, 7.30pm. From £70.25.  

Knocked Loose

ICYMI, we’re on the cusp of a hardcore renaissance. At the forefront of this movement is Louisville’s Knocked Loose, who are bringing their savagely aggressive fourth album to Brixton this month. A brilliant teaser to their two Outbreak sets in the summer, the group have created a sound that’s characterised by gnarly guitar riffs, hammered-at cymbals and vocals that feel like they're on the brink of a panic attack. Make sure to get there early for rock five-piece Basement, fellow American hardcore punks Harm’s Way and Leeds-based thrashers Pest Control.

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Mon Mar 17, 7pm. From £46.90. 

Descendents and Circle Jerks

Skater dudes, unite! Descendents are coming to London with the legendary band Circle Jerks to bring you a night of classic punk, pop-punk and hardcore. The band’s playful sound conjures up images of sun-drenched skate parks on the West Coast, where ratty-haired teens clatter against tarmacked sidewalks in a cloud of weed smoke. Their latest LP Hypercaffium Spazzinate comes with a Jackass-style sense of toilet humour (as the name suggests), so don’t expect Bob Dylan levels of songwriting here. It’s just good old fashioned skatepark banter by the bucketload. 

O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, W12 8TT. Sat Mar 15, 6.30pm. From £37.70.

For the sequin-clad pop girlies 

Sabrina Carpenter

Can’t wait ’til BST in July to catch America’s cheekiest pop girlie? Well, you might just manage to score a ticket here, because Sabrina Carpenter’s viral Short n Sweet tour is landing in London for two nights at the O2. Yes, you’ve probably seen all of the outfit changes and ‘positions’ of Juno on socials by now, but that doesn’t take away the excitement of hearing Espresso, Nonsense and Please, Please, Please IRL. Nab one of the last (quite expensive) tickets if you can.

The O2, SE10 0DX. Sat Mar 8 and Sun Mar 9, 5.30pm. From £150. 

Gracie Abrams

It feels like Gracie Abrams is picking up where Taylor Swift left off, and it’s fitting given the indie pop starlet supported her for a decent stint of the Eras tour. As the daughter of Star Trek director J.J. Abrams and girlfriend to Paul Mescal, despite the nepo-baby accusations and internet chatter, Abrams has started to carve out a clear path for herself in the music world with her catchy pop hooks and confessional lyricism. In fact, her biggest song That’s So True held the UK Number 1 chart spot for eight weeks. 

The O2, SE10 0DX. Thur Mar 6, 6.30pm. From £192.

Lola Young

It seems like Lola Young has been everywhere ever since she appeared on Tyler, The Creator’s album last year. The Gen Z singer-songwriter’s career trajectory started with a cover of ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ for 2021’s John Lewis advert and now her 205 single ‘Messy’ is doin’ the rounds on TikTok, triggering Jimmy Fallon performances and the likes. She’s up for ‘Best Pop Act’ at this year’s Brit Awards too, so this might be your last chance to catch her on a stage this small.

O2 Forum Kentish Town, NW5 1JY. Mon Mar 3, 7pm. From £26.88.

For the uber-cool clubbers

Nikki Nair

Nothing goes off in a club quite like Nikki Nair’s Set the Roof. A thumping collaboration with Scottish producer Hudson Mohawke that blends classic 2-step and chipmunk-like vocals, the song was inescapable for a full year. But his sound goes well beyond the garage-y stuff. The transatlantic producer has toyed with ’00s DnB, UK bass, breakbeat and acid electro with The Blessed Madonna, Ahadadream, DJ ADHD and many more, making his live sets brilliantly unpredictable.  

Village Underground, EC2A 3PQ. Sat Mar 1, 11pm. From £16.28.

Four Tet

Kieran Hebden, aka Four Tet, is often credited for pioneering indie electronic with his spiritual jazz, Krautrock and hip-hop-infused production style on 2003’s Rounds. In the years since, he’s remixed Lana Del Rey and MF DOOM and released the masterful New Energy, a deeply personal album of transgressive, optimistic electronica. If you’ve ever been to one of his famous all-nighters, you’ll certainly want to come along to this, as he’s ditching the booth in favour of glitching live electronics and acoustic instrumentation.

EartH, N16 8BH. Fri Mar 7, 8pm. From £33.63.

Kelly Lee Owens

This Welsh producer’s brand of dance music is the perfect soundtrack to those early hours when you step out of the club, first thing, as the sun rises above a cold and empty city. Produced by dh2’s George Daniels, KLO’s latest record features hazy repeated vocal lines and glittering chord changes, eschewing big choruses in favour of euphoric instrumentals. Just listen to Sunshine for an idea of the dancefloor euphoria you’ll experience at the show. 

Troxy, E1 0HX. Thur Mar 13, 7pm. From £35.81. 

The Dare

If you’re a Charli xcx fan, you’re a The Dare fan. The scrawny suit-and-sunglasses-clad New Yorker has become synonymous with appearing at her Boiler Room sets and he even popped up on stage with her at the Grammy’s earlier this year. As well as producing Guess featuring billie eilish, the musician has released his own club bangers, including viral hit Girls and the electroclash banger Perfume off his 2024 debut album What's Wrong with New York? Dig out the Ray-Bans and head to Hackney to hear him mix his own tunes with Justice, Peaches and the Knife.  

EartH, N16 8BH. Sat Mar 22, 10pm. From £25.91.

For the experimental pop adventurers 

Oklou 

In recent years, Oklou has been adopted by the weirdo glitchy pop crowd, thanks to her support slots for Caroline Polachek and Oneohtrix Point Never. Her world of glistening, icy electronic pop is on full display in her debut album, choke enough, which has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Produced by A.G. Cook, Danny L. Harle, and longtime collaborator Casey MQ, the album balances delicate ambience and baroque flourishes to create something beautifully unique. We’re expecting stunning scenes at this Heaven show.

Heaven, WC2N 6NG. Fri Mar 7, 7pm. From £24.87. 

2Hollis

There’s really no easy way to categorise the music 2Hollis makes, but we’re going to try our best here. Blending electroclash, emo rap and industrial pop, the elusive underground artist has caught the attention of London’s coolest youngsters (the types who dress like you did in 2011 but they’re studying fashion and have large TikTok followings, not vacuous Tumblr accounts), who are sure to turn up in their masses at this Heaven show. The Face best described his work as, ‘the kind of thing that would kill a Victorian child,’ which is really quite the exciting call to action. 

Heaven, WC2N 6NG. Thur Mar 20, 7pm. From £22.

FKA twigs

Clubrats will be chomping at the bit (maybe quite literally, given the looks she’s been churning out recently) to see FKA twigs live. Leather-clad goths rocking fetishwear, skullets and clownish makeup are sure to make up the crowd at this show, where twigs is priming hedonistic, bass-heavy beats, sprinkled with her trademark angelic vocals. Head on over to see if you can hit those high notes – surprise, you can’t – with the queen of alternate clubbing herself. 

Magazine, SE10 0JH. Fri Mar 21, 7pm. From £40. 

Perfume Genius

Everyone needs to see the new Perfume Genius album cover. It shows the orange-haired musician face-down, legs arched up above him, as though he’s been tossed to the ground like a rag doll, in a wood-panelled living room with a large window looking out to the archetypal family pick-up truck that’s seemingly just arrived home. This is the beauty of Perfume Genius in a singular image. He is unashamedly dramatic, a real rock ‘n’ roll star. Listen to the Americana-twanged It’s A Mirror to be immersed in the artist’s cinematic new era – which is sure to come to life at his ICA show this month.

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), SW1Y 5AH. Thur Mar 27, 7pm. From £35.90.

Cardion Nights

This special one-off event at the ICA will spotlight new work by performance artist Ebun Sodipo, drag and movement artist Wet Mess and singer Tom Rasmussen along with special guests. Curated by Gemma Rolls-Bentley, the Cardion Arts’ 2025 programme aims to provide opportunities for artists and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices through events such as this. Come for the music, stay for the ongoing programme of events, exhibitions and activations happening all evening. 

Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), SW1Y 5AH. Sat Mar 1, 7pm. From free.

For seekers of cosy folk sounds

Clairo

Sometimes you just want music to coddle you. That’s exactly what Clairo’s 2024 soft-rock album will do. Unthreatening, delicate in tone and filled with the kind of warmth you get from a crackling old Carole King record, Charm is the ultimate escape from reality. The Gen Z pop star first garnered attention for her low-fi bedroom beats and folk-inspired confessional songwriting, but in more recent years, she’s moved away from the uncertain electronic production and found confidence in traditional indie arrangements that are sure to sound lush when bouncing off the walls of the Apollo. 

Eventim Apollo, W6 9QH. Thur Mar 13 and Fri Mar 14, 7pm. From £34.75.

Ichiko Aoba

Japanese folk singer-songwriter Ichiko Aoba is set to bring her most ambitious production outside of Japan to London this spring. Performing alongside nine musicians, she’ll draw you into her universe of cosy yet cosmic jazz-infused folk, inspired by Japanese luminaries and collaborators Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Cornelius. Her new album Luminescent Creatures is the culmination of her 15-year career and will be performed in full alongside newly rearranged versions of her most iconic tracks. 

Barbican, EC2Y 8DS. Mon Mar 31, 8pm. From £20. 

For the tattoo-clad classic rockers

Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory

Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory might look like the goths from South Park (all-black garms, dyed hair, cigarettes, a fuck-you attitude), but their music is far from cartoonish. Fronting a brand new band, the singer-songwriter pens timeless homages to the genre. Jittering 808s come met with misty vocals and undulating synthesizers, creating a fitting backdrop for Van Etten’s questions around life and living, love and being loved. Get swept up in it all as the group takes over the rather grand setting of the Royal Albert Hall. 

Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP. Mon Mar 10, 6.45pm. From £32.25.

Kim Deal

She’s a hero of ’90s grunge, having fronted two of the most iconic bands of the era. But Kim Deal is now stepping away from Pixies and The Breeders to show off her skills as a solo artist. Her debut album Nobody Loves You More came out last year, surprising longtime fans with influences that many hadn’t heard before. It feels like you’re listening to a musician truly trusting their gut, from the breezy instrumentals on the standout track Coast and confidently delivering rap-like verses on Big Ben Beat. But it’s the titular track that’s most exciting to witness live: a howling ode to transient love that’s sure to be a visceral experience when delivered with a full ensemble. 

Barbican, EC2Y 8DS. Sat Mar 1, 8pm. From £35. 

For the new-wave of alternative rockstars 

Divorce

Hotly-tipped Nottingham band Divorce are relative newcomers to the indie scene, but they’ve been gaining traction in their local live music scene for their BBC 6 Music-approved bluesy rock ‘n’ roll sound. Blending old-school influences such as The Carpenters and Fiona Apple, the group has teased listeners with singles such as the brilliantly fun Pill, which is like three mini songs slammed into one, and the music industry-slamming lyrics in All My Freaks, both of which you can expect to hear in a stripped-back, acoustic setting.  

Rough Trade East, E1 6QL. Thur Mar 13, 7pm. From £14.

Spiritualized: Pure Phase

This one-of-a-kind performance will see J. Spaceman bringing his favourite Spiritualized record to the Barbican this March. The ’90s rocker’s second album may not have reached the cult status of its follow-up Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, but that doesn’t make it any less of a worthy listen. Bridging the gap between rock and dance in the sort of fluidity way that only his band could, it’s no wonder they found fans in the likes of Aphex Twin who supported the band back in 1993 at Hackney Empire. Keep an eye out for him and other famous fans at one of these two shows. 

Barbican, EC2Y 8DS. Wed Mar 26 and Thur Mar 27, 7.30pm. From £40. 

For the underground rap aficionados

070 Shake

It’s been a nice couple of years for 070 Shake. The singer-songwriter-rapper has collaborated with Raye on Escapism (and bagged Song of the Year at the Brit Awards for it) and released her third album Petrichor to well-earned hype. Oh, and she’s dating Lily-Rose Depp, so you can probably expect to spot some of London’s fashion elite at this gig in Camden. Drop by to see why she’s been called upon to work with greats like Madonna, Nas, Redcar and Courtney Love. 

KOKO, NW1 7JE, Mon Mar 31, 7pm. From £37.50.

Dua Saleh

Singer and actor Dua Saleh is about to be everywhere. The rising Sudanese-American artist has flexed their acting chops as Cal Bowman in the Netflix series Sex Education and released their stunning full-length debut I Should Call Them last year. The album tells stories of spiritual power, resilience, and the joy of love through R&B, indie and electronic influences, making them a definite one to watch for fans of John Glacier, serpentwithfeet and Sudan Archives.

Jazz Cafe, NW1 7PG. Thur Mar 13, 7pm. From £25.31.

Coco & Clair Clair 

Coco & Clair Clair’s music is the perfect cocktail of genre-blending instrumental stylings, twinkling pop hooks and assertive rap verses. This show will see the Atlanta duo perform a mix of new songs from their latest album Girl alongside a few fan favourites. Both of them bring something different to the stage: Coco has a talent for penning barbed wire-sharp raps while Clair delivers bitchy pop vocals with a sly grin – it’s a brilliantly bratty combination. 

Electric Ballroom, NW1 8QP. Tue Mar 25, 7pm. From £18.