The best gigs and concerts in February

It’s easy to write off February as a sort of non-month. By this point, you’ve sacked off any resolutions (I shamefully broke Dry Jan within a week), scraped the very bottom of your bank accounts and are so vitamin D-deprived that you’re bearing a frightening resemblance to Nosferatu. But honestly, the worst is behind us and it’s time to start feeling the love. And there is no greater act of self-care than a night on the town, be it solo or with your very own Lily-Rose Depp. This month, London is offering a massive selection of heart-stopping live shows, from rap renegades to hardcore rockers and rambunctious electroclash popstars. So buy a couple of tickets and give February a chance, why don’t you? 

Georgia is in charge of Time Out’s music lists and is the office Ticketmaster. If she's not blabbering about live music on the website, she's probably out at a gig. Keep an eye out for her; she's the messy blonde juggling pints of Diet Coke and band t-shirts. 

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For the experimental hip-hop groovers 

JPEGMAFIA

JPEGMAFIA, Peggy to his fans, is a prolific rapper, producer and heavily online disruptor who has long been a part of the Needle Drop / Pitchfork internet sphere since the release of his 2018 breakout album, Veteran. Last year, he released the fiery I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU, combining noise, rap and punk influences with his mocking tone of voice. His hyperactive rhymes and caustic humour make him a master provocateur, so you can guarantee bedlam at this Roundhouse takeover.

Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Tue Feb 4, 7pm. From £37.79. 

John Glacier

Avant-garde hip-hop artist John Glacier is poised to release her debut album Like A Ribbon on Valentine’s Day. Drawing on her experiences of love, relationships and responsibility, the collection explores everything from growing up in Hackney, to her sudden rise to cult stardom. Never one to shy away from pushing boundaries, the rapper, poet and producer has worked with Flume, Eartheater and Sampha on the project. Otherworldly stuff, this.

Village Underground, EC2A 3PQ. Thur Feb 20, 7.30pm. From £19.73.

For the hardcore heads

High Vis

This is a band that shows very little sign of slowing down. It seems like only a few months ago I watched High Vis play in an almost-empty tent at Reading to a bunch of half-baked teenagers who couldn’t have given give less of a fuck, and now they’re lined up to support Deftones at a sold-out Crystal Palace Bowl this summer. Want to see why they’ve been picked for the big gig? Head to Electric Brixton this month and immerse yourself in a swell of heavy guitars and Mancunian-tinged shouting. It’ll be bliss, promise.  

Electric Brixton, SW2 1RJ. Fri Feb 21, 7pm. From £24.50.

Pantera

American heavy metal band Pantera is poised to blast the roof of OVO Arena Wembley this February. Formed in Texas back in 1981, the group garnered attention for pioneering the subgenre of groove metal in the 1990s. Throughout the years, they’ve sold over 20 million records and received four Grammy nominations, The new line-up played its first show in 2022, with this show being their first in the UK for well over 20 years. 

OVO Arena Wembley, HA9 0AA. Tue Feb 25, 6.30pm. From £72.75.

Rise Against 

Rise Against flits between hardcore punk and melodic hardcore with their sound, but one constant is the political undertone to their lyrics. And in times like these, their lyrics have never felt more relevant. ‘We are the angry and the desperate / The hungry and the cold/ We are the ones who kept quiet,’ Tim McIlrath sings on the 2006 single Prayer of the Refugee, which centres around the perils of forced displacement. The group are well-known for their advocacy of Amnesty International and the It Gets Better Project among charities. You’ll probably be in a sea of straight-edgers at this one. 

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Thur 6 Feb, 7pm. From £55.20.

For the ecstatic ravers 

Caribou

Dan Snaith returned to his Caribou alias last year, releasing the Gen Z starlet-scattered album Honey to critical acclaim. His first headline show in three years, this night will feature dreamy dance anthems with vocals from Chappell Roan, Phoebe Bridgers and Frost Children. While you can’t count on them being there physically, you can anticipate a kaleidoscopic soundscape of satisfying dancefloor heaters. Perfect for counteracting those chilly February nights.  

Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Thur Feb 6, 7pm. From £41.21.

Justice 

It only feels right to see Justice in a massive, church-like space, doesn’t it? Feel the rumble of Genesis and Phantom while dancing under a bloody massive cross at this bone-rattling experience. The French duo have played their fair share of London venues, but this one will be particularly special for how grand the space is and how precise their live shows often are. ‘We only play new songs that fit the environment we’re in,’ Xavier de Rosnay said when we chatted last year, so set your expectations high. 

Alexandra Palace, N22 7AY. Tue Feb 11 and Wed Feb 12, 6.30pm. From £53.05.

Maribou State 

Maribou State’s Chris Davids and Liam Ivory are very firmly in celebration mode as they’re fresh off the back of a new album Hallucinating Love, inspired by Davids’ recent recovery from brain surgery. The duo paused recording and touring in 2021, returning just this year with the album, and a revitalised sense of closeness that is sure to be felt all the way through the audience when they make their return to the stage. 

Alexandra Palace, N22 7AY. Feb 14,15 and 16, 6.30pm. From £41.77. 

For the folk crooners 

Katy J Pearson

Swapping her West Country roots for Americana country folk, Katy J Pearson’s back-catalogue consists mainly of joyful Crosby, Stills and Nash-style ditties and tender guitar-driven ballads. However, when it came to her third album, 2024’s Someday, Now, the Bristol-based musician turned to electronic-leaning production which established her biggest shift in sound to date. As a result, you can expect a brilliantly eclectic setlist that’ll make you feel like you're drifting from the late 70s all the way through to the present day. 

KOKO, NW1 7JE. Wed Feb 5, 7pm. From £24.35.

Richard Dawson

If you’re a regular reader of The Quietus, you’ll be well-acquainted with Richard Dawson. In 2017, the online mag named his album Peasant the year’s number one release, and he’s continued to reach similar levels of critical acclaim since. His newest LP, End of the Middle is out on February 14 (the same day as this show) and is partly inspired by the artist’s love of director Yasujirō Ozu. Centred around the family unit, Dawson’s lyrics explore the generational cycles of the typical middle-class English family home in a cinematic fashion.  

Rough Trade East, E1 6QL. Fri Feb 14, 7pm. From £14.56.  

For the cool indie dads

Los Campesinos!

Los Campesinos! are a group with an intensely cult following. When attending one of their shows, you’ll experience an unspoken sense of community, established by low-income tickets, signposted gender-inclusive bathrooms and physical accessibility for all. While they may have been pigeonholed at the start of their careers as 'twee pop', they’ve since experimented with their sound enough to provide a kaleidoscopic back catalogue that keeps the fans coming back for more. 

Troxy, E1 0HX. Feb 14 and 15, 7pm. From £10.05. 

Mogwai

There are very few groups as prolific as Mogwai, who seem to release something every other month. The Scottish post-rock honchos are touring their 11th album, The Bad Fire, which came out earlier this year, stopping in Europe, Asia, and North America until festival season. Boasting song titles like If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some of the Others, Fanzine Made of Flesh and Pale Vegan Hip Pain, the LP is a hotbed of pedal-frying guitar melodies, shoegaze overdrive and playful lyricism. 

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Thur Feb 20, 7pm. From £46.90.

For the indie pop starlets  

Rachel Chinoriri

Rachel Chinoriri is one hot name in indie music right now. Not only has the singer-songwriter been nominated for Best New Artist and Artist of the Year at the 2025 Brit Awards, but she was even sent a bunch of flowers by Adele for her achievements. The Rolling in the Deep singer has previously praised Chinoriri at her Vegas residency, saying, ‘She’s absolutely amazing, she has a show in L.A. in March and I’m going to go on my own.’ Give her debut album What a Devastating Turn of Events a whirl to see what all the fuss is about. 

Omeara, SE1 1TE. Thur Feb 20, 7pm. From £30.

Biig Piig

It feels like Biig Piig has been making music for ages (her first EP came out in 2018), so it’s pretty surprising that she’s only just now releasing her debut album. After putting a real shift in with EPs, mixtapes, small gigs and middle-tier festival appearances, she’s finally getting her flowers with a bloody big celebration at the Roundhouse. Catch the Irish-Spanish London native as she brings a diverse catalogue of indie, pop, drum and bass and house-inspired bangers to Camden. 

Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Thur Feb 27, 7pm. From £27.50.

For the alternative pop weirdos

Babymorocco

The capital’s favourite himbo party boy Babymorocco has just released his first full-length album. Amid bratty, slightly irritating lines like, ‘When they look at me I’m hot/I get paid cause I’m attractive,’ there are glimpses of sentimentality, as he comforts a past lover on the raging club anthem Red Eye and reflects on the heartbreak of having three people in a relationship on Left u on the Track. So don’t expect it all to be muscle-flexing and slut dropping at this Omeara show. Though there probably will be lots of that too. 

Omeara, SE1 1TE. Sat Feb 15, 7pm. From £16.68.

The Hellp

Ever since The Dare and Charli xcx started collaborating, it's felt like we’ve been subjected to the biggest landslide of electroclash since the late 00s. You’ve got Frost Children, NEW YORK and now The Hellp all coming through with their interpretation of the genre. The LA-based electronic/experimental music duo of Noah Dillon (vocals) and Chandler Ransom Lucy (producer and composer) channel digital hyperactivity into gritty, dance-pop chaos that’s just made for little sweaty spaces such as Corsica Studio. 
Corsica Studios, SE17 1LB. Feb 20, 21, 22, 7.30pm. From £18.42.

The post-punk rockers

Heartworms

Mashing up post-punk and electronic influences, Jojo Orme (aka Heartworms), offers listeners a blissfully dark haven of gothic synth-pop that acts as a perfect escape from modern reality. Part of the Speedy Wunderground family, the singer is set to release her debut album Glutton For Punishment just a week before the Electric Ballroom show, so there’s plenty of time to practice the words before you bark along to songs such as the defiant first single Extraordinary Wings.

Electric Ballroom, NW1 8QP. Thur Feb 13, 7pm. From £20.30. 

Jack White

When Jack White released his sixth solo album No Name last year, it was met with widespread critical acclaim and hailed as a return to form for someone who had seemingly slipped into a pattern of monotonous dad-sy blues rock. Originally handed out at Third Man Records shops in an unlabelled sleeve, the record was bootlegged online before getting an official release. The blistering 42-minute-long LP is an absolute must-hear for any White Stripes fan craving a little slice of the razor-sharp, bare-knuckle-riffing Jack White of the past. 

Troxy, E1 0HX. Fri Feb 28, 7pm. From £66.41.

For the goth dance girlies 

Ela Minus

Colombian dance music darlin’ Ela Minus is already seeing support from industry heavyweights Four Tet and Floating Points, and she’s only just released her second album. The 10-song collection, named DIA, is both introspective and expansive, combining poppy choruses and experimental soundscapes to create a world of late-night reverie. This show at Oslo is sure to feel like a wonderful escape, even for a fleeting couple of hours.   

Oslo Hackney, E8 1LL. Thur Feb 20, 7pm. From £17.14.

yuné pinku

There’s something very old-school goth to yuné pinku, as she channelled her love of gothic fables and her Catholic schooling into her latest EP Sacrificial Lamb. The mixtape blends brooding garage and trip-hop with folklore lyrics to create something that sounds ecstatically haunting. She’s invited burgeoning talents Sassy 009 and Oscar Farrell to join her at Phonox for one heck of a moody night out on Brixton.

Phonox, SW9 7AY. Sat Feb 8, 10pm. From £5.