The Southbank Centre's South Asian Sounds announces line-up for 2025

The Southbank Centre's celebration of South Asian music and culture, South Asian Sounds, has announced the first acts set to feature on its 2025 line-up.

The celebration of Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani musical traditions will return to the banks of the Thames for its second edition across May 15-18, and promises to host a genre-blending selection of UK-based artists from the South Asian diaspora.

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Performances will take place in spaces across the London-based arts and culture venue, including the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room.

On Thursday May 15, blind multi-instrumentalist and world-leading sitar player Baluji Shrivastav will play a blend of percussive footwork and Indian dance rhythm alongside Re-Orient collaborators Linda Shanovitch, Alex Hill, Sukhdeep Dhanjal and Rishi Gulati.

The next day, acclaimed composer Sumeet Chopra team up with chart-topping Punjabi music star Jaz Dhami to showcase a selection of Bhangra, traditional Punjabi music and modern UK electronic production.

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Other highlights on the line-up include a performance highlighting Gujarat’s folk traditions from Bollywood star Osman Mir with Third Culture Collective, and a "spiritual finale" on Sunday May 18 featuring Sufi devotional music from Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali, a group led by the nephews of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Tickets are available for the general public at 10am on Wednesday (January 22) on the Southbank Centre's website.

Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre Mark Ball said: "South Asian Sounds continues to build on the Southbank Centre’s legacy of showcasing diverse musical cultures, connecting new and seasoned audiences alike with the best of this rich heritage and fresh creative voices.”

Henrietta Taylor is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter