How’s this for Londonmaxxing: catch the premiere of the new Sofia Coppola film at Rich Mix; listen to Russell T Davies chat about behind-the-scenes on Doctor Who and It’s A Sin in a church nave in Spitalfields, and finish off by bouncing around to Earl Sweatshirt in a special Shoreditch Town Hall show.
If it feels like there’s an influx of seriously cool events taking place in London in the first week of June, that’s because the cultural powerhouse of South By South West (SXSW) London will be returning for its second year – and it’s set to be another blinder.
The festival – a spin-off from the Austin, Texas based event that’s been running Stateside for almost 40 years – is a giant meeting of creative minds; and will see big names in the music, film and tech worlds descend on East London from June 1 to June 6.
Essentially, it’s an international festival of ideas which will shape the future, says SXSW London chief programming officer, Katy Arnander; allowing people to jump offline for a while and connect IRL. “I’m quite old school in that I think it’s important to get together in real life,” she says. “Being together in person allows unexpected encounters where people discover and discuss things they might never have encountered in their own echo chambers.”
There are three main strands to the festival. Firstly, the conference, in which delegates from 85 countries and in culture, tech and business industries will meet for more than 900 talks and networking events that will cover issues as expansive as human longevity to techno-feudalism. Then there’s the music festival; five nights featuring 200 musicians in live shows, DJ sets and creative collaborations in a takeover of venues sprawling across East London. Finally, there’s the screen festival, which has an exciting schedule of film and TV screenings, premieres and talks; as well as the complementary visual arts programme too.
So what are this year’s hot tickets? “We’re really excited to have people like Michelle Obama with her brother, Craig Robinson, and Sir Tim Berners-Lee appearing, as they are legends in their respective worlds,” explains Arnander. “Then there’s Brian Eno, who is amazing; a musician, a visionary around AI and someone deeply engaged with climate change. Sharon Horgan, who’s brilliant as an actor and a screenwriter, but as a business owner, she'll also be able to talk about the broadcast industry, which is currently going through hard times.”
On the music front, fans will be entertained by indie-pop musician Rachel Chinouriri and London livestreamer DJ AG; the incredibly Fleetwood Mac-esque Infinity Song and the uplifting soulful sounds of House Gospel Choir; while ambient-electronic artist Sega Bodega will be performing in “the world's most advanced spatial audio sound system” in Christ Church Spitalfields.
As for the flicks, there are more than 100 films being screened – with 11 world premieres – in venues from the Curzon to the Barbican, including the eagerly awaited Over Your Dead Body, featuring Jason Segel and Samara Weaving; Keke Palmer in sci-fi comedy I Love Boosters and not forgetting Marc by Sofia – Sofia Coppola’s documentary on designer Marc Jacobs. Arnander adds: “On the final night of the festival, our closing screening is Gillian Anderson in Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma.” Also screening are the first two episodes of Get Jiro, the world premiere of Anthony Bourdain’s animated graphic novel that questions “How far would you go for good food?”.
Day passes and week-long wristbands are still available for all parts of the festival; with day passes for the musical festival starting from £25. Legendary London DJ Pete Tong will kick off proceedings at the launch event on Monday June 1.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, says he’s “delighted” that SXSW London is returning and praises it for “bringing creativity, innovation and excitement to venues across east London.” He adds: “With inspiring speakers and exciting up-and-coming musicians, the festival’s second edition is bringing together the world’s best talent in London and shows why the capital is the leading city for creativity and business.
“This year’s festival will build on last year’s huge success, creating new opportunities, supporting emerging talent and strengthening our reputation as a global hub for culture, innovation and entrepreneurship, as we build a more prosperous London for everyone.”
For more information and to buy passes, see sxswlondon.com
