A lot happened in 2024. Music venues were saved from closure, landmark art and photography shows filled galleries and film and theatre festivals spread across the capital.
Now that is all over. But, there will be no shortage of culture in South London as we march into 2025.
The Southbank Centre is ready to jump into the new year with a full line-up of music, art and entertainment sprawled across its five venues to keep you busy.
First up, the arts centre will welcome a new residency at the end of the month to celebrate the legacy of the legendary Nina Simone.
Southbank Centre x Montreux Jazz Festival Residency will run from January 31 until February 2.
The main event is a Friday night concert with the Nu Civilisation Orchestra, where special guests including Corinne Bailey Rae and Laura Mvula will perform some of the American jazz and blues singer’s biggest hits.
Elsewhere you can catch saxophonist and rapper Soweto Kinch perform a world premiere of his new album, ‘Soundtrack to the Apocalypse.
Playwright, poet and writer Inua Ellams, will present live literature and moving music inspired by Nina Simone’s life, lyrics and activism, with guest writers, performers and DJs.
Or join a celebration of writer and activist James Baldwin with young talents from the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, and round up with a Saturday night after party with musical platform Peng Femme Jam.
The next stop is over at the Hayward Gallery which will launch Linder: Danger Came Smiling on February 11.
The retrospective will showcase 50 years of the work by the pioneering feminist artist Linder Sterling – more commonly known as Linder.
From early photomontages made while she was part of the punk scene of 1970s Manchester, to new work including digital deep fakes, this multi media exhibition will feature montage, photography, performance and sculpture.
Also running throughout February, the Southbank Centre will welcome the return of their annual family festival.
Sparking creativity with world-class performances, art and free fun Imagine festival is perfect for children aged between 0 – 11 and their grown-ups.
Some highlights from this year’s line-up include a first-ever stage adaptation of Ross Collins’ much-loved books in There’s a Bear on My Chair where Bear and Mouse will be brought to life through loveable, life-sized puppets.
Elsewhere there will be live poetry performances hosted by poet Kate Wakeling, a CBeebies Wildlife Jamboree and disco juggling and story telling shows.
Heading into April, the Southbank Centre will see The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra perform Shostakovich’s defiant Symphony No.7.
The symphony, written as Hitler’s armies surrounded the city of Leningrad, serves as a profound historical document and a timeless meditation on the resilience of the human spirit.
A three-channel video installation by filmmaker Ilya Shagalov and art director Kirill Serebrennikov will accompany the show.
To find out more about what’s on at the Southbank Centre this year, visit: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/
Pictured top: Southbank Centre x Montreux Jazz Festival Residency will celebrate the legacy of legendary Nina Simone (Picture: Roland Godefroy/ Wikimedia Commons)
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