Press room

This week, the Barbican has announced a series of new concerts, including concerts as part of its Spring Season: Concrete Garden. 

• ClubStage: Wu-Lu (DJ), Denzel Himself (Live), SHEIVA (Live) (21 Feb 2025, 11pm, Barbican Foyers Level -1)
• Terry Riley 90th Birthday Tribute with Pete Townshend, Bang on a Can All-Stars, SHABAKA and special guests (15 May 2025, 7.30pm, Barbican Hall)

Part of Concrete Garden:

• F*Choir (21 Mar 2025, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall)
• Liminal Chords: A Dreamscape in Verse & Sound: MA.MOYO (Belinda Zhawi) + Friends (23 Apr 2025, 7.30pm, Barbican Art Gallery)
• Jason Moran (9 May 2025, 7.30pm, Milton Court Concert Hall)

Full details for each performance follow below:

Wu-Lu (DJ), Denzel Himself (Live), SHEIVA (Live)

Showcasing the best of the UK’s cutting-edge DIY music scene, the Barbican ClubStage hosts a night of underground sounds, with live performances from Denzel Himself and SHEIVA and a special genre-spanning DJ set from Wu-Lu.

Emerging as leader of the punk-rap awakening, South London producer and multi-instrumentalist Wu-Lu shares his eclectic record collection, spanning sounds as varied as his many influences.

Fiercely independent, Denzel Himself has carved his own distinct aesthetic and sound – his gothic, hardcore, take on hip hop makes him no archetypal rapper.

Genre-defying and unapologetic, SHEIVA’s music is a culmination of the themes of nonconformity that they encompass. Drawing upon their experience as a queer Brit, SHEIVA’s music boasts livid lyricism paired with rule-breaking musical stylings.

The Barbican’s ClubStage is a flexible late-night space in the Barbican’s iconic foyers, inviting audiences to celebrate multi-disciplinary artists and experience fresh events - from gigs to performance pieces, DJ sets and more.

This event takes place from 11pm – 2.30am at our ClubStage, Level -1. Entry to the venue will be via Car Park 3 on Silk Street, which will take you directly to the venue on Level -1. The accessible entrance and exit are via the main entrance on Silk Street.

Produced by the Barbican in association with Earth Cruises

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Terry Riley 90th Birthday Tribute

with Pete Townshend, Bang on a Can All-Stars, SHABAKA and special guests

Minimalism trailblazer Terry Riley's 90th birthday is celebrated at the Barbican with a tribute featuring Pete Townshend, Bang on a Can All-Stars, SHABAKA and more special guests yet to be announced.

Terry Riley has influenced generations of composers and musicians. A Rainbow in Curved Air and In C have defined Minimalism, captivating audiences since their inception.

Marking Riley’s 90th birthday, this special celebration at the Barbican will feature the legendary guitarist Pete Townshend performing the original ‘free fall solo version’ of his iconic Baba O’Riley. Bang on a Can All-Stars will then present a new arrangement of A Rainbow in Curved Air, blending the essence of Terry Riley’s visionary sound with fresh interpretations. The evening will culminate in a powerful performance of Riley’s masterpiece In C, brought to life by an all-star cast of musicians, promising an evening of mesmerising rhythms and timeless melodies.

Produced by the Barbican

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RECENTLY ANNOUNCED MUSIC PERFORMANCES IN THE BARBICAN’S SPRING SEASON: CONCRETE GARDEN

Announced yesterday and launching in February 2025, the Barbican presents Concrete Garden, a curated series of events including talks, live music and performances, workshops, exhibition tours, cinema screenings and wellness activities, drawing on themes of growth, reflection, gathering and renewal offering a rich tapestry of experiences to inspire, learn, connect and celebrate the beauty of everyday life.

The programme is built around Barbican’s new major exhibition focussing on the work of Noah Davis (Thu 6 Feb - Sun 11 May), an American artist whose work celebrated the power of art to elevate the everyday, and from Citra Sasmita’s Curve commission Into Eternal Land (Thu 30 Jan - Mon 21 Apr), which explores ancestral memory, ritual and migration. Davis’s ethos of making arts accessible to everyone can be found across the Centre through events ranging from films to talks, workshops, recitals and much more. 

For more information about Concrete Garden, click here.

F*Choir 

F*Choir, a 60-strong queer-led ensemble redefining choral singing with bold, high-energy performances, bring a programme celebrating liberation, inclusivity, and the magic of collective voices to the Barbican.

In March 2025, the groundbreaking community choir will present an evening of full-bodied, percussive earworms. Founded by composer Jenny Moore, the ensemble re-frames choral music through the lens of gender, sexuality, freedom, and rage into a vibrant collective experience.

F*Choir defies tradition, replacing sheet music and auditions with dynamic, innovative arrangements of works spanning Meredith Monk, Lauryn Hill, and Beverley Glenn Copeland. The result is visceral and powerful - both sonically and socially. Voices resonate with raw power, reimagining the possibilities of choral music.

Having captivated audiences across the UK and beyond, F*Choir has performed sold out gigs at iconic venues such as EartH Hackney, Bishopsgate Institute, Wellcome Collection and the MOTH Club. Their work has also been featured on BBC3’s Late Junction and in The Guardian.

Produced by the Barbican

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Liminal Chords: A Dreamscape in Verse & Sound 

MA.MOYO (Belinda Zhawi) + Friends feat. Roxanne Tataei & Marysia Osu, respond to the radical work of Noah Davis 

Taking place amidst the Noah Davis exhibition in the Barbican Art Gallery, this special performance by poet and sound artist MA.MOYO (Belinda Zhawi) responds to the radical work and philosophy of the visionary artist.

MA.MOYO is joined by harpist and beatmaker Marysia Osu and vocalist Roxanne Tataei for an interdisciplinary performance blending poetry, vocal textures, and harp with real-time effects. Together, they explore the emotive, uncanny landscapes of Davis’ art, delving into the spaces between dreams and lucidity, joy and melancholy, individuality and community.

A Zimbabwean-born, London and Marseille-based artist, Zhawi uses the moniker MA.MOYO to experiment with the interplay of text and sound, often collaborating with musicians from South East London’s vibrant jazz and beat-making scene. Her work reflects on themes of African diaspora narratives, history, and community.

This evocative performance celebrates creativity as a vehicle for connection, echoing Davis’ artistic vision and inviting audiences into a shared space of reflection and discovery.

Produced by the Barbican

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Jason Moran

Acclaimed pianist Jason Moran gives a special one-off concert inspired by Noah Davis's paintings.

Inspired by the late artist Noah Davis – the subject of Barbican’s major exhibition this spring, composer and jazz pianist Jason Moran will perform a piano recital in which he creates a musical response to Davis’s paintings, with major influence from the painting Pueblo del Rio: Concerto.

In this painting, Davis places a grand piano outside at the iconic Pueblo del Rio Los Angeles housing project, signifying that this concert is open to all. As the work implies, it is the music that emerged in spaces like this housing project that formed the roots of what became canon.

Moran says ‘I felt a link to Thelonious Monk’s Evidence in which he used the sound of a basketball game as the inspiration for his sound. That idea of using the chaos and rhythm of the world around you feels so connected to Noah’s ability to distil life’s complexities onto a canvas.’

Jason Moran is also giving a separately ticketed talk in the Barbican Art Gallery on Thu 8 May, 7pm entitled Talk: Jason Moran on Noah Davis and music making.

Produced by the Barbican

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