BBC 6 Music Festival 2025 line-up revealed
The line-up for the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2025 line-up has been revealed – check it out in full below.
This year’s edition of the station’s annual event is due to take place in Greater Manchester between March 26-29.
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Ezra Collective, Mogwai and Kae Tempest will all headline the festival with performances at the city’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. They are joined on the bill by English Teacher, Perfume Genius and Fat Dog.
6 Music’s own Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft and Sherelle will all play DJ sets at the venue too.
Other events and club nights include a BBC Introducing night (featuring Jasmine.4.t, Adult DVD and more), New Music Fix Live and Indie Forever. The latter date boasts DJ sets from the likes of Sports Team, Viagra Boys and 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq.
Additionally, there’ll be a Rave Forever night in partnership with The Warehouse Project, and a Morning After Mix Live.
Ezra Collective are scheduled to deliver a special bespoke performance that celebrates the importance of youth clubs across the country. Mogwai will present a unique collaboration with KNDS Fairey Acid Brass, while Kae Tempest’s headline set will see the artist treat fans to a global premiere of new material.
In a statement, Ezra Collective said: “2016 was the first time we ever got played on the station. Gilles Peterson gave us that precious moment. Since then it’s been a deep love for 6 Music, so to be in Manchester headlining their festival is a deep honour. See you on the dance floor.”
Mogwai added: “We are immensely excited to return to the 6 Music Festival and Manchester this year. 6 Music have always been champions of independent music and ourselves and it’s an honour to be part of this year’s celebration.”
Tempest commented: “I’ve got a new album and I can’t wait for people to hear it. BBC Radio 6 Music have been such a crucial supporter of my music, I can’t wait for listeners to hear this new direction and for me to be able to say thank you to them for giving me so much over the years.”
Perfume Genius, whose seventh album ‘Glory’ arrives on March 28, said: “I’m so excited to bring these new songs to the UK and especially the 6 Music Fest. Thank you for all your support over the years!”
Tickets for each 6 Music Festival 2025 event will be sold separately and will be available from 10am GMT this Thursday (February 6). You’ll be able to buy yours here.
Those who do not attend in person can tune in to 6 Music to hear live music, highlights and interviews across the four days, and watch select performances live on iPlayer. BBC Four will broadcast highlights from the festival on Friday April 4.
From Saturday March 29, the new 6 Music Festival channel on iPlayer will see the station’s presenters bring viewers back-to-back performance highlights and live sets from this year’s event. It’ll also air classic sets from previous years from Monday March 17. Find more information here.
Nick Grimshaw, who is taking over as 6 Music Breakfast Show host later this month, explained: “I’m really excited for my first 6 Music Festival. I can’t wait to be back home in Manchester to take the new show up there for a few days in March and bring you the most brilliant of line ups.”
Lauren Laverne said she was “thrilled” to be returning to the station with a new mid-morning show “in plenty of time for our biggest moment of the year – the 6 Music Festival”.
She continued: “The artists always put together something special just for us and the listeners, which is such a privilege. I’m looking forward to another trip to Greater Manchester with my new show to see what they have in store!”
The full schedule for BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2025 is:
Wednesday March 26 – BBC Introducing at YES (7pm): Adult DVD, Renee Stormz, jasmine.4.t
Thursday March 27 – 6 Music Festival Presents… Ezra Collective + Fat Dog + 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova (DJ set) at Victoria Warehouse Manchester (6.30pm)
New Music Fix Live at YES (10pm): DJ sets from 1-800 GIRLS, Florentino, Marie Davidson and NAINA
Friday March 28 – 6 Music Festival Presents… Mogwai + English Teacher + 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft (DJ set) at Victoria Warehouse Manchester (6.30pm)
Indie Forever Live at Band on the Wall (9pm): DJ sets from Sports Team DJs, Lava La Rue, Steve Lamacq, Viagra Boys and Nathan Shepherd
6 Music Festival & The Warehouse Project present Rave Forever at Amber’s – which embraces a ‘no phones’ policy to encourage everyone to engage fully with the music – (11pm): DJ sets from Ayy Den, nora, Anish Kumar and SBTRKT
Saturday March 29 – Morning After Mix Live at YES (12pm): DJ sets from Jamz Supernova and Emma-Jean Thackray
6 Music Festival Presents… Kae Tempest + Perfume Genius + 6 Music DJ SHERELLE (DJ set) at Victoria Warehouse Manchester (6.30pm)
ON AIR AND ONLINE:
Highlights from the festival, including live and recorded-live performances will be broadcast on 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester from MediaCityUK in Salford, as well as on BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.
The 6 Music broadcast schedule is as follows:
Wednesday March 26 – Huw Stephens broadcasts from YES ahead of the BBC Introducing night (4-7pm)
Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant broadcast live from the 6 Music radio studios in MediaCityUK, Salford, to reflect on the BBC Music Introducing night that’s taking place at YES (7-11pm)
Thursday March 27 – Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
Tom and Deb broadcast live from YES ahead of New Music Fix Live and bring listeners festival performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm)
New Music Fix Live DJ sets from YES (11pm-2am)
Friday March 28 – Amy Lamé (5-7am), Nick (7-10am), Lauren (10am-1pm), Craig (1-4pm) and Huw (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
Emily Pilbeam and Nathan Shepherd broadcast from Band on the Wall ahead of Indie Forever and bring listeners performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm)
Indie Forever DJ sets from Band on the Wall (11pm-2am)
Saturday March 29 – AFRODEUTSCHE presents Morning After Mix (6-8am)
Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am) and Craig (10am-1pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
Jamz Supernova broadcasts live from YES, bringing listeners a special DJ set from Emma-Jean Thackray at Morning After Mix (1-4pm)
Zakia broadcasts from MediaCityUK (4-7pm)
Tom and Deb broadcast live from MediaCityUK, bringing listeners festival performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm)
Rave Forever DJ sets from Amber’s (11pm-1am)
Sunday March 30 – Don Letts presents Morning After Mix (6-8am)
Radcliffe & Maconie (8-10am) and Cerys Matthews (10am-1pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour (1-4pm)
Amy and Chris present the 6 Music Festival Wrap Up live from MediaCityUK
In other news, BBC Radio 6 Music recently celebrated Independent Venue Week 2025 with a series of special programmes and a one-off show from Big Special in Leeds.
The post BBC 6 Music Festival 2025 line-up revealed appeared first on NME.
Tom Skinner
NME
