The Iconic K-Music Festival returns to London this September

Korean culture’s global takeover may have started with K-pop, but anyone who’s spent time exploring the country’s wider music scene knows there’s a whole lot more waiting to be discovered. That’s exactly what K-Music Festival has been championing since it first launched in 2013, and now, in its 13th edition, it’s once again bringing the incredible breadth of Korean music to venues across London.

Running from September 28 to November 26, this year’s festival takes over some of the capital’s best-loved venues, including Southbank Centre, Royal Albert Hall, Rich Mix, Jazz Café, EartH Theatre, Stone Nest and Upstairs at Ronnie’s, with a programme that stretches from folk and jazz to hip-hop, gaming soundtracks and boundary-pushing experimental music.

The opening night sets the tone with an eclectic triple bill featuring folk innovators ADG7, genre-defying hip-hop sibling duo Lil Cherry & GOLDBUUDA and acclaimed singer-songwriter Chang Kiha — three acts that perfectly illustrate the festival’s anything-goes approach to Korean music.

One of the most intriguing events comes in the form of Korean Games in Concert, where the National Gugak Center breathes new life into music from hit games including Black Desert and Lies of P using traditional Korean instruments. Elsewhere, acclaimed gayageum player Kyungso Park teams up with award-winning Swedish bassist Björn Meyer for what promises to be a beautifully intimate cross-cultural collaboration at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room.

There’s also a new venue to tick off this year, with the festival making its debut at Upstairs at Ronnie’s. The space welcomes Baroque in Blue, whose imaginative blend of jazz and classical influences reworks Charlie Parker compositions through everything from Romanticism to Shostakovich — a sound that recently earned them a Korean Music Awards nomination.

Long before Korean culture became a global obsession, K-Music Festival was introducing UK audiences to artists pushing far beyond the mainstream. Previous editions have welcomed pioneering acts including post-rock favourites Jambinai, atmospheric composer Park Jiha, jazz vocalist Youn Sun Nah, experimental quartet Black String and classical superstar Seong-Jin Cho, alongside ambitious productions such as the National Changgeuk Company’s acclaimed Lear.

More than a decade on, the festival continues to tap into the ever-growing appetite for Korean music while reminding audiences that there’s an entire world beyond pop. Whether it’s ancient traditions reimagined for today, adventurous collaborations or cutting-edge contemporary sounds, K-Music Festival remains one of London’s most exciting ways to experience the full spectrum of Korea’s musical creativity.

Written by DJ Sam Soju
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