SXSW London 2025 Day Three: NAO, The Kites, Marina Zispin and more
From basements to bar stages, day three of SXSW London carved out its own distinct arc, beginning in the dimly lit basement of Dream Bags Jaguar Shoes. Thistle kicked off our crawl in a blaze of red – red lights, red brick and red-hot noise. There was no fanfare, just a blistering set of indie rock edged with clashing drums. Songs collided into one another with no introductions; only a curt “thank you” floated out occasionally between songs. One particularly strong moment was It’s Nice to See You Stranger, with its sharp guitars and fierce percussion echoing off the floors.
Using the same space but stripping things back, Enjoyable Listens delivered an unexpected tonal shift from riot to retro. “This is our Woodstock 99,” the frontman joked before easing into Summer Hit, a slow, dreamy ballad that felt transported from another era. International Space Station, an upbeat, whimsical folk-inspired tune with quirky charm, came with an anecdote about spotting the station during a flat hunt in Oxford.
Over at Old Blue Last, the scene moved upstairs as Deeps took the stage, clapping in sync with the crowd. His live performance was noticeably more energetic than his usually mellow singles, especially on RUN!, where the percussion gave shape to its all-caps title.
As night fell, The Kites lit up the stage at Hoxton Hall, flashing lights blinking in sync with the raw noise of early ’00s pop-punk. Guitar-heavy tracks like Emily Emily filled the room. “This is our first time in London,” the lead singer revealed, before launching into their nostalgic new release, 16.
Later, Marina Zispin cloaked Juju’s Bar and Stage in a different kind of intensity. Surrounded by dark wood panels and low lighting, they performed pieces from their new album Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, released in March. Deep Blue stood out – a moody anthem built on an Ableton push and brought to life by the saxophone.
As the night drew to a close, a sky of bright turquoise and drifting clouds lit up the LED screen at Shoreditch Town Hall’s main stage, setting the scene for headliner NAO’s entrance with her hit Antidote. Then, quite literally shifting the spotlight, she dimmed the visuals to black and white lights pointing into the audience, taking command with “Orbit” – its soaring vocals lifted even higher by the hall’s echo. “You’re going to be my backing vocals, basically,” she announced, dividing the crowd into tenors, altos, and sopranos for her new track Elevate – ending the night not with a bang, but a chorus.
Christina Yang
Photos: Virginie Viche
For further information and future events, visit SXSW London 2025’s website here.
Watch the video for the single Light Years here:
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