Across three dynamic days of conferencing, cutting-edge live music events, and global debuts, Ava London brought together the minds shaping contemporary culture and key industry players to discuss and share insights on the past, present and future of music and culture. FKA Twigs, Jarvis Cocker, horsegiirL, Erika De Casier, and many more — here’s what went down.
The festival’s hybrid programme delivered stellar keynotes, industry forums, masterclasses, and raves across some of London’s most emblematic venues such as the British Library, Here at Outernet, EartH Hackney & The Standard in King’s Cross. Fostering the city’s creative communities, the electronic duo synonymous with UK rave culture, Underworld, opened the festival with an inspiring keynote interview celebrating thirty years of the timeless anthem Born Slippy. The talk was then followed by Annie Mac and Jayda G exploring the intersections of motherhood and artistic identity, to which the latter said: “Compartmentalisation is key: the things you can get done while they’re having a nap — it feels like a superpower.”
The Going Global – How to Take Your Music Brand International panel by Brendon Long, Sunita Dhaliwal, Hiroki Beck, and Finlay Johnson was beyond insightful for any aspiring labels, artists or creatives, and really set the tone for a weekend of thought-provoking discussions. Still on the first day on the festival, Munroe Bergdorf led Re-queering Dancefloors, a powerful conversation on the overlaps of gender, identity, and reclaiming spaces in electronic music. “Queer is an orientation and a political practice that extends beyond dancefloors,” shared DJ and producer I. Jordan on the panel.
FKA Twigs joining Resident Advisor for a live exchange, offering insight into her creative evolution and her new album, Eusexua, was undoubtedly a highlight. “It doesn’t really affect my performance. I understand that sometimes it’s hard when someone else is on the other stage and people want to make that too. It’s just down to me to keep everyone there, and that’s the challenge of performing. It comes down to my confidence as a performer and my skill, which is a good challenge. I’m down for it,” she told METAL when asked about performing in festivals for the Eusexua tour for diverse crowds.
Following several other panels including The Game Changers, spotlighting industry disruptors with Zeon Richards, Tom Schroder, Munroe Bergdorf, and Maria May; Music’s Leading Role in Film, with Raffertie (The Substance), Lucy Bright (Aftersun), and Naqqash Khalid (In Camera); exploring the crucial role of music in storytelling, and Jarvis Cocker’s Biophobia, a lecture on overcoming his fear of nature co-presented with EarthPercent, who brought unique perspectives to the programme. Closing off the first day, we then had intimate, genre-blending and breathtaking performances by Erika de Casier (who also celebrated her birthday), and Kojaque & Mechatok, who previewed an unreleased track with Isabella Lovestory, in Hackney.
Festival-goers then returned for a second dynamic day which saw its start with the Future of Music & Clubbing panel hosted by Emerald Lewis and featuring industry leaders from Fabric, Fold (London), Tresor (Berlin), the London Nightlife Taskforce, and BBC Radio 1, all exploring the evolving landscape of nightlife. This was then proceeded by production masterclasses, TikTok’s keynote with Toyin Mustapha and Major League DJz, where they examined Amapiano’s rise to global success through social media, and Nonotak’s visual arts masterclass along with Yinka Ilori, where they explored pushing the boundaries of visual languages in separate sessions.
HorsegiirL’s keynote interview with Gay Times editorial director, Megan Wallace, where they dove deep into identity, self-expression, and anonymity was definitely another key moment worth noting. “It completely changes the experience while you’re in the club, especially at a rave where you just don’t want to be in someone’s video or be surrounded by cameras […] I would love to do where you have to hand in your phone at the beginning and instead of taking photos with your phone, you get a little disposable camera or something that you can still make memories with but you’re not disrupting this club space […] It’s difficult because, at the end of the day. we can’t turn back the technological wheel; we have to let people decide by themselves,” she told METAL when asked about the present and future of surveillance culture in nightlife.
To round off the packed event, Kneecap’s manager, Dan Lambert, and film director Rich Peppiatt, discussed the challenges and triumphs of managing the Irish hip-hop trio, one of today’s most unique and unpredictable musical acts. Ned Beckett from LittleBig Agency went on to provide crucial insights into talent discovery and artist development, and No Tags podcast by Chal Ravens & Tom Lea recorded a live episode with Paul Woolford. Towards the end of the day, Lorenzo Senni hosted an extended masterclass, The Architecture of Intensity, dissecting his creative process, while Ryoji Ikeda, Marcel Dettmann & EMA took over Here at Outernet on Friday night to showcase experimental soundscapes, techno, and ambient mastery, getting us to all shake off our long weeks and busy schedules.
Such an outstanding event couldn’t have a simple finale, which is why the Ava team made sure to curate a high-energy night at Origins at The Cause on Saturday, with the likes of X Club, LSDXOXO, Juicy Romance, Body Clinic, Marion Hawkes & Inside Moves — a total banger! It made us crave for next year’s edition already. The wait doesn’t have to be that long, however, because you’re still in time to catch Ava’s flagship event happening in Belfast in just over two months for its 11th edition.
