2025 in British music

2025 in music

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This is a summary of the year 2025 in British music.

• 1 January: BBC One sees in the New Year with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who performs and hosts a "New Year Disco".^[1]
• 2 January : Neil Young announces he will not play the 2025 Glastonbury Festival because it is partnered with the BBC and he believes it to be "under corporate control".^[2]
• 3 January : Neil Young announces he will headline Glastonbury a day after saying he had turned down a slot because of the BBC's involvement in the event.^[3]
• 4 January :A statue of musician Rory Gallagher is unveiled at Belfast's Ulster Hall.^[4]
• 8 January :
  • UK music fans spent £2.4bn on streaming and vinyl during 2024, data shows, exceeding the previous record of £2.2bn in 2001.^[5]
  • A UK inquest into the death of singer Liam Payne opens, and hears that he died as a result of "polytrauma".^[6]
• 10 January :
  • Chappell Roan wins BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025.^[7]
  • The Elton John compilation album Diamonds reaches number one in the UK Albums chart after 374 weeks.^[8]
  • Le Pub, a music venue in Newport which was threatened with closure, has been bought by a community enterprise, Music Venue Properties (MVP), which aims to protect live music locations.^[9]
• 16 January :The Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung announces Sir Simon Rattle as the recipient of the 2025 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.^[10]

• 4 February : The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Vanessa Reed as its next chief executive, effective 2 June 2025.^[11]
• 5 February : It is announced that Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath will reunite for a final fundraising concert in Birmingham on 5 July.^[12]
• 12 February :Oasis and New Order are among 14 acts on the 2025 longlist for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[13]
• 13 February :
  • It is announced that Mariah Carey will headline Brighton Pride on 2 August.^[14]
  • English Heritage announces that Marc Bolan is among a number of people to be honoured with blue plaques.^[15]
• 20 February : Charges are dropped against a friend of Liam Payne and two members of staff at the hotel in Argentina where he died.^[16]
• 25 February : Release of Is This What We Want?, a silent album co-written by more than 1,000 musicians, including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush, as a protest against planned changes to UK copyright law, which they argue will make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted material without a licence.^[17]

• 1 March – The 2025 Brit Awards take place at The O2 in London.^[18] The ceremony will feature a performance by Sabrina Carpenter.^[19]
• 4 March – Edwyn Collins announces he is to stop touring live later in 2025 following a farewell tour.^[20]
• 5 March – Coldplay are to pick the acts for a Super Bowl-style half-time show during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, the first time such a concert has been staged during the World Cup.^[21]
• 6 March –
  • Media regulator Ofcom have received 825 complaints about ITV's coverage of the Brit Awards ceremony, the majority of them about Sabrina Carpenter's pre-watershed opening performance and Charli XCX's outfit.^[22]
  • The winners of the 2025 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards are announced at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.^[23]
• 7 March – All-female country trio Remember Monday are chosen to represent the UK at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "What the Hell Just Happened?".^[24]
• 8 March – Belfast is announced as the host of the 2026 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh), which will take place in August 2026.^[25]
• 10 March – King Charles III launches a personal playlist, The King's Music Room, through Apple Music with songs that have been important to him. Songs include tracks by Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones.^[26]
• 13 March – Sugababes release their new single "Jungle".^[27]
• 17 March – Stevie Wonder is announced as the headline act at the 2025 Lytham Festival, and will perform on 3 July.^[28]
• 20 March – Stormzy is nominated for an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge in recognition of his philanthropic work and impact on education, music, sport and literature.^[29]
• 21 March – BBC Radio Wales DJ Aleighcia Scott reaches number one in the iTunes Reggae Chart with her first Welsh-language single, "Dod o’r Galon".^[30]
• 22 March – The Searchers announce they will stop touring after 68 years, ending with their Glastonbury debut at the 2025 Festival.^[31]
• 25 March – The Competition and Markets Authority says that Ticketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing over the band's reunion tour.^[32]
• 28 March – Release date of Sweet Illusions, the debut music album of actor Peter Capaldi.^[33]
• 29 March – Launch of the Black Welsh Music Awards, designed to recognise talented black musicians in Wales.^[34]

• 2 April – Muse have cancelled a forthcoming concert in Istanbul after the promoter insulted anti-government protestors in Turkey, leading to pressure from fans and local artists.^[35]
• 3 April – The Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) announces the appointment of Nikki Iles as the next principal conductor of the NDR Big Band, the first woman to be named to the post, effective with the 2025–2026 season, with an initial contract of two years.^[36]
• 10 April – Pulp announce the forthcoming release of a new album, More, as well as the release of "Spike Island", their first single since 2001.^[37]
• 11 April – Elton John's collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?, reaches number one in the UK Albums Chart, giving him the 10th number one album of his career.^[38]
• 18 April – Sault surprise-releases their new studio album 10.^[39]
• 27 April – A final tranche of tickets for Glastonbury 2025 goes on sale, and sells out within 20 minutes.^[40]
• 28 April – Bad Company and Joe Cocker are among acts inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.^[41]
• 29 April – The Eden Project cancels a planned appearance by Irish Republican rappers Kneecap at its 2025 Eden Sessions festival in July following the emergence of video in which one of the band's members appeared to condone the killing of MPs.^[42]

• 2 May – Lewis Capaldi makes a surprise guest appearance to play a set at Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms during a benefit gig for the Campaign Against Living Miserably, a suicide prevention charity.^[43]
• 14 May – English National Opera announces the appointment of André de Ridder as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season.^[44]
• 15–24 May – Norwich Jazz Festival returns after a 20 year hiatus.^[45]
• 16 May – South London resident Rebekah Shaman wins a High Court challenge over the use of Brockwell Park for a series of regular music events, arguing that the local council does not have the correct planning permission for the events. The decision means a number of events may have to be cancelled.^[46]
• 22 May – Olly Murs ends a show at Glasgow's Ovo Hydro after walking off stage because he was struggling with his voice.^[47]
• 27 May – News reports indicate a reversal of plans by Cardiff University to axe its music department.^[48]
• 28 May
  • Irish rap group Kneecap say they have been axed from Glasgow's TRNSMT festival because of police concerns about safety.^[49]
  • The London Mozart Players announce that Flynn Le Brocq is to stand down as its chief executive officer at the end of August 2025.^[50]

• 4–6 June – The 2025 Stendhal Festival takes place in Limavady, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Headline acts include the Lightning Seeds and Kate Nash.^[51]
• 7 June – Sir Paul McCartney makes a surprise guest appearance at Anfield stadium to duet with Bruce Springsteen during the second night of the Liverpool leg of Springsteen's Land of Hope and Dreams tour.^[52]
• 9 June –
  • It is announced that the 2026 Brit Awards will be held at Manchester's Co-op Live arena, the first time the ceremony has been held outside London.^[53]
  • Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis says the festival has sold "a few thousand less tickets" in 2025 to help ease the build up of heavy crowds.^[54]
• 13 June – Pulp reach number one in the UK Albums Chart with their latest release, More, their first number one since 1998.^[55]
• 20 June – Dua Lipa plays her first concert at Wembley Stadium, which includes an appearance by Jamiraquai's Jay Kay for a duet of his 1996 song "Virtual Insanity".^[56]
• 21 June – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he does not think a planned performance by Kneecap at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival is "appropriate".^[57]
• 22 June – Liverpool's On the Waterfront Festival is halted after Lionel Duke, drummer with The Christians, suffers a cardiac arrest while playing on stage.^[58]

• 5–7 September – Radio 2 in the Park takes place at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, with Bryan Adams and Def Leppard headlining.^[59]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (June 2025)

• Porridge Radio^[60]
• The Priests^[61]

• The Beta Band
• Black Sabbath (for final farewell gig)
• Five (original line-up)^[62]
• Gene

• Sir George Benjamin – 'Interludes and Aria' from Lessons in Love and Violence^[63]
• Kieran Brunt – The Hologram of St. Cecilia^[64]
• Arowah (Anjelica Cleaver) – 'In This World Of War, Peace is What We're Fighting For'^[64]
• Anna Clyne – The Eye^[64]
• Erland Cooper – Birds of Paradise^[64]
• Jasdeep Singh Degun – Abbhā (A Tribute to Ustad Vilayat Khan)^[64]
• Donnacha Dennehy – Hard Landing^[64]
• Jasper Dommett – King Torques Hollow Acetate^[64]
• Natalie Holt – Eyjafjallajökull^[64]
• Sir Stephen Hough – Nocturne for September 10th 2001^[64]
• Sir Karl Jenkins – 'The Signs Still Point the Way'^[64]
• Sir James MacMillan – 'Where the Lugar meets the Glaisnock' (euphonium concerto)^[65]
• David Matthews – Serenade and Tango^[66]
• Thea Musgrave – In memoriam 2022^[64]
• Nkeiru Okoye – And The People Celebrated^[64]
• Rakhi Singh – 'There is nothing in the sky'^[64]
• Aileen Sweeney – Views from the M9^[64]
• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Sco (guitar concerto)^[63]
• Errollyn Wallen – Remembering 2012^[64]

• Mark-Anthony Turnage and Lee Hall – Festen^[67]

• Chamber-Scale Composition: Sarah Lianne Lewis – letting the light in
• Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
• Ensemble: Paraorchestra
• Gamechanger: NMC Recordings
• Impact: Re:Discover Festival – Streetwise Opera
• Inspiration: Open Arts Community Choir
• Instrumentalist: Laura van der Heijden
•  Large-Scale Composition: Katherine Balch – whisper concerto
• Opera and Music Theatre: Death in Venice – Welsh National Opera
• Series and Events: The Cumnock Tryst
• Singer: Claire Booth
• Storytelling: Classical Africa – BBC Radio 3
• Young Artist: GBSR Duo^[68]

The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
2 January	"Last Christmas"	Wham!	114,290	[69]
9 January	"That's So True"	Gracie Abrams	46,869	[70]
16 January			49,122	[71]
23 January			50,584	[72]
30 January	"Messy"	Lola Young	50,697	[73]
6 February			56,524	[74]
13 February			56,479	[75]
20 February			51,751	[76]
27 February	"Not Like Us"	Kendrick Lamar	52,507	[77]
6 March			37,456	[78]
13 March	"Pink Pony Club"	Chappell Roan	38,646	[79]
20 March			39,032	[80]
27 March	"Ordinary"	Alex Warren	49,451	[81]
3 April			62,369	[82]
10 April			71,522	[83]
17 April			73,490	[84]
24 April			70,615	[85]
1 May			66,007	[86]
8 May			69,243	[87]
15 May			65,972	[88]
22 May			66,035	[89]
29 May			63,651	[90]
5 June			61,286	[91]
12 June			60,524	[92]
19 June	"Manchild"	Sabrina Carpenter	62,373	[93]
26 June	"Ordinary"	Alex Warren	59,221	[94]

The albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
2 January	Christmas	Michael Bublé	27,016	[95]
9 January	+–=÷× (Tour Collection)	Ed Sheeran	15,606	[96]
16 January	Diamonds	Elton John	14,759	[97]
23 January	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess	Chappell Roan	10,191	[98]
30 January	Better Man	Robbie Williams	43,238	[99]
6 February	Can't Rush Greatness	Central Cee	42,372	[100]
13 February	Hurry Up Tomorrow	The Weeknd	33,694	[101]
20 February	Lover (Live from Paris)	Taylor Swift	46,812	[102]
27 February	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	34,091	[103]
6 March	People Watching	Sam Fender	107,124	[104]
13 March	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	17,761	[105]
20 March	Mayhem	Lady Gaga	55,577	[106]
27 March	Music	Playboi Carti	21,666	[107]
3 April	Koko	The Lottery Winners	23,420	[108]
10 April	Rushmere	Mumford & Sons	35,655	[109]
17 April	Who Believes in Angels?	Elton John and Brandi Carlile	22,843	[110]
24 April	God Shaped Hole	Those Damn Crows	16,412	[111]
1 May	The Tortured Poets Department	Taylor Swift	28,945	[112]
8 May	Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait	Stereophonics	31,195	[113]
15 May	Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII	Pink Floyd	13,870	[114]
22 May	Even in Arcadia	Sleep Token	28,223	[115]
29 May	I'm the Problem	Morgan Wallen	19,474	[116]
5 June	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	9,684	[117]
12 June	+–=÷× (Tour Collection)	Ed Sheeran	9,908	[118]
19 June	More	Pulp	29,948	[119]
26 June	Don't Tell the Dog	James Marriott	14,528	[120]

The compilation albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Chart sales	References
2 January	Wicked: The Soundtrack	12,338	[121]
9 January		8,919	[122]
16 January		8,886	[123]
23 January		8,578	[124]
30 January		7,037	[125]
6 February		6,014	[126]
13 February		5,256	[127]
20 February		6,920	[128]
27 February		4,404	[129]
6 March		3,613	[130]
13 March		3,840	[131]
20 March		3,411	[132]
27 March	The Greatest Showman	3,129	[133]
3 April		3,067	[134]
10 April	Now Presents Clubland	3,385	[135]
17 April	Now 120	8,998	[136]
24 April		3,890	[137]
1 May	The Greatest Showman	2,564	[138]
8 May	Now Yearbook 1989	4,881	[139]
15 May	The Greatest Showman	2,553	[140]
22 May		2,580	[141]
29 May	Eurovision Song Contest: Basel 2025	10,976	[142]
5 June		6,211	[143]
12 June	Now 70s 2025	4,080	[144]
19 June	Hamilton	3,538	[145]
26 June		3,600	[146]

• 2 January – Russ North, 59, English heavy metal singer (Cloven Hoof).^[147]
• 9 January – Laurie Holloway, 86, English pianist, musical director and composer.^[148]
• 10 January – Colin Carter, 76, British musician (Flash).^[149]
• 13 January – Elgar Howarth, 89, English conductor, composer and trumpeter.^[150]
• 15 January – Linda Nolan, 65, Irish-English singer, actress and television personality.^[151]
• 18 January – Claire van Kampen, 71, English composer (Royal Shakespeare Company), playwright and theatre director, cancer.^[152]
• 20 January – John Sykes, 65, English guitarist (Tygers of Pan Tang, Whitesnake) and songwriter ("Is This Love"), cancer.^[153] (death announced on this date)
• 25 January – Edweena Banger, British musician (The Nosebleeds, Slaughter & The Dogs).^[154] (death announced on this date)
• 30 January – Marianne Faithfull, 78, English singer ("As Tears Go By"), songwriter ("Broken English") and actress (The Girl on a Motorcycle).^[155]
• 1 February – Peter Bassano, 79–80, English trombonist ("Hey Jude") and conductor.^[156]
• 5 February – Mike Ratledge, 81, British musician (Soft Machine).^[157]
• 8 February – Howard Riley (musician), 81, English jazz and free improvising pianist .^[158]
• 12 February – Denis Wick, 93, British trombonist.^[159]
• 17 February – Jamie Muir, 82, Scottish painter and musician (King Crimson).^[160]
• 18 February – Rick Buckler, 69, English drummer (the Jam).^[161]
• 19 February – Snowy Fleet, 79, English-born Australian drummer (The Easybeats).^[162]
• 25 February – Simon Lindley, 76, English organist, choirmaster and composer.^[163]
• 1 March – Joey Molland, 77, English songwriter, guitarist (Badfinger)^[164]
• 3 March – Geraint Jarman, 74, Welsh musician, poet and television producer.^[165]
• 6 March – Brian James, 70, English punk rock guitarist (The Damned, The Lords of the New Church) and songwriter ("New Rose").^[166]
• 10 March – Stedman Pearson, 60, British singer (Five Star), complications from diabetes.^[167]
• 17 March – Peter Farrelly, 76, Northern Irish musician (Fruupp).^[168] (death announced on this date)
• 22 March – Paul Wagstaff, British guitarist (Paris Angels, Black Grape).^[169] (death announced on this date)
• 24 March – Alan Cuckston, classical harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and lecturer, 85^[170]
• 5 April – Dave Allen, 69, English bassist (Gang of Four, Shriekback, King Swamp).^[171]
• 11 April – Mike Berry, 82, English singer ("The Sunshine of Your Smile") and actor (Are You Being Served?, Worzel Gummidge).^[172]
• 18 April – Clodagh Rodgers, 78, Northern Irish singer ("Come Back and Shake Me", "Jack in the Box").^[173]
• 21 April – Martin Longborough, opera administrator and founder of Longborough Festival Opera, 83^[174]
• 24 April – Roy Phillips, 83, British musician (The Peddlers).^[175]
• 26 April – Charles Beare, 87–88, British violin expert and craftsman.^[176]
• 27 April – Wizz Jones, 86, English acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.^[177]
• 28 April – Mike Peters, 66, Welsh rock singer (The Alarm) and songwriter ("Sixty Eight Guns"), chronic lymphocytic leukemia.^[178]
• 7 May – Ronald Corp, classical composer and conductor, 74^[179]
• 10 May – Matthew Best, 68, classical conductor and singer.^[180]
• 25 May – Simon House, 76, English multi-instrumentalist (Hawkwind, David Bowie, Third Ear Band).^[181]
• 2 June – Colin Jerwood, 63, English punk singer (Conflict).^[182]
• 11 June – Douglas McCarthy, 58, English musician (Nitzer Ebb).^[183]
• 13 June – Honest John Plain, 73, English guitarist and singer (The Boys).^[184]
• 16 June – John Reid, 61, Scottish record producer, singer (Nightcrawlers) and songwriter.^[185] (death announced on this date)
• 19 June – James Prime, 64, Scottish musician (Deacon Blue), cancer.^[186]
• 20 June – Patrick Walden, 46, English guitarist (Babyshambles).^[187]

• 2025 in British radio
• 2025 in British television
• 2025 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2025