Shoreditch doesn’t sleep. It listens. And this summer, it’s tuning into something big. Just a short walk from our beloved East London creative core, the Barbican Summer 2025 is unleashing Frequencies, a wild, immersive, and gloriously rebellious exploration of sound and sonic experience. From May through August 2025, Barbican’s multi-venue programme will vibrate with concerts, installations, film, radio, and a cheeky VR rave in the car park. Yes, really.
Feel the Sound: An Immersive Sonic Playground
The headline act of the Frequencies programme is Feel the Sound (22 May – 31 Aug), a sensory-heavy exhibition that dares you to listen with your whole body. Sprawling across the Barbican’s Curve, foyers, Lakeside, and—wait for it—the underground car park, this immersive experience features UK premieres and new commissions. Think of it as Shoreditch meets science lab, where emotions are mapped through music and vibrations.
In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats: Rave Meets VR
Remember when finding a secret acid house rave felt like decoding MI5-level messages? In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats (22 May – 3 Aug) recreates that very thrill. Through cutting-edge VR, this immersive experience sends you on a nostalgic joyride back to 1989, all euphoric synths and sweaty warehouses.
Rebel Radio: Long Live the Pirates
Rewind the dial. June belongs to Rebel Radio, a glorious month-long homage to London’s pirate radio past and present. Expect broadcasts, talks, archive film screenings, and a proper Rinse FM club night.
Live from the Barbican foyer, Reprezent Radio will host legends like DJ Spoony and Norman Jay. Meanwhile, DJ Tayo Popoola’s new six-part podcast Gaps in the Dial spins tales from the static. Bonus: you can tune in with headphones while sitting next to a Brutalist pillar. Iconic.
Sound, Cinema & Subversion
Sound isn’t just heard—it’s seen. Barbican’s Frequencies cinema lineup explores the textures of audio through film. Highlights include God Bless the Child, a layered performance lecture by Christopher Harris (27 May), and Good Vibrations, a neurodivergent cinema series curated by Lillian Crawford (2 & 8 July).
Outdoor cinema fans rejoice: from 20 to 31 August, the Barbican Sculpture Court becomes your starlit screening room. With a playlist that spans Dune to Björk’s Cornucopia, expect sensory overload—in the best possible way.
Live Music Gets Loud and Experimental
Let’s talk decibels. Barbican’s live music events crank them with style. On 30 May, electronic titans Actress and Suzanne Ciani unleash Concrète Waves, while the next day sees Moin’s moody post-rock-jazz hybrid take the stage.
On 14 June, Warp Records takes over the Barbican for A Warp Happening—a day of AV experiments and archive magic that ends in a thunderous finale. June’s also blessed with Rampage: Carnival Classics 2, Ligeti Quartet: Nuc, and Jeff Mills reuniting with the LSO for a 20th-anniversary edition of Blue Potential. Goosebumps guaranteed.
Not Just Sound: Visual Arts and Theatre Light Up the Barbican
If you need a moment of visual calm (or chaos of a different kind), check out Encounters: Giacometti x Huma Bhabha (8 May – 10 Aug). This intimate exhibition draws eerie parallels between post-war existentialism and contemporary sculpture.
Meanwhile, theatre gets a jolt of brilliance with the Olivier-winning Fiddler on the Roof (24 May – 19 Jul) and the London premiere of Good Night, Oscar (31 Jul – 21 Sep), starring Sean Hayes in an award-snatching role. Yes, Will & Grace’s Jack is coming to the Barbican—and he brought drama.
Barbican Soundscape: A London Vibe Worth Hearing
Frequencies is more than a themed season. It’s a deep dive into how sound can drive change, spark rebellion, and carve out new realities. From the physics of vibration to the politics of pirate broadcasts, it’s a love letter to sonic subculture—and an open invitation to all Shoreditch creatives who live for culture with a beat.
So this summer, skip the noise-cancelling headphones. Crank the volume. Whether it’s immersive VR, a sculpture that whispers, or a DJ set vibrating through concrete, Barbican is reminding us that sound is not just art. It’s a force.
Explore Frequencies. Shake your senses. Stay a little longer.