Sound City announces first wave of acts

Sitting as a shining light on the trailblazing sound of the here and now, Sound City returns as the home of new music discovery and the beating pulse of music fans’ favourite new artists across Liverpool City Centre.

Kicking off with the Sound City+ Conference on Friday 2nd May 2025 before the multi-venue festival kicks off between 3rd-4th May 2025.

Reflecting the most exciting new artists that are destined to soundtrack the year ahead – Sound City sits as a temperature check on the bands and artists making their mark before anyone else, with next year’s return already shaping up to be an unforgettable weekend in Merseyside.

Announced today is the first full wave of names heading across Liverpool City Centre next May, joining previously announced headliners The Royston Club with an array of leading new favourites, beloved rising stars and names making their mark in the year ahead.

Selling out venues across Europe and emerging as a true breakout sensation, Nieve Ella brings her anthemic indie-rock to Sound City following a year that has seen her become one of the most talked about names in new music. Latest EP ‘Watch it Ache And Bleed’ cements why, and by the time Sound City rolls around it’s a surefire guarantee that Nieve Ella will be THE name on everyone’s lips.

Rianne Downey heads to The festival for 2025 after a spectacular few years which has transformed her into the beloved voice that spans generations. After being hand-picked by the iconic Paul Heaton to perform with him across his latest live show and album, fans will see just why Rianne sits a cut above the rest when she steps onto the stage as a special Afternoon Headliner. Blazing a trail for modern guitar music, overpass are sure to elicit unstoppable scenes – with cuts like ‘Be Good To Yourself’, ‘Of The Night’, ‘Beautiful’ and more showcasing why sell-out gigs an ever-building rise has followed.

The feel-good punk fizz of Panic Shack is destined to be an unmissable highlight from a band who take the live music experience and run with it for a Sound City moment that’s sure to see moshpits and singalong joy, whilst the all-encompassing hooks of Siobhan Winifred touch down and prove why an ever-growing world of fans are flocking to the front for a future indie-pop superstar that’s ready to seize 2025.

Homecomings and the best of local talent bursting from Liverpool can be found front and centre with The Cheap Thrills whose appearance is guaranteed to be a roadblock of epic proportions as they emerge as a bursting force in modern indie. The hypnotising and magnetic darkness of TTSFU comes after making waves across the UK as an essential new artist forging her own distinct path, whilst Maya Delilah touches down with her transformative heart-on-sleeve songwriting bound to leave Sound City in awe of an inspiring new voice making waves.

With Alex Spencer, The Clause, Delights, Cliffords, The Stingrays, Mandrake Handshake, Basht, The Heavy North, Better Joy, Mitch Saunders and more announced today, it sets the festival apart, that perfectly distills not only amazing new artists making their mark, but also as a reflection of a scene that music fans are creating for themselves. The beating pulse of breaking music, Sound City is about unearthing tomorrow’s chart-toppers and Glasto headliners during a venue-hopping weekend across one of the world’s defining music capitals.

Speaking about Sound City 2025 and the first wave of names announced today, Managing Director Becky Ayres says:

“We’re delighted to reveal our first wave of names heading to Sound City in 2025, joining our first announced headliner in The Royston Club. Everything we are about at Sound City is on the here and now, the artists shaping the future, and the industry’s next steps. We’re especially proud that today’s lineup is 60% made up of female and gender-diverse artists. That’s why we are the UK’s lead festival for Keychange, spearheading the next generation and providing that platform and route for underrepresented artists. We can see that across the names being announced today, with so much more to be unveiled in the coming weeks and months.”