10 unmissable events in the Barbican’s summer 2025 programme: Frequencies – The Sounds That Shape Us

This summer, the Barbican Centre in London unveils Frequencies: The Sounds That Shape Us (22 May – 31 August), a bold and multi-disciplinary season that explores the transformative potential of sound. Far more than a celebration of music, Frequencies delves into how sonic experiences influence how we move, think, feel, and connect with one another. Spanning immersive exhibitions, state-of-the-art virtual reality, live performances, film screenings, talks and workshops, the programme showcases sound as a powerful force for community, resistance, creativity, and cultural change.

Reflections of Being (2025), Max Cooper. Feel the Sound at the Barbican. Installation view. 22 May – 31 August 2025. © Thomas Adank / Barbican Centre.

The season is centred around Feel the Sound, a multi-sensory exhibition that redefines how we experience sound. Featuring works by renowned sound artists such as Bill Fontana, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, Christine Sun Kim, Yuri Suzuki, Beatriz Ferreyra, and Zimoun, the exhibition spans various locations within the Barbican Centre—from The Curve to the underground car parks—and encourages visitors to use their entire bodies to engage with sound through interactive installations. Here is our pick of 10 unmissable events in the Frequencies season:

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats – VR Experience

A world premiere of the updated version of Darren Emerson’s award-winning virtual reality trip into the 1989 acid house rave scene. This innovative experience is now more immersive, allowing groups of friends to enter and explore the euphoric atmosphere of a historic rave together in shared virtual space, combining nostalgia with cutting-edge technology.

Date: 22 May – 3 August 2025. Location: The Pit, Barbican Centre. Price: £25 +BF. Book here

Jeff Mills + London Symphony Orchestra: Blue Potential

Join techno pioneer Jeff Mills and the London Symphony Orchestra for a landmark performance celebrating the 20th anniversary of Blue Potential, Mills’s groundbreaking fusion of electronic and symphonic music. This concert promises a powerful and innovative sound experience bridging genres and generations.

Date: 28 June 2025. Time: 8 pm. Location: Barbican Hall. Price: from £35.50 + BF. Book here

In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats. Image credit East City Films

Rebel Radio: Pirate Radio Takeover

Throughout June, celebrate the legacy of London’s pirate radio with a vibrant programme including a live FM and online broadcast residency by Reprezent Radio, DJ sets, interactive listening posts, a ClubStage night, and a podcast masterclass. This event captures the spirit of community, creativity, and subversion that defined pirate radio culture.

Date: Throughout June. Location: Barbican Foyers and Underground spaces. Price: Free. More information here

Ligeti Quartet: Nuc

The Ligeti Quartet will perform tracks from their 2023 album Nuc by Mercury Prize-nominated Anna Meredith, combining acoustic strings with electronic music. The show features vibrant visual projections by Ewan Morris Jones, including an animated video for “Tuggemo” that depicts a colourful, evolving natural world.

Date: 21 June 2025. Time: 7:30 pm. Location: Milton Court Concert Hall. Price: from £22.50 +BF. Book here

Rebel Radio – Pirate Radio Takeover Will take place through June at the Barbican.

Rampage: Carnival Classics 2

Celebrate the iconic sounds of Notting Hill Carnival with the legendary Rampage Sound System, joined by the 30-piece Nu Civilisation Orchestra. This event reimagines Carnival classics with a full orchestral twist, honouring over three decades of a vital cultural and musical tradition.

Date: 20 June 2025. Time: 7:30 pm. Location: Barbican Hall. Price: from £45 +BF. Book here

Concrète Waves – Actress x Suzanne Ciani

Experience a unique collaboration between electronic music innovator Actress and synthesiser pioneer Suzanne Ciani. Concrète Waves blends analogue synthesis and avant-garde soundscapes to create a live music event that pushes the boundaries of electronic composition.

Date: 30 May 2025. Time: 7:30 pm. Location: Barbican Hall. Price: from £20 +BF. Book here

Concrète Waves – Actress x Suzanne Ciani.

God Bless the Child – Performance Lecture by Christopher Harris

Filmmaker Christopher Harris presents a performance lecture on his work-in-progress film God Bless the Child. This event explores memory, history, and the materiality of film through layered sonic textures and experimental soundscapes.

Date: 27 May 2025. Time: 7pm. Location: Cinema 1, Barbican Centre. Price: £13 +BF. Book here

Good Vibrations: The Sound of Neurodivergence – Shorts Programme + ScreenTalk

A compelling programme of animated and experimental short films exploring neurodivergent experiences of sound, from hypersensitivity to silence. Curated by Lillian Crawford and Jonathan Gleneadie, the screening is followed by a ScreenTalk with Crawford and a panel of filmmakers discussing sound, sensitivity, and accessibility. Presented in a relaxed environment.

Date: 8 July 2025. Location: Cinema 2, Barbican Centre. Price: £6 +BF (Carers and companions go free) Book here

Good Vibrations: The Sound of Neurodivergence

Listening as Activism – Panel Discussion

Throughout the summer, a panel of artists and thinkers will explore how listening and sound can act as tools for social change and activism. These discussions shed light on the political and cultural power of sonic attention in contemporary society.

Check what’s on at the Barbican for more.

Dancefloor Solidarity – Talk and Workshop

Led by Nicholas Hadfield of Wavefield, this talk and workshop examine the role of the dance floor as a space for community building, solidarity, and resistance. Participants will explore how shared musical experiences can foster social connection and activism.

Date: To Be Confirmed

For the full programme and ticket bookings, visit: barbican.org.uk