Somerset House Summer Series with American Express announces Support Acts for 2025 festival line-up

Nell Mescal, set to support Freya Ridings, is an emerging Irish singer-songwriter acclaimed for her emotionally resonant lyrics and distinctive vocal style. Her debut EP, Can I Miss It for a Minute?, released in 2024, garnered critical praise for its introspective exploration of themes such as friendship and personal growth. Mescal has supported renowned artists including Shania Twain and Florence + The Machine, and has performed at prominent festivals like Wilderness in Oxfordshire and Rock en Seine in Paris, winning new fans at every show.

Fresh off the back of his sold-out UK and European tour earlier this year, Jacob Banks brings his powerful, soul-drenched sound to Somerset House for a one-night-only performance as part of the Summer Series. A special guest will be announced soon, set to open the evening with a standout performance of their own.

Support acts for the upcoming Parov Stelar show at Somerset House will be announced in the coming weeks, teasing even more excitement to what promises to be an unforgettable night. Known globally for his groundbreaking fusion of jazz, swing, and electronic music, Parov Stelar has built a reputation for delivering exhilarating live performances that blur the lines between dancefloor euphoria and jazz club sophistication. With past collaborations including Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, and Marvin Gaye, and multiple Amadeus Austrian Music Awards to his name, his headline set will be a true highlight of the Summer Series.

The world premiere of rituals: union black, the upcoming documentary film by Sundance award-winning and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr., will feature a specially commissioned live score performed by Dennis Bovell, Charlie Dark, Klein, and Kwake Bass, with more acts to be announced. The score will accompany Akinola Davies Jr.’s moving-image essay that intimately captures the everyday rituals and rhythms of Black life in the UK.

Dennis Bovell is a legendary British reggae producer, dub innovator, and musician whose groundbreaking work has shaped the sound of Black British music for over five decades. He defined UK roots reggae in the 1970s and 1980’s as a member of Matumbi, while his solo dub albums became essential listening for audiophiles and producers worldwide. A master of the studio, Bovell produced key records for The Slits, Fela Kuti, Janet Kay, and Madness and collaborated with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. A tireless live performer, his enduring legacy continues to inspire new generations of musicians across reggae, punk, and electronic music.

Formerly one-third of the influential Mo’ Wax-signed group Attica Blues, Charlie Dark is a celebrated poet, DJ, educator, and cultural changemaker whose career spans music, literature, and community activism. As founder of Run Dem Crew, Charlie transformed the urban running landscape by fusing fitness with creativity and community, earning an MBE in 2021 for services to the arts and young people.

London-based composer, producer and multidisciplinary artist, Klein speaks an avant-garde sonic language. Known for her visionary work merging classical composition, gospel, noise, and R&B into haunting, fragmented soundscapes, she has been hailed by The Wire and Pitchfork for her uncompromising artistry. A distinctive force in the UK’s experimental and Black electronic music scene, she premiered her operatic film Care at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2022, and has performed internationally at venues such as MoMA PS1, Serpentine Galleries, and Unsound Festival.

Kwake Bass is a pioneering drummer, producer, and musical director whose bold, experimental approach has made him a key figure in the UK’s genre-crossing music landscape. Collaborating with Mercury Prize nominees Kae Tempest and Sampha, Tirzah, Mica Levi, and MF DOOM, he has led a number of flawless high-profile live performances at Glastonbury, the Barbican and Tate Modern. A founding member of the Speakers Corner Quartet, Kwake Bass curates and champions experimental Black British sound culture through his influential work across music, film, and live performance.

Commissioned with support from BBC Film and set for release through BBC at a later date, rituals: union black is a poetic, ethnographic journey through the everyday moments that shape and sustain Black British communities. From Liverpool to Huddersfield, Sheffield to Manchester, Davies Jr. invites viewers into intimate portrayals of worship, carnivals, weddings, funerals, spirituality, cooking, and joy, celebrating the vibrant rituals that pulse through life in neighbourhoods outside London’s dominant cultural lens.

In celebration of this world premiere,Turner Prize-winning Chris Ofili’s Union Black flag will fly high over the Somerset House courtyard throughout Summer Series while Larry Achiampong’s Pan African Flag for the Relic Travellers’ Alliance, which was created during the artist’s residency at Somerset House Studios, will also be on view during this special occasion.

Supporting Nashville-based singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun, The Halfway Kid is the musical project of British-Sudanese singer and songwriter Saeed Gadir, whose genre-fluid work stands at the forefront of a new wave of contemporary folk. Marked by raw honesty and tender vulnerability, Gadir has received notable support from tastemakers across BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music and Radio X. The Halfway Kid project is part of a new folk tradition which offers space for reflection and communal resonance, as demonstrated by five sold-out headline shows in recent years.

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, art-punk five-piece Gustaf will support visionary musician St. Vincent at this year’s Somerset House Summer Series. Hailed as “fun, frenetic, and completely addictive” by The Guardian following the release of their debut album Audio Drag for Ego Slobs in 2021, Gustaf are widely regarded as a force within the modern art-punk revival. They solidified this burgeoning reputation while touring with the likes of IDLES, Beck and B-52’s where their driving basslines, spoken-word vocals, and chaotic energy connected on another level. Last year, the five-piece released their electrifying second album Package Pt 2 to critical acclaim, sustaining themselves as New York’s most vital new acts.

Manchester-based indie outfit The Guest List have quickly established themselves as a rising force in the UK’s guitar music scene, making them the perfect support act to Scottish superstars The Snuts. Since releasing their self-titled debut EP in December 2024, The Guest List has amassed a growing and loyal following on social media, praised for their jangly guitars, big choruses, and energetic performances. Rooted in the sonic lineage of Britpop and post-punk revival, The Guest List are crafting catchy, anthemic tunes that resonate with the next generation of indie fans.

Australia’s The Paper Kites play their only UK date of 2025 at Somerset House Summer Series, and this exclusive night features a richly curated lineup with Nadia Reid and Benjamin Francis Leftwich.

Now based in Manchester, New Zealand-native Nadia Reid emerged as a folk-inspired force of nature with her 2015 debut Listen to Formation, Look for the Signs. Reid’s work has documented a decade of her life and career, and her latest album Enter Now Brightness discusses motherhood and lockdown, blended with folk, rock and delicate pop-leaning poetry.

Sharing the bill is Benjamin Francis Leftwich, the singer-songwriter known for his emotionally rich, atmospheric sound. With critically acclaimed albums such as Last Smoke Before the Snowstorm and Gratitude, and over 500 million streams worldwide, Leftwich has built a loyal following through his honest storytelling and haunting melodies. His live performances are renowned for their quiet power and poetic depth.

Natayna and Pxssy Palace will appear as part of a unique curation from globally recognised R&B stars FLO.

London-born singer-songwriter and producer Natayna was shaped by her father’s collection of Motown records, which led her to discover and be inspired by greats such as Billie Holiday, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Amy Winehouse. Blending smooth neo-soul and jazz-influenced vocals with richly experimental production, Natayna stands out as one of the most promising young artists shaping the sound of British alternative R&B. Her recent release Foolish hints at an evolving, mature sound that continues to explore vulnerability, love, and self-expression which is sure to come alive in the courtyard at Somerset House.

Featured on the Dazed 100 list, Pxssy Palace is a London-based collective and club night centering queer, trans, Black, and POC communities through music, activism, and nightlife. Their transformative impact has been felt all across the UK as noted in the 2020 documentary Pxssy Palace — part of the British Council and BFI’s FiveFilmsForFreedom festival — the collective's influence spans music, media, and community. Known for their boundary-pushing, genre-fluid DJ sets and safe, inclusive spaces, they’ve become a leading force in redefining club culture.