Jazz Cafe Festival Confirms Classic and Contemporary Lineup for Debut Event

Sunday, September 15th, marks Jazz Cafe’s anticipated venture into the festival world. Festival goers are absolutely spoiled for choice this summer, and this is not one to be overlooked. For those unfamiliar with the Jazz Cafe in Camden Town, this venue has been a place to discover artists on the cusp of greatness and see world-famous icons on one of the most intimate, grassroots stages. After 35 years in the game, Jazz Cafe has stepped foot into the world of festivals.

The festival occurs over four stages in the spacious Burgess Park, Camberwell. In true Jazz Cafe essence, you can expect to see some of the most exciting acts in hip hop and rap, soul, jazz, Latin, R&B, and tastemaker electronic from live to classic and contemporary disco and house. Most of these acts have graced the venue’s stage in the past year or two, a great opportunity to relive the shows or catch anybody you missed the first time.

I think it’s time to dive into this star-studded lineup, starting with the acts that I’m personally most excited for, and you should be, too. None other than The Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt who took to The Jazz Cafe stage in August for the Doris 10th anniversary afterparty and to celebrate the release of Voir Dire. Fans of these two amazing artists will remember the fever-dream-like rollout for the album and will be glad to see these two after spending some time with the album.

Next up, on a similar wavelength but in his own lane is arguably the best hip-hop artist of the last ten years (maybe ever) Roc Marciano. I had the pleasure of seeing Roc perform at the Jazz Cafe in September. I left the venue stunned by the sheer amount of hits this man has in his discography. It’s just silly. Earlier this year Roc dropped Marciology, the fifth instalment of his iconic Marci-series, which you can expect to hear live at Jazz Cafe Festival.

It wouldn’t be very Jazz Cafe if we didn’t take it back to London to put the spotlight on emerging talent from the city. Starting with BXKS a rapper closely affiliated with Victory Lap Radio who are making noise within the London underground scene. With the release of her 2024 EP One Time BXKS treads the line between hip hop and jazz. I can’t think of another artist more suitable for the job.

Another standout act on the bill is South London-raised artist Ojerime, who has made her name-making ’90s style R&B with a modern twist. Ojerime isn’t afraid to set foot outside of her reimagined ’90s world which can be seen in her latest collaboration with Jawnino on the track “Short Stories,” which also features MIKE.

Potentially responsible for the resurgence of the UK jazz scene, Gilles Peterson, will headline the In The Round Dance Stage. Usually equipped with a selection of vinyl gems, Gilles rarely fails to bring the energy whilst remaining tasteful. Other acts include the prolific female rapper Rapsody who very recently dropped her highly anticipated studio album titled please don’t cry which includes features from Erykah Badu and Alex Isley. Baby Rose, ELIZA, and Buena Vista All Stars will also be performing. The full lineup can be found below.

The Jazz Cafe Festival Lineup:

Alchemist
Baby Rose
Buena Vista All Stars
BXKS
Cherise
Crazy P Soundsystem
dialE
Earl Sweatshirt
ELIZA
Gilles Peterson
Habibi Funk
Jordss
Kirollus
Rapsody
Roc Marciano
Soichi Terada (Live)
MiNNA
Moonchild Sanelly
Nils Frahm
Ojerime
Omar Souleyman
Qendresa
The Dome hosted by: Trippin Ends

For more information on the festival and ticket details, head over to the official website.