2025 in British music

See also: Timeline of musical events

This is a summary of the year 2025 in British music.

Events

January

• 1 January: BBC One sees in the New Year with Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who performs and hosts a "New Year Disco".
• 2 January : Neil Young announces he will not play the 2025 Glastonbury Festival because it is partnered with the BBC and he believes it to be "under corporate control".
• 3 January : Neil Young announces he will headline Glastonbury a day after saying he had turned down a slot because of the BBC's involvement in the event.
• 4 January :A statue of musician Rory Gallagher is unveiled at Belfast's Ulster Hall.
• 8 January :
  • UK music fans spent £2.4bn on streaming and vinyl during 2024, data shows, exceeding the previous record of £2.2bn in 2001.
  • A UK inquest into the death of singer Liam Payne opens, and hears that he died as a result of "polytrauma".
• 10 January :
  • Chappell Roan wins BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2025.
  • The Elton John compilation album Diamonds reaches number one in the UK Albums chart after 374 weeks.
  • Le Pub, a music venue in Newport which was threatened with closure, has been bought by a community enterprise, Music Venue Properties (MVP), which aims to protect live music locations.
• 16 January :The Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung announces Sir Simon Rattle as the recipient of the 2025 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.

February

• 4 February : The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Vanessa Reed as its next chief executive, effective 2 June 2025.
• 5 February : It is announced that Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath will reunite for a final fundraising concert in Birmingham on 5 July.
• 12 February :Oasis and New Order are among 14 acts on the 2025 longlist for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• 13 February :
  • It is announced that Mariah Carey will headline Brighton Pride on 2 August.
  • English Heritage announces that Marc Bolan is among a number of people to be honoured with blue plaques.
• 20 February : Charges are dropped against a friend of Liam Payne and two members of staff at the hotel in Argentina where he died.
• 25 February : Release of Is This What We Want?, a silent album co-written by more than 1,000 musicians, including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush, as a protest against planned changes to UK copyright law, which they argue will make it easier for AI companies to train models using copyrighted material without a licence.

March

• 1 March – The 2025 Brit Awards take place at The O2 in London. The ceremony will feature a performance by Sabrina Carpenter.
• 4 March – Edwyn Collins announces he is to stop touring live later in 2025 following a farewell tour.
• 5 March – Coldplay are to pick the acts for a Super Bowl-style half-time show during the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, the first time such a concert has been staged during the World Cup.
• 6 March –
  • Media regulator Ofcom have received 825 complaints about ITV's coverage of the Brit Awards ceremony, the majority of them about Sabrina Carpenter's pre-watershed opening performance and Charli XCX's outfit.
  • The winners of the 2025 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards are announced at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
• 7 March – All-female country trio Remember Monday are chosen to represent the UK at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest with their song "What the Hell Just Happened?".
• 8 March – Belfast is announced as the host of the 2026 Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann (All-Ireland Fleadh), which will take place in August 2026.
• 10 March – King Charles III launches a personal playlist, The King's Music Room, through Apple Music with songs that have been important to him. Songs include tracks by Bob Marley, Kylie Minogue and Grace Jones.
• 13 March – Sugababes release their new single "Jungle".
• 17 March – Stevie Wonder is announced as the headline act at the 2025 Lytham Festival, and will perform on 3 July.
• 20 March – Stormzy is nominated for an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge in recognition of his philanthropic work and impact on education, music, sport and literature.
• 21 March – BBC Radio Wales DJ Aleighcia Scott reaches number one in the iTunes Reggae Chart with her first Welsh-language single, "Dod o'r Galon".
• 22 March – The Searchers announce they will stop touring after 68 years, ending with their Glastonbury debut at the 2025 Festival.
• 25 March – The Competition and Markets Authority says that Ticketmaster "may have misled Oasis fans" with unclear pricing over the band's reunion tour.
• 28 March – Release date of Sweet Illusions, the debut music album of actor Peter Capaldi.
• 29 March – Launch of the Black Welsh Music Awards, designed to recognise talented black musicians in Wales.

April

• 2 April – Muse have cancelled a forthcoming concert in Istanbul after the promoter insulted anti-government protestors in Turkey, leading to pressure from fans and local artists.
• 3 April – The Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) announces the appointment of Nikki Iles as the next principal conductor of the NDR Big Band, the first woman to be named to the post, effective with the 2025–2026 season, with an initial contract of two years.
• 8 April – Sugababes release their latest single "Weeds".
• 10 April – Pulp announce the forthcoming release of a new album, More, as well as the release of "Spike Island", their first single since 2001.
• 11 April – Elton John's collaborative album with Brandi Carlile, Who Believes in Angels?, reaches number one in the UK Albums Chart, giving him the 10th number one album of his career.
• 18 April – Sault surprise-releases their new studio album 10.
• 27 April – A final tranche of tickets for the Glastonbury Festival 2025 goes on sale, and sells out within 20 minutes.
• 28 April – Bad Company and Joe Cocker are among acts inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
• 29 April – The Eden Project cancels a planned appearance by Irish Republican rappers Kneecap at its 2025 Eden Sessions festival in July following the emergence of video in which one of the band's members appeared to condone the killing of MPs.

May

• 2 May – Lewis Capaldi makes a surprise guest appearance to play a set at Edinburgh's Assembly Rooms during a benefit gig for the Campaign Against Living Miserably, a suicide prevention charity.
• 14 May – English National Opera announces the appointment of André de Ridder as its next music director, effective with the 2027–2028 season.
• 15–24 May – Norwich Jazz Festival returns after a 20 year hiatus.
• 16 May – South London resident Rebekah Shaman wins a High Court challenge over the use of Brockwell Park for a series of regular music events, arguing that the local council does not have the correct planning permission for the events. The decision means a number of events may have to be cancelled.
• 22 May – Olly Murs ends a show at Glasgow's Ovo Hydro after walking off stage because he was struggling with his voice.
• 27 May – News reports indicate a reversal of plans by Cardiff University to axe its music department.
• 28 May
  • Irish rap group Kneecap say they have been axed from Glasgow's TRNSMT festival because of police concerns about safety.
  • The London Mozart Players announce that Flynn Le Brocq is to stand down as its chief executive officer at the end of August 2025.

June

• 4–6 June – The 2025 Stendhal Festival takes place in Limavady, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Headline acts include the Lightning Seeds and Kate Nash.
• 7 June – Sir Paul McCartney makes a surprise guest appearance at Anfield stadium to duet with Bruce Springsteen during the second night of the Liverpool leg of Springsteen's Land of Hope and Dreams tour.
• 9 June –
  • It is announced that the 2026 Brit Awards will be held at Manchester's Co-op Live arena, the first time the ceremony has been held outside London.
  • Glastonbury Festival organiser Emily Eavis says the festival has sold "a few thousand less tickets" in 2025 to help ease the build up of heavy crowds.
• 13 June – Pulp reach number one in the UK Albums Chart with their latest release, More, their first number one since 1998.
• 20 June – Dua Lipa plays her first concert at Wembley Stadium, which includes an appearance by Jamiraquai's Jay Kay for a duet of his 1996 song "Virtual Insanity".
• 21 June – Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says he does not think a planned performance by Kneecap at the Glastonbury Festival 2025 is "appropriate".
• 22 June – Liverpool's On the Waterfront Festival is halted after Lionel Duke, drummer with The Christians, suffers a cardiac arrest while playing on stage.
• 24 June – A report by Arts Council Wales warns that Welsh folk music could be extinct within a generation unless the situation is urgently addressed.
• 25 June – Stormzy is awarded an honorary degree from the University of Cambridge for his work in helping black students into higher education.
• 26 June – The BBC confirms that it will not be broadcasting Neil Young's Glastonbury Festival 2025 set at the request of the artist after he previously stated the festival was a "corporate turn-off" because of the BBC's involvement. This decision is later reversed.
• 27 June –
  • Lewis Capaldi returns to Glastonbury two years after taking a break because of his mental health.
  • The 1975 are the Friday night headline act on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury.
• 28 June –
  • Glastonbury's mystery act billed as Patchwork is revealed to be Pulp, who play a Saturday evening gig on the Pyramid Stage.
  • Neil Young is the Saturday night headline act on the Pyramid Stage, with the concert broadcast on BBC Two, while Charli XCX headlines on The Other Stage. Her gig, broadcast on BBC One, draws the larger audience.
  • Kneecap play the West Holts stage at Glastonbury, and use the opportunity to criticise the prime minister with expletive-laden chants.
  • Kneecap's appearance is preceded by rap duo Bob Vylan, who lead chants calling for death to the Israeli Defence Force. The BBC says footage of the gig will not be made available on BBC iPlayer, while festival organisers say they are "appalled" by the incident.
  • Avon and Somerset Police say they will retrieve footage of Kneecap's performance, along with that of Bob Vylan to see if an offence has been committed.
• 29 June –
  • Rod Stewart plays the legends slot at Glastonbury.
  • Olivia Rodrigo headlines the Pyramid Stage on the final night of Glastonbury 2025.
• 30 June –
  • Avon and Somerset Police launch a criminal investigation to determine whether comments made by Bob Vylan and Kneecap at their respective Glastonbury concerts constituted a criminal offence.
  • The BBC issues a statement in which it says it should have cut away from the livestream of Bob Vylan's concert following their anti-IDF chant. The statement comes after Ofcom said the BBC "clearly has questions to answer" over its coverage, and the UK government questioned why the comments were aired live.

July

• 2 July – Rap duo Bob Vylan are dropped from the Radar Festival, whre they were due to headline the Manchester event on 5 July.
• 3 July – The BBC tells a small number of staff to step back from their day-to-day roles on music and live events following the broadcast of Bob Vylan's Glastonbury gig.
• 4 July – Oasis begin their five-month reunion tour in Cardiff, the band's first live concerts in 16 years.
• 5 July – Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath play what they say will be their final gig, titled Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park in Birmingham. The event raises £140m for local charities.
• 7 July – Irish rap group Kneecap use a concert at the O2 Academy Glasgow to criticise Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, for being among those who said the band should not appear at the TRNSMT festival.
• 9 July – Sugababes release "Shook", the next single from their upcoming album.
• 10 July – Kneecap say they have been banned from displaying one of their posters on the London Underground.
• 11 July – Oasis return to Manchester for the first of five gigs at the city's Heaton Park.
• 12 July –
  • BST Hyde Park cancels the final day of the festival, scheduled for 13 July, after Jeff Lynne pulls out of an appearance with his band, Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra, due to ill health.
  • Fans of Ozzy Osbourne are offered the chance to meet the Black Sabbath frontman for £666 at Comic Con Midlands in Birmingham.
• 18 July – Avon and Somerset Police conclude their investigation into Kneecap's Glastonbury performance, announcing that no further action will be taken against the rap group.
• 19 July – A cast member unfurls a Palestinian flag on stage during the curtain call of a performance of Il trovatore at London's Royal Opera House.
• 22 July – An agreement between the UK government and music industry will see better pay for session musicians and songwriters, with musicians guaranteed £75 per day plus expenses whenever they attend sessions or songwriting camp.
• 23 July – Fans in the UK and around the world pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, frontman of Black Sabbath and pioneer of heavy metal, following his death the previous day.
• 30 July – Thousands of people line the streets of Birmingham to watch a funeral procession for Ozzy Osbourne.
• 31 July – Jess Glynne criticises the White House for using a meme featuring her 2015 song "Hold My Hand" in a post about deportation.

August

• 1 August – The Baptist Union of Wales confirms that a campaign group set up to save Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where the hymn "Cwm Rhondda" was first performed in December 1907, will be allowed to buy the building.
• 9 August – An investigation is launched after The Sun reports that around 200 people were allowed into an Oasis gig at Wembley Stadium without buying tickets and were instead asked to pay £350 to be let into the venue through a disabled access entrance.

September

• 5–7 September – Radio 2 in the Park takes place at Hylands Park in Chelmsford, with Bryan Adams and Def Leppard headlining.

Bands disbanded

• Gang of Four
• Porridge Radio
• The Priests
• Tapir!

Bands reformed

• The Beta Band
• Black Sabbath (for final farewell gig)
• Five (original line-up)
• Gene
• Girl Thing

Classical works

• Sir George Benjamin – 'Interludes and Aria' from Lessons in Love and Violence
• Kieran Brunt – The Hologram of St. Cecilia
• Arowah (Anjelica Cleaver) – 'In This World Of War, Peace is What We're Fighting For'
• Anna Clyne – The Eye
• Erland Cooper – Birds of Paradise
• Jasdeep Singh Degun – Abbhā (A Tribute to Ustad Vilayat Khan)
• Donnacha Dennehy – Hard Landing
• Jasper Dommett – King Torques Hollow Acetate
• Natalie Holt – Eyjafjallajökull
• Sir Stephen Hough – Nocturne for September 10th 2001
• Sir Karl Jenkins – 'The Signs Still Point the Way'
• Sir James MacMillan – 'Where the Lugar meets the Glaisnock' (euphonium concerto)
• David Matthews – Serenade and Tango
• Thea Musgrave – In memoriam 2022
• Nkeiru Okoye – And The People Celebrated
• Rakhi Singh – 'There is nothing in the sky'
• Aileen Sweeney – Views from the M9
• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Sco (guitar concerto)
• Errollyn Wallen – Remembering 2012

New operas

• Mark-Anthony Turnage and Lee Hall – Festen

British music awards

2025 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards

• Chamber-Scale Composition: Sarah Lianne Lewis – letting the light in
• Conductor: Kazuki Yamada
• Ensemble: Paraorchestra
• Gamechanger: NMC Recordings
• Impact: Re:Discover Festival – Streetwise Opera
• Inspiration: Open Arts Community Choir
• Instrumentalist: Laura van der Heijden
•  Large-Scale Composition: Katherine Balch – whisper concerto
• Opera and Music Theatre: Death in Venice – Welsh National Opera
• Series and Events: The Cumnock Tryst
• Singer: Claire Booth
• Storytelling: Classical Africa – BBC Radio 3
• Young Artist: GBSR Duo

Charts and sales

Number-one singles

The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Song	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
2 January	"Last Christmas"	Wham!	114,290
9 January	"That's So True"	Gracie Abrams	46,869
16 January			49,122
23 January			50,584
30 January	"Messy"	Lola Young	50,697
6 February			56,524
13 February			56,479
20 February			51,751
27 February	"Not Like Us"	Kendrick Lamar	52,507
6 March			37,456
13 March	"Pink Pony Club"	Chappell Roan	38,646
20 March			39,032
27 March	"Ordinary"	Alex Warren	49,451
3 April			62,369
10 April			71,522
17 April			73,490
24 April			70,615
1 May			66,007
8 May			69,243
15 May			65,972
22 May			66,035
29 May			63,651
5 June			61,286
12 June			60,524
19 June	"Manchild"	Sabrina Carpenter	62,373
26 June	"Ordinary"	Alex Warren	59,221
3 July	"Manchild"	Sabrina Carpenter	45,756
10 July	"Survive"	Lewis Capaldi	68,414
17 July	"Dior"	MK featuring Chrystal	39,701
24 July			42,157
31 July	"Daisies"	Justin Bieber	40,643
7 August	"Golden"	Huntr/x	42,853
14 August	"The Subway"	Chappell Roan	54,491

Number-one albums

The albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Artist(s)	Chart sales	References
2 January	Christmas	Michael Bublé	27,016
9 January	+–=÷× (Tour Collection)	Ed Sheeran	15,606
16 January	Diamonds	Elton John	14,759
23 January	The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess	Chappell Roan	10,191
30 January	Better Man	Robbie Williams	43,238
6 February	Can't Rush Greatness	Central Cee	42,372
13 February	Hurry Up Tomorrow	The Weeknd	33,694
20 February	Lover (Live from Paris)	Taylor Swift	46,812
27 February	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	34,091
6 March	People Watching	Sam Fender	107,124
13 March	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	17,761
20 March	Mayhem	Lady Gaga	55,577
27 March	Music	Playboi Carti	21,666
3 April	Koko	The Lottery Winners	23,420
10 April	Rushmere	Mumford & Sons	35,655
17 April	Who Believes in Angels?	Elton John and Brandi Carlile	22,843
24 April	God Shaped Hole	Those Damn Crows	16,412
1 May	The Tortured Poets Department	Taylor Swift	28,945
8 May	Make 'Em Laugh, Make 'Em Cry, Make 'Em Wait	Stereophonics	31,195
15 May	Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII	Pink Floyd	13,870
22 May	Even in Arcadia	Sleep Token	28,223
29 May	I'm the Problem	Morgan Wallen	19,474
5 June	Short n' Sweet	Sabrina Carpenter	9,684
12 June	+–=÷× (Tour Collection)	Ed Sheeran	9,908
19 June	More	Pulp	29,948
26 June	Don't Tell the Dog	James Marriott	14,528
3 July	Idols	Yungblud	25,947
10 July	Virgin	Lorde	18,848
17 July	Time Flies... 1994–2009	Oasis	21,015
24 July	Moisturizer	Wet Leg	26,014
31 July	You'll Be Alright, Kid	Alex Warren	20,843
7 August	Pretty on the Internet	The K's	25,032
14 August	Bite Me	Reneé Rapp	15,643

Number-one compilation albums

The compilation albums chart includes a proportion for streaming.

Chart date (week ending)	Album	Chart sales	References
2 January	Wicked: The Soundtrack	12,338
9 January		8,919
16 January		8,886
23 January		8,578
30 January		7,037
6 February		6,014
13 February		5,256
20 February		6,920
27 February		4,404
6 March		3,613
13 March		3,840
20 March		3,411
27 March	The Greatest Showman	3,129
3 April		3,067
10 April	Now Presents Clubland	3,385
17 April	Now 120	8,998
24 April		3,890
1 May	The Greatest Showman	2,564
8 May	Now Yearbook 1989	4,881
15 May	The Greatest Showman	2,553
22 May		2,580
29 May	Eurovision Song Contest: Basel 2025	10,976
5 June		6,211
12 June	Now 70s 2025	4,080
19 June	Hamilton	3,538
26 June		3,600
3 July	KPop Demon Hunters	4,015
10 July		7,871
17 July		10,079
24 July		11,751
31 July		14,465
7 August		16,176
14 August		17,521

Deaths

• 2 January – Russ North, 59, English heavy metal singer (Cloven Hoof).
• 9 January – Laurie Holloway, 86, English pianist, musical director and composer.
• 10 January – Colin Carter, 76, British musician (Flash).
• 13 January – Elgar Howarth, 89, English conductor, composer and trumpeter.
• 15 January – Linda Nolan, 65, Irish-English singer, actress and television personality.
• 18 January – Claire van Kampen, 71, English composer (Royal Shakespeare Company), playwright and theatre director, cancer.
• 20 January – John Sykes, 65, English guitarist (Tygers of Pan Tang, Whitesnake) and songwriter ("Is This Love"), cancer. (death announced on this date)
• 25 January – Edweena Banger, British musician (The Nosebleeds, Slaughter & The Dogs). (death announced on this date)
• 30 January – Marianne Faithfull, 78, English singer ("As Tears Go By"), songwriter ("Broken English") and actress (The Girl on a Motorcycle).
• 1 February – Peter Bassano, 79–80, English trombonist ("Hey Jude") and conductor.
• 5 February – Mike Ratledge, 81, British musician (Soft Machine).
• 8 February – Howard Riley (musician), 81, English jazz and free improvising pianist .
• 12 February – Denis Wick, 93, British trombonist.
• 17 February – Jamie Muir, 82, Scottish painter and musician (King Crimson).
• 18 February – Rick Buckler, 69, English drummer (the Jam).
• 19 February – Snowy Fleet, 79, English-born Australian drummer (The Easybeats).
• 25 February – Simon Lindley, 76, English organist, choirmaster and composer.
• 1 March – Joey Molland, 77, English songwriter, guitarist (Badfinger)
• 3 March – Geraint Jarman, 74, Welsh musician, poet and television producer.
• 6 March – Brian James, 70, English punk rock guitarist (The Damned, The Lords of the New Church) and songwriter ("New Rose").
• 10 March – Stedman Pearson, 60, British singer (Five Star), complications from diabetes.
• 17 March – Peter Farrelly, 76, Northern Irish musician (Fruupp). (death announced on this date)
• 22 March – Paul Wagstaff, British guitarist (Paris Angels, Black Grape). (death announced on this date)
• 24 March – Alan Cuckston, classical harpsichordist, pianist, conductor, and lecturer, 85
• 5 April – Dave Allen, 69, English bassist (Gang of Four, Shriekback, King Swamp).
• 11 April – Mike Berry, 82, English singer ("The Sunshine of Your Smile") and actor (Are You Being Served?, Worzel Gummidge).
• 18 April – Clodagh Rodgers, 78, Northern Irish singer ("Come Back and Shake Me", "Jack in the Box").
• 21 April – Martin Longborough, opera administrator and founder of Longborough Festival Opera, 83
• 24 April – Roy Phillips, 83, British musician (The Peddlers).
• 26 April – Charles Beare, 87–88, British violin expert and craftsman.
• 27 April – Wizz Jones, 86, English acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter.
• 28 April – Mike Peters, 66, Welsh rock singer (The Alarm) and songwriter ("Sixty Eight Guns"), chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
• 7 May – Ronald Corp, classical composer and conductor, 74
• 10 May – Matthew Best, 68, classical conductor and singer.
• 25 May – Simon House, 76, English multi-instrumentalist (Hawkwind, David Bowie, Third Ear Band).
• 2 June – Colin Jerwood, 63, English punk singer (Conflict).
• 11 June – Douglas McCarthy, 58, English musician (Nitzer Ebb).
• 13 June – Honest John Plain, 73, English guitarist and singer (The Boys).
• 16 June – John Reid, 61, Scottish record producer, singer (Nightcrawlers) and songwriter. (death announced on this date)
• 19 June – James Prime, 64, Scottish musician (Deacon Blue), cancer.
• 20 June – Patrick Walden, 46, English guitarist (Babyshambles).
• 23 June – Mick Ralphs, 81, English Hall of Fame guitarist (Mott the Hoople, Bad Company) and songwriter ("Feel Like Makin' Love"), complications from a stroke. (death announced on this date)
• 29 June – Stuart Burrows, 92, Welsh operatic tenor.
• 4 July – Kevin Riddles, 68, British bassist and keyboardist (Angel Witch, Tytan).
• 13 July – Dave Cousins, 85, English musician (Strawbs) and songwriter ("Lay Down", "Shine on Silver Sun").
• 15 July – Billy April, 61, British musician (Driza Bone), record producer and songwriter. (death announced on this date)
• 18 July – Sir Roger Norrington, 91, British conductor.
• 22 July –
  • Ozzy Osbourne, 76, English musician (Black Sabbath).
  • John Palmer, 82, English musician (Family, Blossom Toes, Bakerloo). (death announced on this date)
• 24 July – Dame Cleo Laine, 97, English jazz singer.
• 29 July – Paul Mario Day, 69, English singer (Iron Maiden, More, The Sweet), cancer.
• 5 August – Terry Reid, 75, English rock singer (Peter Jay and the Jaywalkers). (death announced on this date)

See also

• 2025 in British radio
• 2025 in British television
• 2025 in the United Kingdom
• List of British films of 2025