SOUND OF THE CITY: WHAT BBC RADIO 1’S BIG WEEKEND LINE-UP SAYS ABOUT LIVERPOOL RIGHT NOW

When BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend announced its return to the North West for 2025, excitement across the Liverpool scene was electric. But beyond the headliners, it’s the BBC Introducing stage that continues to tell the real story of where UK music is going next — and this year, it’s Liverpool’s own that are making the loudest noise.

From 23–25 May, nine local artists will represent the city at one of the UK’s most-watched music weekends: Crawlers, Tonia, Jetta, Koj, Luvcat, Superlate, Keyside, Paisleighb, and Pixey. Together, they reflect the shape-shifting energy of Liverpool’s new sound — confident, experimental, and deeply rooted in identity. This isn’t just a good look for the city. It’s a statement.

If there’s one thing this year’s Introducing line-up makes clear, it’s that genre boundaries have well and truly dissolved. You’ve got Pixey’s indie-pop kaleidoscope, drenched in nostalgia and energy, alongside Koj’s raw, percussive blend of UK hip-hop and rap. Superlate brings futuristic R&B with sleek, emotive production, while Crawlers deliver alt-rock with edge, vulnerability, and hooks that stick. As Pixey told Liverpool Music City in her Artist Spotlight: “I’ve always just wanted to make music that makes people feel like they’re flying — like they’re in a film or a dream. Genre’s never mattered much to me.” That refusal to be boxed in seems to run through the whole line-up. It’s not about fitting in — it’s about finding freedom in sound.

The femme energy on this year’s bill is undeniable — not just in numbers, but in presence. Tonia, Jetta, Pixey, Paisleighb, and Luvcat each offer something sonically distinct, yet share a sense of confidence and creative control that reflects the city’s changing tides. Tonia, who’s been quietly building a name for herself through BBC Introducing Merseyside, shared in her LMC feature: “When I started producing for myself, it was a game-changer. I stopped waiting for someone else to give me permission.”

Meanwhile, Luvcat brings a completely different energy — theatrical, romantic, and slightly twisted. Raised on The Cure and the Rat Pack, her world is one of doomed love, smoky glamour, and noir storytelling. Her debut single Matador was described by Rolling Stone as “smouldering, sultry and unapologetically dramatic” — and that same flair is now headed for the Big Weekend stage. Paisleighb, too, is turning heads with smooth, soulful R&B that feels both contemporary and timeless — the kind of voice that commands attention without ever needing to shout. This isn’t just representation for the sake of it — it’s a wave of women rewriting what it means to be a Liverpool artist.

Liverpool has long been known for its DIY ethos — and that hasn’t changed. If anything, today’s artists are doing more with less, turning self-made beginnings into fully realised creative worlds. Keyside, who’ve built a buzz off self-recorded indie anthems and gigging across Merseyside, told Liverpool Music City: “We’ve always done things our way — rehearsals in mates’ flats, gigs in places that barely had a stage. It’s made us tighter. It’s made us ready.”

Koj, too, has stayed grounded in Liverpool’s community, using his voice to speak about identity, politics, and place with power and precision. And Superlate, through collaborative projects like Be Somebody (with Immi Dash), continues to elevate Liverpool’s soul and R&B scene in subtle but significant ways. These aren’t overnight successes — they’re stories of persistence, creativity, and self-belief. The fact that BBC Introducing is giving them a platform at scale is a testament to the value of backing local from the ground up.

This year’s Introducing line-up doesn’t just reflect where Liverpool has been. It shows where it’s going. There’s experimentation. There’s vulnerability. There’s style, depth, and soul. Whether it’s Paisleighb’s smooth R&B, Jetta’s cinematic vocals, or Pixey’s high-octane daydreams, this is a city refusing to be predictable — and refusing to be left behind.

Big Weekend might offer a national platform, but these artists have already laid their foundations. For Liverpool’s next generation, this isn’t the start. It’s the next step. And for anyone watching from outside the city, now’s the time to start paying attention.