2025 in British music

See also: Timeline of musical events

List of years in British music
… 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 …
Art Archaeology Architecture Literature Music Philosophy Science +...

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.
• 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.
• 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 the new studio album 10.

May

• 15–24 May – Norwich Jazz Festival returns after a 20 year hiatus.

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.

Bands disbanded

• Porridge Radio
• The Priests

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
• David Matthews – Serenade and Tango
• Mark-Anthony Turnage – Sco (guitar concerto)

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

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

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

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").

See also

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