In the run up to 2025’s inaugural SXSW, there was understandable questioning why a Texan music conference was landing in London. Not least because, while international music conferences, such as MaMA in Paris, have been thriving in capitals across the world, attempts to start a London music conference have failed to take root.

Meeting-up with the festival’s head of music, Adem Holness, at SXSW’s Shoreditch offices, it quickly becomes clear his vision for SXSW’s European offshoot is intrinsically connected to the capital. “I’m a London buck,” he grins. “It’s the city I grew up in. I’m proud of lots of things I’ve been involved in, but coming from the greatest city in the world is what I’m most proud of.

“I’ve been working in music all my adult life.” he continues, roll-calling his way through a who’s who of London music institutions. “I’ve worked with and for The Roundhouse, Arts Council England, The Barbican and was head of contemporary music at Southbank Centre. And I’ve always been particularly focused on working with artists from diverse backgrounds, to help realise their ambitions and do things they might not have been able to do otherwise.”

At the Southbank, Adem was responsible for the Royal Festival Hall’s flagship contemporary music festival, Meltdown. For this he worked alongside major artists such as Chaka Kahn, Christine and Queens, Stormzy, Max Richter and Brian Eno. “They were big, fun things,” he says.

His vision for SXSW London is equally big. “We are the third version of SXSW. It’s happened in Sidney, Australia, for a few years and obviously in Texas for forty years, so we are the European edition. But there’s no other city in the world like London. You’ve got technology businesses, credible film, TV and immersive screen industries. And, of course, an incredible music scene. Not just here in the East, but right across the city.”

Adem also says the capital’s centuries-old cosmopolitan make-up creates a natural international network, with “communities that are, through their diaspora and exchange, connected to music across the world. And, more than a decade on from the Olympics, we are due another global moment that brings communities and industries together. I feel London is the perfect place for SXSW.”

The London team’s vision for the festival and conference is very different to the event that started in Texas four decades ago. Back then Brent Gulke started SXSW to support acts being overlooked by the American music industry. Over the years it developed into a major entry-point for UK and European acts trying to break into the US market.

“SXSW started in Austin as a way of recognising artists that weren’t based in New York or LA; to help realise their ambitions and help them make in-roads into the US music industry,” Adam explains. “London is already the capital for many creative industries. So it’s not about where the artists are from geographically. There are loads of music scenes in London, across the UK, Europe and beyond. And they all benefit from the kind of pipelines into the industry London can offer. So our focus is on those underground scenes from across the globe, who are innovating in their own context, and bringing them together so they can connect with the creative industries here in London.

“The music industry is a different business to what it was when SXSW started in Texas. I wasn’t there 40 years ago of course - I wasn’t event a thought then,” he laughs. “But the idea that the music industry exists on our own now is not true any more. Technology, creative industries, film and TV - all these things offer ways for artists to build their careers on their own terms, by connecting across the creative industries.”

And while the original model of the festival was purely aimed at getting artists in front of music industry contacts, SXSW London is about connecting artists with different creative industries. “As much as it’s about getting in front of a promoter or a festival booker, it’s also about getting in front of music supervisors in other creative industries. People who can come up with other opportunities. I think it’s really important that music professionals think of ourselves within the wider creative industries.”

This transformation is also reflected in the festival in Austin, which has evolved to become as much a tech conference as it is a music one: “That’s been one of the real successes in Austin,” explains Adem. “And what we want to do here is supercharge that.”

This thinking also guided the decision to base the festival here in East London. “I think it was the most obvious choice because it’s the place where the creative industries already converge. I’m sat in the office in Shoreditch now and you’ve got silicon roundabout down the road. You’ve got the amazing heritage of club culture and underground music in Shoreditch, too. Some of the best parties I went to growing up were the ones I snuck into around here - before you had physical IDs. Plus there’s the multi-cultural heritage of Shoreditch. Communities - like the South Asian community - are here alongside the creatives. And that represents to me all of the things that make London amazing.”

The festival also seeks to include different elements of London’s music scenes by involving professionals from different communities in the selection process during programming. “I’m lucky to have a small but mighty team here working with me,” says Adem. “But we’ve also got co-curators, who each represent the future of music from their own perspective. There’s a jury of over 100 music professionals who help shortlist our submissions.”

Alongside selecting acts, the festival operates a large open call for performers. “Anyone can put themselves forward to play SXSW London. There is an open submission process, where artists can apply to play the festival or to put on their own showcase. My job is to step back and go ‘does this feel like it is true to our mission? Do these artist feel like they’ve got the right infrastructure around them to make the most out of the opportunity?’ It’s a huge collaboration between industry leaders - by which I don’t mean just major labels. I also mean people running their own club nights, in their own scenes. People who are disruptive in their own context. We’re bringing those people together to focus on what we hope the future of music looks like.”

SXSW’s intention is to engage with major players at one end, while also encouraging trends from grass roots up. “I’m also a Trustee of the Live Trust and while working at the Arts Council I led the grass roost music fund for London. So for me grassroots music is vital to the ecology and the future of music in every way. That’s what makes music in London. It’s the people who are testing and trying things out; pioneering. We’re making sure these people have the opportunity to showcase, alongside BBC Introducing or Clash Magazine. It’s what makes for genuine innovation and disruption.”

This story first appeared in the spring 2026 print edition of The Wick.