SXSW London 2025 Music Highlights: Benedict Cork, Mabel, Bentley Robles, Jude York and I Am Roze
Editor’s note: Please welcome our newest EQ Music contributor Helen Kimber to the blog. Helen was on reporting duty at this year’s inaugural SXSW London and here’s her roving report on her EQ Music picks that she got to see live and recommends that you check out!
British singer-songwriter Benedict Cork was the first artist I saw at SXSW London this year, having been in love with the deluxe version of his album ‘Notes On A Hopeless Romance’. Benedict
started his SXSW set singing with an a capella version of ‘Sanctuary’ that had the audience captivated
from the get-go. Benedict has a way of showing emotional vulnerability in his music whilst also
being incredibly relatable as he talks candidly to the audience between his songs. He plays the
piano with ease and fluidity making some of the live introductions to his songs seem almost dream-
like. He adds unreleased track ‘Don’t Waste Your Roses On Me’ to his set and explains the song’s origin
story from his time spent in Nashville navigating the dating app Hinge. Benedict delivered a
beautiful half hour set with the promise of returning to Hoxton Hall later that summer for his next
headline show. He also wrote original music for the theatre production of ‘Four Play’ which has a
limited run at The Kings Head theatre in August and September.
After EQ Music interviewed Mabel in 2017 at British Summer Time festival, it was a full
circle moment to see her headlining Shoreditch Town Hall on the first night of SXSW London this year.
Mabel invited the audience into her living room, the place where she wrote a lot of her upcoming
album ‘Mabel’. The unique set design included a sofa, house plants, multiple TVs and a piano.
Mabel shared some of the new tracks from her upcoming album during her set. New songs including ‘January 19’ and ‘Love Me Gentle’ really stood out from her new material. She ended her 40 minute set with crowd pleaser ‘Don’t Call Me Up’ and her recent single ‘Vitamins’. Mabel explained that her
upcoming album would be a reintroduction to who she is and this headline show definitely gave
fans a favour of what was to come.
I was particularly excited about attending the Rolling Stone: Future of Music showcases at SXSW
London this year. Stand-out act for me was New York-based independent pop star Bentley Robles. Seeing Bentley perform for Rolling Stone at SXSW London was another full circle for us as last year, EQ Music programmed his Tears and Gear UK tour dates with Zee Machine, bringing both artists to the UK for their very first international performances.
Bentley Robles‘ standout song at SXSW London was definitely ‘Ultra High Definition Lover’ – a track chosen as ‘Anthem of the Year’ at the 2025 Queerties awards. Bentley also performed fan favourite ‘I Hate The Weekend’ along with some of the more recent material from his Chaotic Erotica album, bringing high energy dance moves, a cheeky sense of humour and a surprise guest appearance from Madison Rose.
Bentley has spent the summer touring with his Tears & Gearz bandmate Zee Machine promoting their ‘Father Figure Fantasy’ EP and is releasing a solo album next year with the lead single mysteriously titled ‘New Song’. Bentley’s brought passion, energy and drive to the SXSW London stage leaving the audience proclaiming “I want to be famous!”
If you’re looking for the next main pop boy, look no further – Bentley Robles is your boy.
Due to the fact that there were so many incredible acts to experience at SXSW London, there are always a few events that you can’t manage to squeeze into your schedule. Two of these artists on my list were Jude York and I Am Roze. Whilst I was unable to see their performances, I took the time to listen to their music afterwards and have since become a big fan of both. I Am Roze’s EP ‘Social Commentary’ released earlier this year shows off their stunningly beautiful vocals with ‘Dollar’ becoming one of my firm favourite songs of the year.
I also love Jude York’s recent EP ‘Heartstrings’ where each song represents a different room in a hotel (‘Whiplash!’ Is my personal favourite).
