Southbank Centre – Your culture fix
The soundtrack to our latest classical season and a poetic visit to Among the Trees.
It’s the little things
Writing in the 17th century, the poet John Donne said that love ‘makes one little room an everywhere.’ If your horizon’s got a bit smaller than it used to be, it’s time to enjoy some artists sharing their passions over podcasts, videos and playlists.
We’ve had a week’s worth of sunshine, the days are getting longer and the tree over the road is starting to blossom. Spring’s definitely arrived, and if it’s art, books and music that keep you going then you’re in the right place.
explore stories →Shelf life
Video: William Boyd’s Book Club
If affectionately dog-eared volumes are piling up on the floor around you or you’ve spent days colour coordinating your novels, novelist and screenwriter William Boyd will give you serious bookshelf envy as he shows off his extensive collection (over 10,000!) and picks out some of his most cherished works.
watch now →Poetry in motion
Deborah Colker on Dog Without Feathers and returning to London
This time last year the troupe behind Deborah Colker’s startlingly original dance work, Dog Without Feathers, were lighting up our stage – while completely plastered in mud. We spoke to Colker about how on earth you tell the story of a country through the medium of dance.
read now →Turning the leaves
A fly’s-eye-view of Among the Trees
Be guided through the forest by the voice of writer Holly Corfield Carr, who threads her own path through our Hayward Gallery exhibition Among the Trees in this peace-inducing podcast. Her audio essay introduces us to some of the artworks currently hidden away in the gallery, and includes poetry inspired by the natural world by Vahni Capildeo, Emily Dickinson, Sasha Dugdale and Alice Oswald.
listen now →Play it again, Steve Reich
Playlist: Southbank Centre’s 2020/21 classical season
Stand in the supermarket queue with Steve Reich, do the dishes with Daniel Barenboim and bake some banana bread with Clara Schumann. We’ve put together a playlist of intriguing music by the composers and performers we picked for our Classical Season 2020/21. Time to make the world your concert hall.
listen now →Sounds good
What I’m listening to in lockdown: Bengi Unsal
Dance till dawn with Honey Dijon or binge footage of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – in this playlist, our in-house maestro of all things contemporary music, Bengi Unsal, nudges you to mix up your mood by discovering new sounds and revisiting old favourites. Press play and let it all out.
read now →see all storiesTop billing
Culture Picks
How do you find the best art on the internet? Just ask the experts. Here at the Southbank Centre, we have a team of people who are in charge of choosing the music, art and performance that goes up on our stages and in our gallery. But while we’re all in lockdown, they’ve switched their focus to finding you the most interesting culture available online. Keep an eye out for Tilda Swinton reading an eerie Romantic ballad…
read now →Make tracks
Plug in for toe-tapping music
Missing the sweet sound of your colleagues’ voices? Try one of our playlists to fill the silence or to accompany your lunchtime dance around the room. We’ve got mixtapes hand-picked by Joan As Police Woman, Marius Neset and Susheela Raman, to name a few.
listen now →Lend us an ear
Learn something new with our podcasts
Our podcast series features conversations with great writers, comedians, thinkers and musicians. Consider women on the page with Roxane Gay, spend an evening with Roger Daltrey or mull mental health and creativity with Matt Haig and Jordan Stephens.
subscribe now →The arts need you
Did you know that we generate 60% of our income ourselves? As a charity, we rely on ticket sales and other on-site income. And it’s stopped – overnight. But even though our doors are closed for now, our mission remains the same. Your continued support is more important to us than ever, as we work to make the arts available to all.