Huck announces Village Underground showcase for SXSW London 2026
- Text by Ella Glossop
East London noise — Taking place at Village Underground on June 5, Huck’s official SXSW London showcase will feature performances from shame, Honey I'm Home and Cactus For Breakfast.
As official co-curator, Huck is hosting a special music showcase at Village Underground on June 5 as part of the second ever edition of SXSW London.
Doors open at 6:30pm, with performances running from 7pm until 11pm as part of the wider week-long festival and conference, which brings the spirit of the legendary South by Southwest from Texas to east London for a second year.
Leading the bill are special guests shame, the South London post-punk band known for high-energy live shows blending snarling punk intensity with sharp social commentary.
They’ll be joined by Amsterdam shoegaze band Honey I’m Home and Berlin surf-garage group Cactus For Breakfast, with the line-up pulling together a shared love of distortion, catharsis and sweat-drenched live energy. More acts are still to be announced.
Taking place across venues in Shoreditch and east London between June 1 and June 6, SXSW London combines music performances, film premieres, talks, exhibitions and technology showcases.
Other music highlights include a set from Huck Issue 82 star Jords on June 3. Revisit our interview with the South London MC here. Meanwhile, viral selector DJ AG – who appears in the latest issue of Huck – will appear as a special guest speaker as part of the festival’s Screen, Story and Sound track. Known for his huge on-the-street DJ sets featuring everyone from Will Smith to Skepta, you can read our full interview with him here.
Film highlights include Gaza Twins: Come Back to Me, director Mohammed Sawwaf’s documentary following a mother attempting to reunite with her infant twins amid the devastation of the war in Gaza. Elsewhere, Protest Will Not Be Tolerated on June 4 brings together films exploring quiet acts of resistance, repression and everyday rebellion across borders, households and political systems.
Read next: Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest
The festival made its London debut last year as an offshoot of the iconic Texas event, which has spent decades spotlighting emerging artists, filmmakers and creative scenes from around the world.
For passes and more information on SXSW London, visit the official festival website.
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