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Does pirate radio culture live on?

Meet London’s old school pirate icons — DJ sets and talks at Southbank Centre from the rebellious music lovers who kept Londoners supplied with illicit sounds through the ‘80s and into the early ‘90s.

Before the internet burst onto the scene, London’s thriving pirate radio scene was the best place to discover exciting new music.

Underground broadcasts from stations like LWR, Invicta, Kiss and Choice helped support entire genres that were invisible to the mainstream.

Head down to the Southbank Centre on Sunday April 26, 2-8pm, for an afternoon of talks and DJ sets from the chroniclers and pioneers of pirate radio like, Dave VJ, author Lindsay Wesker and Gordon Mac, who helped build Kiss FM up from a Charlton squat-based pirate to one of the capital’s leading legal stations.

Together they’ll be discussing pirate radio’s legacy and asking if pirate culture continues to influence the music scene of today.

London Pirate Radio is a free event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Front Room, Southbank on Sunday April 26, 2-8pm.


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