New figures released by the Mayor’s Office have revealed that more than one million people attended live music events across London last week.

Events held in the capital so far this month have included BST Hyde Park, which hosted sold-out gigs by Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band and Lana Del Rey; and two nights with Blur at Wembley Stadium.

Elsewhere, Finsbury Park hosted Wireless Festival and headline dates by Pulp and The 1975; Tom Jones, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Kaiser Chiefs and Black Eyed Peas performed at Greenwich Summer Sounds; while acts such as Maroon 5, Hollywood Vampires and Iron Maiden played The O2.

In addition, The Weeknd set a new attendance record for London Stadium after drawing 160,000 fans over two nights.

The array of concerts are said to have brought in more than £320 million (€374m) to the capital in ticket sales and secondary spend including sold-out arena gigs and smaller grassroots venues, according to Music Venue Trust data.

“These figures confirm London’s place as one of the best places on the planet to enjoy live music – across all genres, from a diverse range of artists and at a great mix of venues,” says LIVE CEO Jon Collins. “The truly exciting news is, with the right support, we could be doing even more. Supporting the grassroots venues and events that help develop the next generation of talent and offering even more shows to delight Londoners, tourists and day-trippers alike.”

“LONDON HAS BEEN ABUZZ WITH EXCITEMENT OVER THE LAST WEEK”

London mayor Sadiq Khan, who has provided dedicated support to grassroots music venues as part of his Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, as well as funded training for music venues operators on sustainability, says the city has been “abuzz with excitement”.

“London’s music scene is the best in the world with renowned artists playing to thousands across our capital’s fantastic stadiums and venues,” says Khan. “Given everything that happened during the pandemic, it’s genuinely fantastic that over million people were able to see brilliant live music last week.

“Music inspires in a unique way, bringing together people like nothing else can, and plays a vital role in driving forward our economic recovery. From our world-class stadiums to grassroots venues unearthing the next generation of talent, London is the undisputed world leader in live music, and there’s a lot more still to come over this summer.”

Upcoming concerts in the capital include Busted, Bebe Rexha and Blink 182 and the 20th anniversary, of the Somerset House Summer Series, which runs until 16 July.

“Music is the glue that binds London together,” adds Music Venue Trust COO Beverley Whitrick. “It’s fantastic to see so many people celebrating the incredible culture of diverse music that is an essential part of our modern British identity, and to see how artists like Wolf Alice, Dua Lipa, Blur, The 1975, Adele, Arctic Monkeys, Charlie XCX and Coldplay have progressed out of the smallest London venues to headline our biggest arenas and stadiums.”

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