The best London gigs and concerts in October

London’s gig season has pulled itself out of a pile of crispy leaves and pumpkin-spiced stench, just in time to save you from the post-summer blues. Every year, my October gig listings get lengthier, and the quality of artists keeps levelling up. Whether you’re in the mood to scream along to cheesy pop ballads (in real life, not a Lucky Voice booth), lose yourself in world-class rap, or bliss out to your favourite soul diva, the city’s got you covered. So instead of binge-watching MAFS alone with your sad, two-day-old soup, bundle up, head out and enjoy October’s extraordinary run of shows.

Georgia is a freelance contributor to Time Out’s music section. She's probably at home right now, dressed like Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally, humming along to the new Geese album. Do her a solid and give it a listen, will you?

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For the commercial pop girlies

Lady Gaga

Gaga is continuing her four-night Mayhem Ball residency at the O2 this month. Alongside new bangers like ‘Abracadabra’ or the Wednesday-popularised ‘Bloody Mary’, Mother Monster is set to play deep cuts like ‘Scheiße’ and ‘Summerboy’, which enjoyed a recent TikTok-powered resurgence. She knows exactly what the fans want, and she’s gonna serve.

The O2, SE10 0DX. Thurs Oct 2 and Sat Oct 4, 6.30pm. From £89.85. 

Katy Perry

Yes, we’ve all seen the clips of stiff choreography and dodgy stage design, but don’t let the algos fool you – Katy Perry’s Lifetime show is pure pop nostalgia. Spanning her multi-million-selling career, the setlist runs from noughties anthems like ‘Hot n Cold’ and ‘I Kissed A Girl’ as well as more recent tunes, such as ‘Woman’s World’. It’s a must for those who fancy a night of refreshingly fun low-stakes pop bangers. 

The O2, SE10 0DX. Mon Oct 13 and Tues Oct 14, 6.30pm. From £73.12. 

Haim

Haim’s I Quit radiates the kind of fervour only seasoned performers can pull off. Their fourth record blends tongue-in-cheek yet heartfelt songwriting with deceptively simple arrangements and a classic rock edge; it’s essentially tailor-made for live performances. Catch the Grammy-nominated trio mixing fresh tracks with fan favourites.

The O2, SE10 0DX. Tues Oct 28, 6.30pm. From £49.10. 

For the Sylvia Plath-coded goth poppers

Ethel Cain

There’s no better time to see Ethel Cain than October. The artist (real name Hayden Anhedönia) is a master worldbuilder, weaving Southern gothic slowcore that feels just right for autumnal nihilism. Her sepia-toned soundscapes come loaded with complex narratives of familial trauma, crises of faith, and, yes, even cannibalism. Spooky stuff. 

Eventim Apollo, W6 9QH. Oct 6,7,9,10,11, 7pm. From £38.85. 

Self Esteem

Earlier this year, Rebecca Lucy Taylor (aka Self Esteem) unveiled her third album, A Complicated Woman, with an extravagant four-night run at the Duke of York’s theatre, earning rave reviews and cementing her reputation as a bold storyteller. The record spans euphoric stadium pop, sweaty dancefloor bangers and gut-punch ballads. Hear all of that and more at her three-night Brixton stint.

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Oct 9-11, 7pm. From £50.49.

CMAT

If you read our cover interview with CMAT (and I sincerely hope you have,) then you’ll know she’s the kind of person you just want to have a few pints with. The Irish country star stole Glastonbury with her Pyramid Stage debut, getting crowds two-stepping to ‘I Wanna Be A Cowgirl, Baby!’ and attempting the ‘woke Macarena’ to ‘Take A Sexy Picture’. With a Mercury Prize–tipped debut album that landed a No. 2 chart spot behind Sabrina Carpenter, she really is a star in the making.

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Thur Oct 2, 7pm. From £39.55.

Jessica Winter

Blending indie, goth and pop, Jessica Winter’s debut My First Album draws on her work with The Horrors, The Big Moon and Jazmin Bean. But it’s her live shows that have won her cult devotion, as party-starting bangers and introspective ballads all come performed with extra theatrical flair. Think elaborate arm movements, big costumes and alien-like vocals.

The Lower Third, WC2H 8NJ. Tue Oct 28, 7pm. From £15.15.

For the high-brow rap stans

Billy Woods

Billy Woods has one of hip hop’s most fascinating backstories. Born in the U.S. but raised across Africa and the West Indies, he’s the son of a Jamaican intellectual and a would-be Marxist revolutionary. Until recently, no one knew what he looked like, and his real name almost certainly isn't Billy Woods. A master of contradictions, Woods pairs uncompromising wordplay with deadpan delivery to tackle themes of Black existence, including family, history and spirituality.

Scala, N1 9NL. Thur Oct 9. 7.30 pm. From £24.17.

Little Simz

Little Simz takes over The O2 with a triumphant headline show in support of her sixth album, Lotus. The project signals renewal and growth, following her Mercury Prize–winning Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021), a Pyramid Stage set at Glastonbury (2024) and her curation of this year’s Meltdown festival. Expect victory-lap energy, radio-dominating classics, fan-favourite deep cuts and all-new anthems. All performed on a massive scale.

The O2, SE10 0DX. Fri Oct 17, 6.30pm. From £46.75. 

For the punk renegades 

Refused

Formed in the ‘90s, Swedish punk pioneers Refused were inspired by the likes of Fugazi, Slayer and Born Against, armed with a furious manifesto of socialist ideals, anarchy and straight-edge defiance. Their politically charged hardcore has influenced generations, and while it’s unlikely you’ll get doused in beer in the pit at this Brixton date, I can’t make any promises.

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Fri Oct 3, 7pm. From £57.50.

Amyl and the Sniffers

If you’ve ever wanted to scream and punch a wall, Amyl and the Sniffers is your soundtrack. The Aussie quartet channels pure fury into scrappy pub rock, breaking out with a 2019 self-titled debut and the blistering anthem ‘Gacked on Anger’. Their ratty mullets, acid-wash jeans and Amy’s occasional golden bra pay homage to punk’s ‘70s heyday, so consider this show to be both cathartic and a damn good excuse to dress up.

Alexandra Palace, N22 7AY. Sat Oct 25, 6.30pm. From £46.65.

For the underground dance traversers  

Tommy Cash

Yes, you remember him from Eurovision. Beyond his third-place banger ‘Espresso Macchiato’, Estonian star Tommy Cash has carved out cult status as an underground pop provocateur. He’s a Rick Owens muse, a Charli xcx collaborator and a freestyle dancer with a style that mashes popping, krumping and breakdancing. His aesthetic pulls heavily from Russian gopnik ‘white trash’ culture, so picture trucker hats, ripped jeans and enough bling to make you wince.

Heaven, WC2N 6NG. Thur Oct 9, 6pm. From £33.75.

AG Cook

Crowned 2025’s Producer of the Year at the BRITs and fresh off a Grammy for his work on Charli xcx’s Brat, A G Cook is riding a career high. As a solo act, though, he’s just as fascinating as when he’s chipping away behind the scenes. His debut album 7G (2020) sprawled across 49 tracks of metallic pop and dance experimentation – there’s even a lo-fi Sia cover in there. It set the tone for the follow-up, Apple, which came out just one month later, and last year’s guitar-driven Britpop. 

Roundhouse, NW1 8EH. Thur Oct 9, 7pm. From £29.50.  

PC Music Pop Crypt

PC Music’s Halloween club nights are already the stuff of legend. And this year’s Pop Crypt is going global. Two simultaneous parties are happening in London and New York, connected by a ‘portal between metropolises’, whatever that means. Dance all night to sets from pop experimentalists Underscores, Umru and Yeule, alongside plenty of spooky tricks and sugary soundbites.

Colour Factory, E9 5EN. Fri Oct 31, 7pm. From £33.33.

Blawan

Jamie Roberts, better known as Blawan, is one of industrial techno’s revivalists. Fusing dubstep textures with raw, relentless beats, his productions carry the weight of grief, trauma and seismic life shifts. His latest album, SickElixir (released this month), plunges listeners into a chaotic but carefully sculpted sound world. This Village Underground set promises to be an intense ride.

Village Underground, EC2A 3PQ. Fri Oct 10, 7pm. From £20.75. 

For the leather jacket-clad rockers

Swirlies

If you follow the Instagram meme page Xiu Shoegaze, you’ve probably stumbled across Swirlies. And if that all sounds like nonsense, you’re missing out, my friend. Formed in Boston in 1990, the cult indie rockers blend shoegaze, twee pop, lo-fi and electronica into a sound that lands somewhere between Dinosaur Jr.’s fuzz and Slowdive’s dreamy vocals. After reissuing three classic LPs over the past five years, they’ve gained a new generation of TikTok fans. Catch them at this intimate Garage show – and try not to feel too ancient in the crowd.

The Garage, N5 1RD. Fri Oct 31, 7pm. From £30.

Patti Smith

Punk poet, activist and all-round icon Patti Smith marks the 50th anniversary of her landmark debut Horses with two special shows at the Palladium. She’ll perform the album in full alongside original bandmates Lenny Kaye and Jay Dee Daugherty, plus longtime collaborator Tony Shanahan. Released in 1975, Horses is often hailed as punk’s blueprint, thanks to its raw instrumentation and Smith’s vivid, avant-garde lyricism. Give ‘Gloria’ another spin to set the mood.

The London Palladium, W1F 7TF. Sun Oct 12 and Mon Oct 13, 8pm. From £99. 

Gig For Gaza feat. Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Inhaler & More

Curated by Paul Weller, this benefit show follows the success of last year’s Gig for Gaza at Brixton Academy, which raised over £125,000. The 2025 edition boasts another heavyweight line-up: dance rockers Primal Scream, rising Irish band Inhaler, plus an acoustic set from Maverick Sabre, among others. All proceeds go directly to Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and Gaza Forever, so it’s all for a good cause.

Troxy, E1 0HX. Fri Oct 17, 6pm. From £84.98. 

For the jazz-fusion fans

Cymande

Few bands have a story as compelling as Cymande’s. Seriously, go and watch the 2022 documentary Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande. We can wait. Active in the early ’70s, the group’s joyful fusion of funk, hip-hop, house, rare groove and jazz (which they dubbed ‘nyah-rock’) was stifled by racial prejudice that kept them from mainstream success. After a 50-year break, they made a sudden return this year with the album Renascence. This’ll be an emotional yet triumphant night at Brixton.

O2 Academy Brixton, SW9 9SL. Fri Oct 17, 7pm. From £38.95.

Erykah Badu

Marking 25 years since her landmark album Mama’s Gun, Erykah Badu brings her world tour to London for two nights at the Royal Albert Hall. Recorded with the Soulquarians (D’Angelo, Questlove, Common, etc) at Electric Lady Studios, the album pushed her sound beyond Baduizm, weaving jazz, funk, rock, reggae and soul into explorations of fame, motherhood and her split with André 3000. Relive the magic of this era in one of the city’s grandest venues.

Royal Albert Hall, SW7 2AP. Fri Oct 24 and Sat Oct 25, 7pm. From £166.50. 

For the ice-cold indie women

Fine

A key voice in Copenhagen’s indie-pop scene, Fine blurs samples with acoustic and electric instruments to craft music that feels dreamy yet funky. Singles like ‘Days Incomplete’ drift effortlessly between ethereal and playful, a style she shares with contemporaries like ML Buch and Molina. It’s the kind of music best enjoyed in a hand-knit sweater, with a little glass of red wine and a prime spot within the EartH Theatre.

EartH, N16 8BH. Tue Feb 17, 7pm. From £20.81.

Bar Italia

The night after releasing their fifth album, Some Like It Hot, Bar Italia hit The Dome for what’s bound to be a charged performance. The record explores romance, intrigue and self-discovery across lustful croons and bursts of chaotic energy, balancing raw songwriting with a playful sense of showmanship. This is a gig that promises both rage and spectacle.

The Dome, NW5 1HL. Sat Oct 18, 7pm. From £28.29.

Samia

Samia’s 2020 debut album, The Baby, introduced her as one to watch, but 2023’s Honey sealed her reputation as an indie darling. She returns to London with Bloodless, a third album brimming with warmth, understated confidence and intellectual songwriting, which earned her glowing reviews. Her performance at KOKO is sure to feel like a nice, big, cosy hug. 

KOKO, NW1 7JE. Tue Oct 28, 7pm. From £29.87.

For the c*nt-pop divas

Adéla 

At just 21, Slovak-born pop disruptor Adéla is making waves after breaking out on Netflix’s Pop Star Academy, where she was booted off K-pop group Katseye to go solo. A smart move, in retrospect. Her debut EP The Provocateur flips pain into power, from the venomous ‘Homewrecked’ to the satirical, Grimes-assisted ‘Machine Girl'. Adéla’s music radiates star quality, so nab a ticket and brag about it later.

The Lower Third, WC2H 8NJ. Wed Oct 8 and Thur Oct 9, 7pm. From £18.87. 

Frost Children 

Rough Trade East might be an intimate setting, but don’t expect this to be a chilled night out. Frost Children thrive on chaos. Siblings Angel and Lulu Prost have built a cult following for their sweaty, high-energy shows that attract the misfits in every city they hit. This one celebrates their new album Sister, packed with bangers like the Kim Petras collab ‘Radio’ and the bratty alt-pop anthem ‘Falling’. It’ll be loud, unhinged and way too wild to miss.

Rough Trade East, E1 6QL. Sun Oct 5, 6pm. From £19.