Headliners include psychedelic rock icons The Flaming Lips, Britpop band Lightning Seeds, Cambridge-native Black Country, New Road and more. Running from July 16 to 26, eleven acts will shine through summer nights in the iconic courtyard of one of London’s favorite cultural hotspots.

The London Standard’s post announcing the event can be found below:

View this post on Instagram

Matthew Cook, Head of Live Events at Somerset House says: ‘Featuring artists spanning a variety of genres and generations, this year’s edition promises to deliver spectacular performances in the unique setting of the Somerset House open-air courtyard.’ The acts were chosen for their cross-disciplinary work and pioneering careers: from French-Haitian pop singer-songwriter Naïka, rapper Raf-Saperra, indie rock group The Cribs, to Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel and more. Since 2003, the Somerset House Summer Series have hosted electrifying performances from a litany of culturally innovative acts. Previous acts include Adele, Amy Winehouse, black midi, Olivia Dean and St. Vincent to name a few.

Cook went on to say, ‘From creative trailblazers who have led the way for bold new genres, innovators whose impact can be felt across a vast array of musicians today, distinctly individual talents who continue to surprise, and future greats carving out their own path – Somerset House Summer Series once again stands as a testament to the power of the Arts. We can’t wait to welcome artists and fans to our home this summer.’

Running through the Summer Series, the Somerset House will also present its 2026 Spring Exhibition, Holy POP! Time Out Worldwide says it ‘will explore the power of fandom and the world of modern shrines. Through art, memorabilia, letters, photographs, and interactive installations, the pay what you can exhibition will uncover the rituals of idolisation, showing how fandom shapes identity, values, and community.’ Exploring the fandoms of megastars such as David Bowie, Prince, Aaliyah, Britney Spears and Elvis, Somerset House marks itself as the place to be for all music fans this summer.

NME reports that Black Country, New Road say they are ‘excited’ to be playing the Summer Series.  And of the Somerset House, the band went on to say, ‘it is one of London’s most beautiful and prestigious courtyard venues. Some of us have very fond memories of a summer’s evening some years ago seeing our friends performing on the same stage. The sun was going down over the Thames and it was very loud. We hope to recapture some of the same magic we felt that evening.’

NME also reports that Lightning Seeds are ‘very excited to headline one of London’s grandest and most iconic venues.’ They say, ‘it’s going to be a very special day and we can’t wait.’

The full lineup for the 2026 Somerset House Summer Series is below:

16/07 – Nakïa

17/07 – Palace

18/07 – Thee Sacred Souls

19/07 – Lightning Seeds

20/07 – The Cribs

21/07 – Agnes Obel

22/07 – Black Country, New Road

23/07 – Venna

24/07 – Raf-Saperra

25/07 – The Flaming Lips

26/07 – Benjamin Clementine

Tickets go on general sale next week, Friday 6 March at 10AM. Pre-sale will be Thursday 5 March also at 10AM. Tickets for each event are sold separately. To sign up for pre-sale as well as find out more information about the event, visit the Somerset House website.

According to a press release, the central theme of the album is that of “a shell shocked soldier’s excess and military discharge,” then moving on to say, “if ‘Cavalcade’ was a drama, ‘Hellfire’ is like an epic action film [that] delves into overlapping themes of pain, loss and anguish.” The band are leaning quite heavily into the concept album approach this time round, each of the songs is written in the 3^rd person and “tell the tales of morally suspect characters. There are direct dramatic monologues, flamboyantly appealing to our degraded sense of right and wrong. You’re never quite sure whether to laugh at or be horrified.”

The band’s lead, Geordie Greep, went on to explain “Almost everyone depicted is a kind of scumbag,” Greep continues. “Almost everything I write is from a true thing, something I experienced and exaggerated and wrote down. I don’t believe in Hell, but all that old world folly is great for songs, I’ve always loved movies and anything else with a depiction of Hell. Dante’s Inferno. When Homer goes to Hell in The Simpsons. There’s a robot Hell in Futurama. Isaac Bashevis Singer, a Jewish writer who portrays a Satan interfering in people’s lives. There’s loads!”. With this statement and the hype behind the lead single, it’s clear to see that the band are sticking with their signature brand of post-punk maximalism. You can look into pre-order options here.

‘Hellfire’ our Third Album for @roughtraderecords is out July 15 – Produced by Marta Salogni, Co-Produced by Max ‘Sizzle’ Goulding and Engineered by Dani Bennett Spragg. Artwork by David Rudnick, Emiel Penninckx and Maharani Yasmine Putri.
Preorder here: https://t.co/Ny3e4EbNs2 pic.twitter.com/NOZmPcNoLK

— black midi (@bmblackmidi) May 9, 2022

The announcement also came with an update to the band’s world tour, but none of the dates actually landed in the UK. So for the time being you’ll have to make do with their only UK date at the moment. Featuring alongside John Legend, Squid, Arlo Parks and many others at Somerset House’s Summer Series in London. The 10-day festival will see each night headlined by some of the biggest names in music at the moment, all within the historic walls of Somerset House. Tickets can be found here.