The 6 best gigs to see at Pitchfork Festival London 2026
by Ed Cunningham · Time Out LondonSince 2021 Pitchfork Music Festival London has proved to Londoners that festival season doesn’t end with summer. For six years the multi-venue, multi-day event has been putting together diverse lineups of the planet’s most intriguing musicians – and the 2026 version is arguably its biggest yet.
Across November 2-8 2026, the likes of The Avalanches, Tortoise, Noname, aja monet and Ana Roxanne will be playing sets across iconic London venues like Hackney Church, KOKO, Roundhouse and EartH. As always, it’s a festival with something for every music aficionado: knotty post-rock, slick soul, rampant electronica, dreamy synthpop and so much more.
Want to explore one of London’s top music festivals but not sure where to start? Here are some pointers as to which Pitchfork Festival London sets we reckon will be most unmissable this year.
When is Pitchfork Festival London 2026?
This year’s edition takes place on November 2-8 2026.
What are the Pitchfork London 2026 venues?
P4K is largely – but not exclusively – limited to east London. Among participating venues are: Café OTO, The Cause, EartH Hall and Theatre, Hackney Church, Hackney Empire, ICA, KOKO, Moth Club, Oslo Hackney, Roundhouse, Royal Festival Hall, St Matthias Church, The Victoria and Village Underground.
The best gigs at Pitchfork Festival London 2026
Noname at Heaven
You have to see Noname live to really, truly understand why she’s in the ‘best rappers in the world’ conversation. Not only are her bars sharp and insightful and her flows slick but on stage she’s a faultless performer with bags of energy and charisma. Her Pitchfork show will be a special ‘10 years of Telefone’ set, marking a decade since her breakout mixtape and it’ll take place at the comparatively intimate Heaven (the last time Noname was in London she played Hammersmith Apollo, which is over four times the size). Support is from cosmic soul singer Georgia Anne Muldrow, as well as singer-songwriter Cleo Reed and rapper Kaicrewsade.
When: Saturday November 7.
Where: Heaven.
Tickets: From £43 on Dice here.
Actress at EartH
When Actress was announced for this year’s edition of Pitchfork Festival with a tagline of ‘presents Radical Frame’, more than a few fans were left scratching their heads – but clarity came a month later when Darren J Cunningham announced an album of that name. Released in September, it’s a wildly varied, disorienting work by one of the most commanding electronic musicians around. Actress’ Pitchfork Festival show will be an audio-visual presentation of that record, with Berlin-based Kenyan ambient titan KMRU and experimental bassoonist Joy Guidry on support.
When: Thursday November 5.
Where: EartH Theatre.
Tickets: From £32 on Dice here.
Los Thuthanaka at EartH
I caught Los Thuthanaka at Pitchfork 2025 and haven’t missed an opportunity to see them since. Siblings Chuquimamani-Condori & Joshua Chuquimia Crampton’s live show is full-body: crunching riffs, undulating rhythms, crashing waves of sound. Clearly London hasn’t been able to get enough, either. The duo played a two-day residency at Café OTO in April and they’re back for a successive Pitchfork Festival headline slot. Seen them already? There are several reasons to do so again. For one, new EP Wak’a offers a more serene, cinematic side to their sound which is sure to be phenomenal live. For two, the duo are playing an intimate in-the-round show at EartH hall. Get down early for a Joshua solo slot on support (and don’t forget your earplugs).
When: Thursday November 5
Where: EartH Hall
Tickets: From £32 on Dice here.
Jacob Alon at Hackney Empire
Jacob Alon makes meticulously constructed folk of the Adrienne Lenker school with elegant prose, unforced power and gorgeous space. And don’t just take it from me: there’s a reason Alon’s debut album In Limerence won a BRIT Award and was nominated for both the Mercury Prize and Scottish Album of the Year. The Fife-born songwriter marks the first Pitchfork gig at Hackney Empire, with support from Edinburgh-based songwriter and producer Paulie Swan.
When: Wednesday November 4.
Where: Hackney Empire.
Tickets: From £38 on Dice here.
Lido Pimienta at Village Underground
A decade ago Lido Pimienta’s breakout record La Papessa beat out the likes of Leonard Cohen and Feist to win the 2017 Polaris Music Prize – the most prestigious gong in the Canadian music industry. It’s still one of the most radical and fascinating records I’ve heard, a head-spinning blast of folk, electronica and pop, packed with colour and rhythm. She hasn’t let up since then, with follow-up records exploring the electronic (Miss Colombia) and classical (La belleza) parts of her sound. On support at Village Underground are two more adventurous pop artists: Murcia songwriter AMORE and vocalist Ms Ray.
When: Thursday November 5
Where: Village Underground.
Tickets: From £30 on Dice here.
Pitchfork Music Festival Dalston Takeover
You know the deal by now: one wristband, as many shows as you can cram into an afternoon-evening-night. Pitchfork Festival’s Dalston Takeover isn’t just an opportunity to see a load of bands: it’s an opportunity to get in on acts just before they hit the big-time (Friko, Hotline TNT, YHWH Nailgun are among the most ascendant names in recent years). The 2026 edition boasts several of the takeover’s biggest headliners so far with DIIV, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Mandy, Indiana and Working Men’s Club all on the bill – though, as always, it’s the names that you don’t know yet that are the ones to get excited about.
When: Saturday November 7
Where: Various venues, Dalston.
Tickets: From £47 on Dice here.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.