The Summer of Sound is coming to Selfridges

Summer of Sound is a season of unmissable merch, unexpected experiences, and moments made for fans at Selfridges. A blockbuster summer of major comebacks, favourite throwbacks and diverse music events acts as the creative catalyst for a season of experience and community. Throughout July and August 2025, Selfridges becomes a venue for fans, enthusiasts and music lovers.

A record shop, live performances, engaging conversation, listening parties and karaoke bring sonic energy to Selfridges London, Manchester and Birmingham. As ever, a zeitgeisty line-up of partners – artists, brands and music experts – helps to shape programming, destinations and exclusive access to talent and products. Confirmed Summer of Sound collaborators include: Bravado, Young Space, Manchester International Festival, Are We On Air?, Elevator Music, Pirate Studio, Not/Applicable, Josh Baker and Nadine Noor.

The way musical tastes and preferences – from Reggae to Rave – shape both individual identities and major trend cycles informs edits and in-store visual merchandising, while Selfridges Oxford Street windows become a “deconstructed gig” capturing the vibe and emotion of live music in its many forms – a tour bus, stage set and lights, a dance floor.

“Selfridges Summer of Sound is a celebration of the culture of music fandom, the influence of music merch and the unmistakeable sound of our cities, throughout July and August. Selfridges stores become places for fans to come together for live performances, workshops and talks, and the best merch. Building on a legacy of music-led collaboration, Selfridges will share its point of view at the intersection of fashion, retail and pop culture,” said Judd Crane, Selfridges Executive Director, Buying & Brand.

For the fans

The record shop is the heart and soul of any music community and for Summer of Sound, Selfridges has enlisted Rough Trade, independent record label and retailer, founded in London in 1976, as an anchor partner to the project. In the Wonder Room, Rough Trade selects vinyl favourites, old and new at The Record Store, opening on 14th July. The adjacent window situated on the corner of Oxford Street and Orchard Street will host weekly live performances, programmed by Studio Inside Out.

In Birmingham, proud home of Heavy Metal, never more so than in anticipation of Black Sabbath’s return to stage, a unique experience has been created for fans of the legendary band. An exclusive BACK TO THE BEGINNING fan experience and windows by local artist, Mr. Murals, act as an immersive extension of the Black Sabbath world, drawing inspiration from the band’s legacy and visual identity.

In London, ahead of Oasis’s triumphant comeback tour, a fan destination will be home to a 16-piece collection with three exclusive styles, including two black t-shirts with the iconic Oasis logo. An exclusive hoodie celebrates key dates in the band’s history, including the release of 2016 documentary Supersonic and songs like Live Forever and Shakermaker. The exclusive tour merchandise will also be available in the Manchester Exchange store. Additional fan moments create intimate access to a range of music talent, from Shorty BBK to Allie X.

Unmissable merch

Music merch is a Selfridges speciality. A unique partnership with Bravado sees tour merch for some of the biggest live music moments of the summer available exclusively in Selfridges London Designer Street Room on 1, at The Merch Shop. Merch collections drop weekly, aligning with artists’ shows in the city, including Post Malone and Lola Young.

Not/Applicable, long-term Reselfridges partner, curates merch greatest hits, with band and tour tees and memorabilia – expect Oasis, Prince, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Rolling Stones and more. From 11th August, fans will have the opportunity to explore and shop exclusive apparel from BBC

Playback. The nostalgic merch concept celebrates BBC Music’s impact on British music and culture, featuring designs with logos and iconography from BBC TV channels and radio stations from over the years, including Radio 1Xtra, Radio 1, Radio 2, Ibiza, and Top of the Pops.

Unexpected experiences

A rich mix of talent helps Selfridges to orchestrate unexpected musical experience to reflect the sound of our cities. In London, cultural producer, consultant and nightlife icon Nadine Noor programmes DJs to play uplifting sets, bringing together new, niche and next genres. Chicago-based global performance platform Elevator Music, known for creating intimate, exclusive experiences, come to London this summer to programme an unexpected line-up of performances in the lifts at the Oxford Street store across three days in August.

The “ARE WE ON AIR ?” KIOSK-O-THÈQUE comes to town — from Sunset Blvd to Oxford

Street. What began as the cult podcastAre We On Air? by Arman Naféei has evolved into a global cultural platform and now lands in London for a four-day takeover of Selfridges’s iconic corner window. Live interviews, DJ sets, live performances, shop and cultural salon the KIOSK-O-THÈQUE blends music, fashion, art, and conversation into a live, immersive experience — where the Sunset Strip energy meets Oxford Street.

In a talk series by Young Space, the multidisciplinary studio and incubator founded by music and arts organisation Young (who nurture creative relationships with The xx, John Glacier, Sampha and more), five conversations will connect music lovers with the industry talent they know and talent they need to know, with ticket proceeds supporting Mentoring Matters.

Selfridges Birmingham takes visitors from Heavy Metal to Jazz and Blues with live performances as part of Birmingham Jazz Festival, a talks programme from legendary SBTV, the music media and creative platform founded by Jamal Edwards MBE, and out of hours events by Pirate, in which recording and production artists are invited to showcase their tracks in front of an in-store audience, with winners receiving credits for time at Pirate Studio to hone their skills. The AUX events take place in both Birmingham and Manchester Exchange stores.

In Manchester Exchange Square store, Selfridges continues its partnership with Manchester International Festival, presenting “Dream Frequencies”, for three days of performance from 11th – 13th July. In store from 7th July, as part of the Music for the Senses Guitar Trail, an Epiphone Riviera donated and signed by Liam and Noel Gallagher is on display. Customers will also have the chance to join an intimate in-store set by Manchester-based DJ and founder of You&Me Records and Hide&Seek Festival, Josh Baker.

For more info on Summer of Sound events and to book visit: https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/features/info/stores/events/