Music & Subculture
Discover the music and styles of unique London scenes, subcultures and communities with our related objects, stories and blogs.
Blogs-And-Stories

Grime music: From the corner to the mainstream
Grime is a Black-British music genre that gives the youth a sense of belonging and a global audience

East London & the popularity of gospel choirs
How have gospel choirs from east London contributed to the UK’s musical soundscape?

10 records that tell the story of Dub London
These 10 records reflect the strong crossovers between dub and London as a centre of music production

Dub reggae in London
What is dub? And what makes dub reggae an intrinsic part of London’s soundscape

Teddy boys: Britain’s first youth subculture
Sporting long jackets and quiffs, the Teds were born in London

Meet the mods, a sharply dressed London subculture
Photographs from a stylish, scooter-riding 1960s scene

Stormzy: A grime change-maker
This Croydon-born cultural titan has used his enormous success to challenge inequality

The glamorous life of opera singer Adelina Patti
One of the most successful sopranos of the 1800s, Patti gained fame, wealth and a castle in Wales

The great ballet dancer Anna Pavlova
A Russian-born star who took the world by storm in the early 1900s

Through the lens of Charlie Phillips
One of the most talented, but long overlooked, photographers of 20th-century Britain

Gertie Millar: An Edwardian musical comedy icon
A leading lady on the London stage in the early 1900s

Notting Hill Carnival: Memories, roots and rhythms
Growing up in the 1970s and 80s, Wendy Shearer shares her memories of the Notting Hill Carnival

Pleasure gardens: London’s first music venues
Handel at Vauxhall? Mozart at Ranelagh? For 18th-century music fans, these were the places to be

Sex Pistols: London’s resident punk rebels
The punk pioneers who defined a generation

Punk & personal: DIY badges, bondage shirts & scrapbooks
How do you represent something as multifaceted, vibrant and anarchic as the punk scene in a museum?

Vivienne Westwood & Malcolm McLaren: King’s Road royalty
Their boutique at 430 King’s Road brought creativity – and controversy – to 1970s fashion

Calling all ravers! Memories of London’s rave nights
Ready to relive the beat? Two Londoners take a nostalgic trip down 1990s rave culture

Heaven: London’s gay superclub
A pioneering LGBTQ+ ultradisco and a home of UK queer rave subculture