Arooj Aftab

Grammy award-winner Arooj Aftab has been hailed as ‘the coolest rock star in the world right now’ by UNCUT magazine, earning her position at the vanguard of creative music for her embrace of risk and nonconformity. Her genre-defying sound encompasses elements of jazz, classical, and folk.

In 2024, she released her fourth solo album, Night Reign to critical acclaim, earning Grammy nominations for Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Global Music Performance for the track ‘Raat Ki Rani.’ The album features a stellar lineup of musicians, including Cautious Clay and Vijay Iyer, and expands on the sound she has crafted in previous works like Vulture Prince, the album that propelled her into the cultural zeitgeist, earning a spot on President Obama’s 2021 summer playlist and a Grammy win for her track ‘Mohabbat.’

Aftab has captivated audiences worldwide with her rapturous performances at festivals like Coachella, Glastonbury, and Primavera. We’re thrilled to welcome her for a special performance to kick off this year’s festival.

‘Few singers can match the delicate warmth and quiet power Arooj Aftab’s voice.’ The Guardian

Support will be provided by Wooly Aziz, a solo, genre-fluid project by Jannat Sohail from Lahore, Pakistan. They bring their socio-political backdrop as a foundation for their written, vocal, and visual expression — offering an emotional extension of their colonial and geographical traces. Transcending borders with their atmospheric compositions and lyrical storytelling, Wooly Aziz is composing stories of love, war, and migration – particularly in their newly conceptualized record, Bluelight Moonlight, set to be previewed live during their string of UK dates with Arooj Aftab in May.

Please note: central seats have now all sold out, please click into the ‘North Aisle’ or ‘South Aisle’ areas for unreserved seating.