Festival season is in full swing right now, but if you’re not one for traipsing through muddy fields and trying to navigate a hellish comedown in a blistering hot tent, Selfridges has big news for you. The behemoth London department store just kicked off its Summer of Sound series in Central London, meaning you don’t need to put away your ballet flats to get in on some thumping music across the next few months.
The store’s iconic window displays pay tribute to the live gig experience and the sense of community and togetherness it evokes, with the kind of homemade signs held up in the crowd at Glastonbury by sunburnt music fans littering one fashion display, and the back end of a messy tour bus in another. Inside, Reselfridges puts a load of archive band tees up for grabs, with a massive selection of Oasis styles making up a big chunk of the offering – don’t expect them to be around long, since Gallagher fever is sweeping London ahead of the band’s fast approaching Wembley residency.
Kicking it all off is a bit of a party moment taking place in Selfridges’ Wonder Room, where Are We On Air? has set up shop. The cult podcast got its start in 2020, welcoming guests from all avenues of culture, from David Byrne and Dua Lipa, to Anok Yai and Rick Owens, to Anne Imhof and Willem Dafoe. Since then it’s set up shop outside iconic LA bolthole hotel Chateau Marmont, and now it brings its unique kiosk-o-thèque to London for the first time.
Across four days, founder Arman Naféei has curated a DJ line-up that brings together the likes of Honey Dijon and Erol Alkan, getting them behind the decks while chic mixologists in white evening jackets and bow ties bring a bit of Chateau Marmont glam to the space, serving up endless trays of ice cold dry martinis. Between drinks, shoppers have access to a massive swathe of new albums and rare records, as well as specially designed merch. “It’s so great to bring the concept to London and land in Selfridges," says Naféei. “It’s wild to think we set up in 2020 and now we’re here.”
Later in the month, late-night Peckham club Jumbi will celebrate its birthday and the Royal Opera will be in store performing live. For more information and line-up details, head here.