SXSW London day two headliners included Ben Lamm, David Cameron, Dawn O’Porter, Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, Inoxtag, Joseph Fiennes, Misan Harriman, Sir John Bell, Sophie Turner and Tina Brown. Day Three headliners included Idris Elba, Clara Amfo, Björn Ulvaeus, Tiwa Savage, Cesc Fabregas, Letitia Wright and Caroline Lucas.
Day Two at South by Southwest® (SXSW®) London saw Sir John Bell of the Ellison Institute of Technology and Lord David Cameron speak with Tom Standage of The Economist about genomics and the future of healthcare in this country and around the world during their panel ‘A Healthcare Revolution.’
Referencing his son Ivan, who was born 23 years ago with a rare genetic disease that meant he was profoundly disabled, Lord Cameron reflected on how far science has come since that time, disclosing that he had recently received a letter from the mother of a child born with similar symptoms to Ivan whose quality of life was markedly different to 23 years ago.
Cameron went on to discuss the recent death of his mother, who had dementia, and why he believes scanning both the elderly and very young is so important. “When you get dementia in this country…there are a million people with dementia, virtually no one is offered the chance to take part in a clinical trial. That’s nuts! At the moment, there is no treatment for dementia, so at least offering people the chance to take part in a clinical trial, there have been side effects [so lots of people may say no], but some people will say yes.”
(Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images for SXSW London)
Sir John Bell also spoke about the importance of predictive analytics from people’s genome sequencing to predict possibilities of future disease: “The predictive analytics are going to be a key part of our preventative agenda, I can foresee a not-too-distant future that most people are going to want their genomes sequenced so that they have predictive analytics to know that they don’t have to worry about one thing, but may have to worry about something else.”
Music legend Wyclef Jean joined the CEO of KOKO, Oliver “Olly” Bengough, Sheniece Charway, Head of Black Music & Culture at YouTube and Tom Höglund, Chief Business Development Officer at Epidemic Sound, on the SXSW London main stage for a panel discussion on ‘Cultural Currency – The Singular Unshakable Constant.’ Commenting on the force of AI, Wyclef said: “AI has to be a slave to me, I cannot be a slave to AI…” continuing, “I want to tell creators, are we getting lazier because of technology, or are we gonna push the technology forward?” Stating all he wants creators in London to know moving forwards, Wyclef said, “the belief has to come from you, there is nobody greater than the creator, which is you.”
Actor Joseph Fiennes celebrated SXSW’s expansion to the UK by asking, “Why did [it] not happen earlier?” calling the festival a powerful platform to showcase the city’s diversity and creativity. In an intimate one-on-one moderated by President of the Golden Globes Helen Hoehne, Fiennes reflected on his expansive career across film, television, and theatre, offering a candid look at how he has navigated the evolving entertainment landscape whilst emphasising the growing demand for authenticity and representation in storytelling.
Humanitarian and conservationist Dr Jane Goodall DBE said her “proudest moment was when a group of chimps let her approach without running away” during a moving fireside chat at SXSW London’s main stage with CNBC Anchor Tania Bryer, which ended with a standing ovation from attendees. Goodall also commented on the use of AI, saying that it is “a tool and it depends on our intellect how we use it.”
(Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images for SXSW London)
Twenty-two-year-old content creator Inoxtag – the first ever YouTuber to try and climb Mount Everest – explained how his documentary ‘Kaizen’ became a milestone in the French audiovisual landscape by challenging the current media chronology via his courageous exploration of what the future landscape holds with moderator Gregory Bywalski.
Tina Brown (Journalist, Editor & Author) and Mishal Husain (Editor at Large, Bloomberg Weekend) unpacked the rise of political showmanship, the fading grip of legacy media, and the urgent need for a “conglomerate of courage” in a truth-fractured world.
In a fireside chat, actor Sophie Turner spoke with Founder & CEO of Colossal Biosciences Ben Lamm about the science of de-extinction, exploring the breakthroughs, challenges, and real-world impact of engineering life itself.
Dawn O’Porter and Nell Dally took the stage to explore what it really means to lead with purpose and pay the price for it. From launching a female-led venture fund in a system where 98.5% of capital goes to men, to confronting domestic violence and motherhood, the session was an unfiltered look at what it takes to stand up, speak out, and stay true. Nell Dally said: “98.5% of capital goes to men in the UK. I can’t live with that.”
In a bold and timely session, Sehr Thadhani (NASDAQ) unpacked what it takes to lead with vision in a world that rewards conformity; from backing exceptional talent to letting go of control, she challenged the myth that vision alone is enough.
SXSW London’s Interdisciplinary Arts Programme also kicked off today with installations across Protein Studios and Christchurch Spitalfields open to the public for free. ‘SXSW LDB LAB’ at Protein Studios, an exhibition that explores the intersection of art, technology and physical space, features work by Andy Warhol, Beeple, Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, along with a dialogue between Marina Abramović, the voice of her AI counterpart, and curator Hans Ulrich Obrist.
In the crypts of Christchurch Spitalfields, ‘Beautiful Collisions’ is an immersive exhibition featuring leading contemporary artists working across painting, music and performance. The exhibition explores the significant role of Caribbean diaspora artists in London’s cultural scene and features work by Alberta Whittle, Alvaro Barrington, Denzil Forrester, Runkus, Tavares Strachan and Zinzi Minott.
Day three at SXSW London saw Culture, Media and Sport Committee chair Caroline Dinenage unveil that the death of “grassroots” live and electronic music venues in Britain will be the focus of a new review conducted by a committee of the U.K. Parliament’s House of Commons, with the goals of supporting “a thriving grassroots music scene and building a sustainable talent pipeline that ensures the U.K. music industry remains one of the U.K.’s global success stories.”
(Photo by Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for SXSW London)
ABBA creator, singer, producer, and CEO of Pophouse Entertainment, Björn Ulvaeus, gave a shoutout to rising star Lola Young during his fireside chat with Guardian journalist Laura Barton at SXSW London today, singing “I’m so messy” when asked what song he is currently listening to. Delving into his lifelong fascination with songwriting and technology, from ABBA to Voyage and AI, Björn also revealed that “right now [he’s] writing a musical assisted by AI,” describing that his team are “three quarters” through the process. On the motivation that keeps him creating, he said, “I actually wake up curious every morning.”
Björn also expanded on the tensions around his relationship with AI, explaining how “the AI music generators train on copyrighted material, they have to, they train on all the world’s music, and for that we feel that they should be paying something towards the songwriters and artists who actually created what they needed to create their AI models.” However, on the other side of the coin, he said that though it’s a “misconception that AI can write a whole song, it’s lousy at that, and bad at lyrics as well…” he said, “It’s good with ideas,” insisting that artists must remain at the forefront of AI advancements.
Idris Elba delved into his struggles with dyslexia and motivations behind developing his new app ‘Talking Scripts’, created alongside Stefen Schwartz and Manon Dave to assist actors and young creatives with dyslexia and neurodivergence in learning their lines. In a buzzy two-part SXSW panel discussion exploring ‘Creativity As Capital For Change’ moderated by British Radio Broadcaster and TV Host Clara Amfo at SXSW London’s main stage, Idris said: “What young people don’t realise is how expensive their imaginations are, how valuable their imaginations are when they share ideas.”
(Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images for SXSW London)
Speaking in session ‘Where We Belong: Reclaiming English Identity and Our Collective Story,’ former MP Caroline Lucas said: “We’ve allowed English identity to be defined by the right. People like Robert Jenrick and Boris Johnson will tell you that English identity is essentially white and is ethnically defined…and is threatened by migrants, that’s the story they tell. And if the left doesn’t get on the pitch, then that’s the story that will be told….We need to tell the positive stories about ourselves and correct the stories that others tell.”
Lucas and other panelists Zakia Sewell and Andy Green also discussed the idea of ‘progressive patriotism’ which Lucas set out (quoting Billy Bragg) as “Patriotism is giving a shit about your country”. She went on to say “it is not impossible that England could be on its own sooner than we may think [from Scotland, NI and Wales]” and that progressive patriotism is “inclusive, in terms of class and background…has to be honest and acknowledge imperial past…and recognise the complexity – we have lots of identities, we don’t have to choose one.”
Euan Blair (Multiverse) and Nakul Mandan (Audacious Ventures) unpacked why AI isn’t just a competitive edge but a growth imperative during their panel ‘The Age of Impatience.’ Euan stated: “There’s such an opportunity in nearly every sector, from retail, to IT, to tech, financial services, healthcare, for companies to basically plant a flag in becoming AI first, take the steps to get there, reimagine the way they work, re-constitute their organisational structures – the ones which do so really quickly will win, and win big.” Commenting on the productivity benefits of AI, Euan said: “Let us turn the British workforce into the most AI native and tech-savvy in the world. We have the density of educational institutions, soft power, great stories, smart people and a country where we can actually charge our own path, regardless of what you think about Brexit, we actually do have a chance to regulate differently around this area now we’re not in Europe, and I think that gives you an incredible opportunity to reimagine the country.”
President of Como 1907 Mirwan Suwarso and manager and football legend Cesc Fabregas discussed Como’s long-term project and its rapid rise into European football’s consciousness. Touching upon the speculation around Cesc leaving Como 1097, Cesc revealed: “I started with this club because I was thinking about a long-term project. I don’t want to end my career in a club where there is a project for one or two years, and then it all ends.”
“I really believe in Como’s long-term project. I came here as a player and I’m very, very happy because here I can work the way I want. We have the same goals and the same ambition. The president allows me to work the way I want, the way I see things.”
Mirwan Suwarso said, “We have had several clubs ask us, but our position remains the same: we want to continue to grow and work together. And we remain like this. This is the story.”
Actor and producer Letitia Wright accompanied singer/songwriter Tiwa Savage on SXSW London’s main stage for a candid panel discussion, which delved into their career successes, failures, transitions, legacies and what it means to be a woman at the centre of industries and movements in society today. Touching on her upcoming album ‘This One is Personal’ which is scheduled for release later this year, Tiwa said it had been her most difficult project yet, as: “This album is about [her] opening up about so many personal things, so it’s been really tough.”
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