Jalen Ngonda announced as first Liverpool Sound City headliner for 2026
Jalen Ngonda has been announced as the first headliner to play at Sound City 2026, returning to Merseyside to play the festival, which takes place from 2-3 May.
"Coming back to Liverpool is long overdue and to return and play such a beautiful venue as Grand Central Hall for Sound City will be a true highlight of next year. I get to reconnect and pay tribute to the city and everyone I met there, all of whom are genuine music people. I found that out over my years living and studying there. So much has happened since the last time I played the festival in 2018, so I can’t wait to catch up and see how much we’ve grown since we were last together. It’ll be truly special," Jalen Ngonda says of his appearance.
Ngonda’s last live outing in Liverpool was in front of just 250 people at the now closed Jimmy’s Bar in 2023. Grand Central Hall’s main hall stands ready to welcome 3,500 people for his return next year. The multi-venue festival of new music has offered early-career showcases to the likes of The 1975, Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy and The xx over almost two decades, and will return from 2-3 May 2026.
Weekend and Day tickets are on sale now via soundcity.uk.com.
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