Judith Schrut previews La Linea, London’s annual Latin Music Festival, this year celebrating its 25th Anniversary
It won’t surprise you to learn that London, the world’s most diverse city, is home to more than 270 nationalities and 300 languages. Life in our gloriously global village has many advantages and that includes the chance to enjoy music from across the world, right here on our doorstep.
One of my favourite chances happens each April when La Linea, London’s one and only Latin Music Festival, comes to town.
This year La Linea celebrates its milestone 25th anniversary. Venues across the London will host a two-week kaleidoscope of Latin sound, from global superstars to rising talent.
Eliades Ochoa, Grammy-winning star and an original member of the magnificent Buena Vista Social Club, kicks off this year’s La Linea at the Barbican Centre. Legendary for his storytelling, vocal pyrotechnics and unique guitar style, Eliades is a renowned sonero and one of the best guitarists of his generation. With trademark cowboy hat and boots, he’s often called the ‘Cuban Johnny Cash’.
Born 1946 in Santiago de Cuba to a musical family, Eliades began playing guitar when he was just 6 years old and has never looked back. With deep musical roots in guajira (Cuban country music), he’s been instrumental in keeping Cuban traditional music alive for more than 70 years. More recently Eliades has been acclaimed for collaborations with other top musicians, like the Afro-Cubism project with Mali’s Toumani Diabaté and blues albums with Charlie Musselwhite. Explaining the powerful mix of emotions behind his sound, Eliades said, “the same music brings you joy and sadness…there are tears that come from a wound, or tears that come from pleasure.” Don’t be surprised if the Barbican gig has the audience up and dancing in the aisles before the end of the Eliades’ first song.
Also playing this year’s La Linea will be the electrifying Rodrigo Cuevas, making his London debut at Islington’s Assembly Hall. Recent winner of Spain’s prestigious National Prize for Contemporary Music and nominated for multiple music awards, Rodrigo’s blend of Asturian-Spanish folk with a modern spin promises an evening filled with theatrical flair and musical wonderment.
Equally unmissable will be the stunning Sílvia Pérez Cruz, with her sparkling, shimmering voice and spellbinding blend of Latin jazz, flamenco and folk, and the exuberant New Regency Orchestra, a London-based Latin band known for its 12-piece horn and 5-piece rhythm sections. The Orchestra has been described as “a hepcat big band with a vibe straight out of Nuyorican barrios…given a 21st century London twist”.
La Linea also welcomes a host of musical talent from across the Latinx diaspora. Artists from Puerto Rico, Portugal, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Guatemala will perform at some of London’s most iconic venues including Camden’s Jazz Cafe, Islington’s Union Chapel and Hackney’s Moth Club.
La Linea 2025: London’s Latin Music Festival, 22 April – 5 May 2025 at the Jazz Café, Barbican Centre, Union Chapel and other venues across London and beyond.
For further information and tickets click here
For more about Latin music and events in London/UK visit Como No!
Images courtesy Baxter PR and Como No!, with special thanks to Joe and Tom
