How music is responding to right wing populism
From live events marking International Women's Day 2025 to raves challenging far right extremism, the UK has found its new groove with musicians, DJs and promoters changing the face of protest by placing music and culture at the centre of its message.
By Anu Shukla
I never quite anticipated witnessing firsthand the impact of far-right ideologies on some twenty-something-year-olds in the UK. Hearing young people rant about ‘unskilled migrants’that are ‘leeching off the system and giving nothing back’? It’s a reality that hit home when the offspring of an old friend sent me a flood of right-wing propaganda – including an invite to a far-right march and a collection of grimy mugshots of alleged Asian grooming gang members.
Further conversation revealed deep-seated anxieties about Islam and Britain collapsing under the weight of unskilled foreigners draining the system. I diagnosed a moderate case of xenophobia, bordering on full-blown Islamophobia, inflamed by the cost of living crisis and housing issues – which right-wing influencers have blamed on migration. The patient rejected my analysis outright. This is clear evidence of the far-reaching effects of the propaganda-fueled algorithmic frenzy unleashed by Tommy Robinson (aka Stephen Christopher Yaxley-Lennon) last year, which contributed to the rising popularity of parties like Reform UK.
But if history has taught us anything, it’s that music is the antidote. Syd Shelton’s documentation of Rock Against Racism in the ’70s and ’80s captured the direct response to the rise of far-right politics at the time. His images serve as a powerful reminder of how music can unite and resist hate: the fusion of punk and reggae that led to the culmination of Ska is a testament to that fact.
Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) national organiser Chioma Amadi-Kamalu told Rolling Stone UK that a wave of anti-racist music events have been growing across the UK ever since Yaxley-Lennon’s incitement of last year’s anti-immigrant riots—sparked by his misinformation falsely claiming that a Muslim asylum seeker had killed three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport. History may be repeating itself, but so is the resistance. “Last year’s riots were the worst scenes of violence we’ve seen in decades,” says Amadi-Kamalu, “so in response to that, we relaunched ourselves to spread a message of unity and anti-racism.”
That message could not have been more profound when it was projected last month. On February 1st, as a far right march took hold of central London, Amadi-Kamalu was busy hosting a sell-out music event with Mercury Prize nominee David Okumu at Deptford venue The Albany. The place had been torched by the National Front in 1978 and veterans from Rock Against Racism (also part of LMHR) hadn’t returned since. “That was quite a big thing,” she tells me.
An incarnation of Rock Against Racism, LMHR has seen collectives and sound system crews gather across over 100 anti-racism music events since July last year, with many taking place in cities including Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Cardiff, Sheffield, Glasgow, and beyond. Post rock band Sentience Machine told Rolling Stone UK that they will play at feminist anti-racism event Rock for Unity in Camden this Friday for International Women’s Day and say their track Human Stigma was written in the wake of Brexit in response to right wing populism. “We need this now more than ever,” says event host, queer activist and Brit Asian sound protagonist DJ Ritu. “I mixed with many veterans of the feminist revolution in the 80s and was often the only woman of colour on lineups of IWD events–so it’s important to enhance the voices of Black and Brown women and stand strong against the current tide of racism in the UK.”
In Hull, Leg-It is the crew behind the event Rave against Hate that has been raising funds for projects supporting asylum seekers and promoting racial equality. Crew member Jack Rimmington says now is a critical moment in which to take a stand. “Rave originates from a time of unrest and if music has changed mentalities in the past, it can do it again.” R3 Sound System and Glastonbury’s block9 Area co-founder Gideon agrees. Last year, his crew staged a rave on the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in collaboration with the Black Artist Database. R3’s House Against Hate is scheduled for April. “As the Tories and Reform ratchet up their anti-immigration rhetoric, as we watch the second attempt at dismantling US democracy, and as Labour fail to call out Israel’s genocide, we must unite once again around our community soundsystems and nightlife institutions to protest the global consolidation of rightwing power before it’s too late,” says Gideon. “Personally, I follow the example of Bassiani in Tbilisi and K41 in Kyiv who have mobilised their communities in honourable and inspiring ways.”
Gideon has been a protagonist of counterculture values and community activism for three decades. Beyond that, the likes of Andy Brammer–who played a massive role in Rock Against Racism in the 70s and 80s–have also influenced younger generations. His son, Josh, is one of the organisers behind Leeds’ Rave Against Racism—a party launched in response to last year’s right-wing riots with the next event, “Big Fat Rave,” scheduled for April. “Just like previous generations fought the National Front with music, our event was designed to speak with this generation, using music as a bridge to counter the influence of rightwing media figures like Robinson and Nigel Farage who spread lies and try to divide us.” Far right movements have rebranded, he added, but their message targeting immigrants and dividing people remains the same.
Both skilled and unskilled immigrants have historically put the ‘great’ into Great Britain, continuing to boost the GDP and fill critical labour gaps, with foreign-born workers now accounting for a fifth of the employed population. Additionally, the UK’s music scene would be lacklustre without the influence of immigrants: genres like DnB, jungle, dubstep, reggae, hip-hop, breaks, house, techno, reggaeton, Afrobeat, cumbia, flamenco, jazz, bossa nova, bhangra, and their countless remixes all carry the influence of migrant communities.
It’s a message that’s been transmitted through generations with the power of music, says Josh. “I was raised on the principle that we’re all one, and going on demos with my dad taught me the importance of unity. We’re not just throwing parties—we’re building a movement: solidarity can be found on the dance floor as much as in the streets. Now more than ever, we need the energy of music to fight back against the forces that seek to divide us.”