The V&A East's first exhibition, an immersive sound experience tracing 125 years of Black music-making in Britain with over 120 tracks played through headphones.
The Music is Black: A British Story is open at V&A East Museum in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, east London, and it runs until Sunday 10 January 2027. It's the museum's very first exhibition, and it's built around sound: you wear headphones that automatically play more than 120 tracks as you move through the space, with the music changing to suit whatever you're looking at. Curated by Jacqueline Springer, the show traces 125 years of Black music-making in Britain, following its roots in African and diasporic traditions across four continents.
It covers eight genres in total, from lovers rock and Brit funk to 2 Tone, trip hop, jungle, drum and bass, UK garage and grime. More than 200 objects are on display across four 'acts', and they aren't just records: there's fashion, photography, musical instruments, interviews and contemporary art. Among them are Joan Armatrading's 1964 acoustic guitar and a 1981 print of the anti-racism protest at The Specials' Potternewton Park set. The V&A East itself was co-created with young people, creatives and east Londoners.
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Tickets are £22.50 on weekdays and £24.50 on weekends, with under 26s and students paying £11, Art Fund members £10, and V&A members getting in free. You'll find it at 107 Carpenters Rd, London, E20 2AR, in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
