Both BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Introducing are renowned for bringing together an eclectic mix of artists and genres. It was only right, then, that the BBC Introducing showcase for 2025’s edition of BBC Radio 6 Music Festival took over YES with exceptional performances that showcased the diversity of the UK’s emerging musical talent. The pulsating post-punk of Adult DVD, Renee Stormz’ high-energy hip-hop, and jasmine.4.t’s breathtaking indie-folk all captivated the Pink Room’s audience, each bringing their own distinct styles to the stage and cementing their positions as the future of British music.
Speaking from the photo pit to introduce Leeds dance-punk revivalists Adult DVD, BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Huw Stephens joked that “our egos are too big to fit on stage”. He was accompanied by Emily Pilbeam, the presenter of BBC Introducing West Yorkshire who has expressed her sustained support of the band since the beginning of their career. The effortlessly cool six-piece arrived with their wide array of synthesisers (and band members) that had been squeezed onto the Pink Room’s small stage, opening their set with 2023’s stand-alone single ‘Yacht Money’.
‘Hot Set’, ‘Doomsday Prepper’, ‘7 Foot 1’ and ‘Dogs in the Sun’ were all taken from the band’s latest EP Next Day Shipping, as was ‘Do Something’ which eventually made an appearance towards the end of the set. Between previous songs, one crowd member had been continuously requesting the song: when it was time, singer Harry Hanson responded with a brief and blunt “that’s next, actually”. ‘Bill Murray’ closed the set with its instantly recognisable synth and bassline, building to an astounding climax. As the band packed up their own equipment, they were met by a gaggle of middle-aged men offering congratulations and words of support.
Renee Stormz was introduced by BBC Introducing Manchester presenter Roesh. “I’m going to take you on a little journey, I can’t stay in one lane”, Stormz stated before introducing ‘Tell ‘em I’m Here’ as the first song of her set. For ‘No Contest’, she brought her DJ, producer and backing vocalist Yelena Lashimba to the front of the stage: together they delivered an invigorating, high-energy performance, and Lashimba’s vocals, the musical lovechild of Amy Winehouse and Nia Archives, were allowed to stand in the spotlight.
‘Friendly’ was introduced as “a bit heavier”, before Stormz instructed the audience to “just bounce your heads, you know wha gwan”. The drum-and-bass-influenced track was well-received: “I’m loving you lot”, Stormz asserted as it came to a close. ‘All The Smoke’ and ‘Never Again’ were similarly lapped up, with Stormz stating “this is full woman power on the stage right now”.
In an “ode to my roots”, Stormz debuted ‘Omo Naija’, a currently unreleased track exploring her split identity. ‘Low Key’, ‘No Further Comment’ and ‘It’s Just Me’ closed the set, with the latter due to feature on Stormz’ upcoming project out in May. Throughout her performance, Renee Stormz proved her place as Manchester’s answer to Little Simz, combining similarly clever wordplay and unstoppable flow in songs centred around ADHD, resilience, self-acceptance and black identity.
After the Stormz had passed (if you forgive the pun), jasmine.4.t brought the tempo down a notch. Originating from Bristol and finding a new home in Manchester, the singer-songwriter has received significant acclaim and radio support due to her emotionally resonant, sincere lyricism and diverse use of instrumentation. In a set full of feeling, Jasmine took her audience on an excursion of emotion, leaving tears in eyes and smiles on faces.
Beginning her performance in the same way as her debut album with ‘Kitchen’, jasmine.4.t was accompanied solely by her violinist Phoenix Rousiamanis before bringing the remaining members of her band on stage. Introducing ‘Skin on Skin’, an early single from her debut album You Are the Morning, Jasmine stated “this is a song about trans sex”. Her intimate lyricism was striking from the beginning of the set, posing questions such as “how could you be so wise? We’re the same damn age” (‘Kitchen’) and “can you taste my pulse inside your cheek?” (‘Skin on Skin’) that never get an answer, but don’t require one.
Despite the heavy content of Jasmine’s lyricism, there was still time for humour: “it’s almost as if from soundcheck to now we’ve hidden the drummer behind a Perspex screen”, she noted in reference to the staging choices made to optimise the set for radio. “That’s a visual joke for anyone listening in”. ‘Highfield’ was then introduced as a song inspired by the country park of the same name in Levenshulme, to resounding cheers from the Manchester audience.
Jasmine’s honest vulnerability became clear early into the set as she opened up about the struggle of being transgender, illuminating an increasingly focused audience by discussing her own painful experiences. “That song is about my fear of violence walking down the street as a trans woman”, she stated at the close of ‘Highfield’. “Especially early in my transition, I experienced a lot of violent hate crime. We’re all trans women in the band here, and early transition is a really tough time for any trans person. Childhood is such a tough time for trans people. I’ve really struggled in my transition to access healthcare, which is such a shared experience for all trans people, especially in this country”.
She followed by remarking that “right now, it’s getting worse with Wes Streeting’s recent ban on puberty blockers”, referring to the measure passed by the Labour Party’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care which prevents under 18s from accessing “prescriptions for the treatment of gender incongruence and gender dysphoria”. This led one audience member to shout “fuck Wes” in an outcry that unexpectedly made it into the BBC Sounds recording of the show.
“Trans children are really suffering as a result”, Jasmine continued, noticeably holding back tears, “and it’s a really targeted attack. It just breaks my heart thinking about all the children who are in the position that I was in as a child, having those rights taken away from them. Please keep trans kids in your hearts, and protect them where possible. We can all be a part of hoping for a brighter future for trans people in this country”. When Jasmine speaks, the pain she has been subjected to is visible on her face, testifying to her authentic and troubled experience. Moreover, this aside was particularly relevant as the show took place five days before the International Transgender Day of Visibility, which has been celebrated on the 31st of March since 2009.
‘You Are the Morning’, the gorgeous title track from Jasmine’s debut album, was introduced as “a song about queer hope”. The song’s intimacy is complemented by heart-wrenching violin courtesy of Rousiamanis, as well as Jasmine’s own finger-picked acoustic guitar. For ‘Best Friend’s House’, Jasmine was joined by two of the first transgender people she met upon moving to Manchester, as well as her sister and best friend. Together, they formed a small but powerful choir, allowing for one of many moments of queer joy throughout the set. “I think I have slept on all of your floors at some point, so this is a very appropriate song”, Jasmine quipped.
Before the show, Jasmine handed us a sign that read “No Swearing”, which she anticipated would be required for her to avoid breaking BBC profanity rules. ‘Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation’, her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers which serves as a highlight on You Are the Morning, was where this was needed. The song featured the most forceful vocals of the set so far, building to a cathartic climax which made it easy to see how Jasmine’s attention would be diverted from explicit lyrics.
Jasmine noted that her track ‘Tall Girl’ had a place on BBC Radio 6 Music’s A-list at the time of the show. Although it was described during the show as written and recorded “off the cuff”, the song seems tailor-made for radio: short, snappy and concise, displaying impressively catchy percussion and an angular guitar riff shaded by surf-rock that rivals Pixies’ Joey Santiago. ‘Elephant’ followed, and its power was able to be translated live even without the presence of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles who make a significant contribution to its studio version.
‘Woman’ is the perfect example of the powerful simplicity that can be found within jasmine.4.t’s lyrics: it is irrefutably astonishing that the Bristolian can encapsulate the resilience required during transition within one single sentence. “I am in my soul a woman, and I am in my body a woman” is the affirmation she presents, and witnessing the sheer strength of Jasmine as both a transgender woman and a performer proved exceptionally touching.
“This is a song about how healing it was for me, coming to Manchester and finding my community”, Jasmine stated when introducing ‘Breaking in Reverse’, while ‘Did U No’ was dedicated to her friend Yulia Trot. “We became each other’s mothers; she’d come on tour with us. She was like my family, our emotional support… this is one of her favourite songs of ours”. At the time of writing, Trot is currently remanded at HMP Bronzefield in Surrey on allegations of participation in the dismantling of an Israeli arms factory. Musically, the song marked a moment of transition towards the end of Jasmine’s set: an upsurge of drums and guitar coalesced with Jasmine’s powerfully projected vocals.
Jasmine.4.t concluded her set in a similar tone with a cover of System of a Down’s ‘Toxicity’, which she had debuted earlier in the same week at SXSW in Texas. Then, she was accompanied by Julien Baker, one third of boygenius, who worked collaboratively with Jasmine to produce You Are the Morning. Baker’s absence this time around ensured that the focus was on Jasmine and her band: as was the case at many points of the set, it was Rousiamanis and her violin that stood out the most. While Rousiamanis had previously provided a gentle backdrop to Jasmine’s lyricism, the cover allowed for a vigorous performance that could very easily have engulfed the strings of her instrument in flames.
Overall, the showcase proved to be a testament to the melting pot of genres preserved by both BBC Introducing and BBC Radio 6 Music. While the jump from post-punk to rap to singer-songwriter had potential to be jarring, the quality of all three acts made the event feel seamless, and even apt. In a set described by Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music, as “spellbinding”, jasmine.4.t enlightened and enraptured her audience, while Renee Stormz and Adult DVD also helped provide a brilliant first night for BBC Radio 6 Music Festival.
