The Royal Festival Hall will come alive with the music that inspired McQueen’s fashion shows.

The Southbank Centre will host Un-natural Harmony: The Sounds of Alexander McQueen, a live concert in the Royal Festival Hall, on Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 April 2026. The performance will bring the atmosphere of McQueen’s legendary shows to life, blending classical composition with modern pop culture while remaining true to the designer’s uncompromising vision.

The concert arrives as part of Multitudes, the Southbank Centre’s multi-arts orchestral music festival, which returns this spring while the venue marks its 75th anniversary. Serving as a focal point of the wider programme, Un-natural Harmony will debut at the festival as a live orchestral reimagining of the sounds that inspired McQueen’s runway narratives, where beauty and brutality often lived side by side.

Created in collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra, the performance is led by conductor Robert Ames and McQueen’s longtime music director John Gosling. Across the evening, the orchestra will move between eras and genres, with pieces including Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’, Handel’s ‘Sarabande’, and Mozart’s ‘II. Adagio: Piano Concerto No.23’, The Rolling Stones’ ‘Paint It Black’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’. The result is designed to reflect McQueen’s bold approach to sound and his use of music to sharpen emotion, amplify tension, and transform fashion into theatre.

Directed by Elayce Ismail, Un-natural Harmony: The Sounds of Alexander McQueen will also feature a new film by Douglas Hart and Eddie Whelan, along with a live performance by critically acclaimed choreographer and movement director Holly Blakey.

In other news, the Southbank Centre will welcome the Imagine Festival from 11 to 21 February 2026. Designed for children of all ages, it features workshops, shows, exhibitions, music, and literature. Highlights include An Evening with Jacqueline Wilson and Rachael Dean on 15 February, and CBeebies favourites Andy and the Odd Socks on 15 February. Events range from dance workshops to communal sing-alongs. Many sessions are free and perfect for a family-friendly escape.

​GO: Visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk for more information.