LONDON.- Somerset House announces a landmark event in the 2025 Somerset House Summer Series with American Express: the world premiere of rituals: union black, a new film by Sundance award-winning and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker and Somerset House Studios resident Akinola Davies Jr., taking place on Monday 14th July in the iconic open-air courtyard.

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Today, it has been revealed that Mercury Prize winner Sampha, multifaceted jazz pioneer Moses Boyd and the legendary percussion section of Afro-jazz trail blazers Balimaya Project will join the formidable lineup of contemporary musical visionaries, including Kwake Bass, Dennis Bovell, Charlie Dark, and Klein set to perform a live score which will be presented alongside this powerful film. With more artists to be revealed, the live score has been specially commissioned by Somerset House in a Summer Series first.

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This multidisciplinary commission marks a major cultural highlight of Somerset House’s 25th birthday celebrations, marking its transformation into an unrivalled centre for cultural innovators and internationally acclaimed arts destination.

Fresh from receiving the Camera d'Or Special Mention at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for his feature debut My Father's Shadow, Somerset House Studios resident Akinola Davies Jr. will showcase a new moving-image essay, which intimately captures the everyday rituals and rhythms of Black life across the UK.

Commissioned and developed with support from BBC Film - who also backed My Father's Shadow and Davies Jr.'s award-winning short film, Lizard - rituals: union black is a poetic, ethnographic journey through the everyday moments that shape and sustain Black British communities. Davies Jr. invites viewers into intimate portrayals of worship, carnivals, weddings, funerals, spirituality, cooking, and joy, celebrating the vibrant rituals that pulse through life in neighbourhoods across the country. rituals: union black will screen on BBC in the next year.

Taking a fly-on-the-wall approach, the film honours authenticity, documenting real community groups, to build a layered and unfiltered archive of Black British experience. Each location and portrait speaks to the strength of collectivity and the power of remembering — on one’s own terms. The one-of-a-kind live event will create a unique sensory dialogue between image and sound, with the live score weaving in audio captured directly from the participants and their environments. This audio-visual experience transforms the premiere into a deeply immersive act of communal witnessing and celebration, and represents a defining moment in Somerset House’s birthday year: a celebration of Black life, ritual, and creativity, framed by the voices and visions of the communities themselves.

In celebration of this world premiere, Turner Prize-winning Chris Ofili’s Union Black flag will fly high over the Somerset House courtyard, whilst Somerset House Studios alumni Larry Achiampong’s Pan African Flag for the Relic Travellers’ Alliance will also be on view during this special occasion.

The live score for rituals: union black will be performed by an impressive ensemble of musical artists including, the drums of Balimaya Project, Kwake Bass, Dennis Bovell, Moses Boyd, Charlie Dark, Klein, and Sampha.

Led by acclaimed djembe player, composer and cultural curator Yahael Camara Onono, the Balimaya Project are a 13-piece ensemble leading the Afrojazz renaissance. At the heart of the group’s sound is a powerful percussion section, rooted in the music of the Mandé people of West Africa, which makes these drummers not just instrumentalists but conduits of history, identity and spirit. Emerging from London’s vibrant diasporic music scene, the drums of Balimaya Project create a kinetic force on stage blending the distinct sounds of djembe, dunun and balafon drums with a modern improvisation. They are set to be a visceral addition to the rituals: union black live score.

Kwake Bass is a pioneering drummer, producer, and musical director whose bold, experimental approach has made him a key figure in the UK’s genre-crossing music landscape. Collaborating with Mercury Prize nominees Kae Tempest and Sampha, Tirzah, Mica Levi, and MF DOOM, he has led a number of flawless high-profile live performances at Glastonbury, the Barbican and Tate Modern. A founding member of the Speakers Corner Quartet, Kwake Bass curates and champions experimental Black British sound culture through his influential work across music, film, and live performance.

Legendary British reggae producer, dub innovator, and musician Dennis Bovell, whose groundbreaking work has shaped the sound of Black British music for over five decades. He defined UK roots reggae in the 1970s and 1980’s as a member of Matumbi, while his solo dub albums became essential listening for audiophiles and producers worldwide. A master of the studio, Bovell produced key records for The Slits, Fela Kuti, Janet Kay, and Madness and collaborated with dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson. A tireless live performer, his enduring legacy continues to inspire new generations of musicians across reggae, punk, and electronic music.

Double MOBO and Jazz FM Award winner Moses Boyd is a remarkable jazz drummer, producer and composer who elegantly traverses the rich traditions of jazz and the restless yet differing energies of grime and afrobeat while underpinning it with a distinctive London feel. He forged an outstanding array of collaborations, working closely with artists Sons of Kemet, Little Simz, Floating Points, Binker and Moses and more, all before the release of his 2020 debut album. With DJ Lag, their track “Drumming” was included on Beyoncé’s official soundtrack for The Lion King: The Gift. His Mercury Prize shortlisted debut Dark Matter, released on his own label Exodus Records, still is a striking statement of boundless creativity and stark independence.

Formerly one-third of the influential Mo’ Wax-signed group Attica Blues, Charlie Dark is a celebrated poet, DJ, educator, and cultural changemaker whose career spans music, literature, and community activism. As founder of Run Dem Crew, Charlie transformed the urban running landscape by fusing fitness with creativity and community, earning an MBE in 2021 for services to the arts and young people.

London-based composer, producer and multidisciplinary artist, Klein speaks an avant- garde sonic language. Known for her visionary work merging classical composition, gospel, noise, and RCB into haunting, fragmented soundscapes, she has been hailed by The Wire and Pitchfork for her uncompromising artistry. A distinctive force in the UK’s experimental and Black electronic music scene, she premiered her operatic film Care at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in 2022, and has performed internationally at venues such as MoMA PS1, Serpentine Galleries, and Unsound Festival.

A singular and influential voice in modern music, Sampha shaped a generation with his deeply profound sound. Rising with his Mercury Prize winning debut album Process (2017), his highly-anticipated and widely acclaimed 2023 follow-up Lahai further cemented his place as a global genre-defying talent. Sampha has lent his unmistakable voice to icons like Kendrick Lamar, Solange, Alicia Keys and Frank Ocean, while remaining rooted in the underground leading to all-encompassing soul stirring collaborations. His creative reach extends beyond music through visionary work with artists like Grace Wales Bonner, filmmaker Kahil Joseph, and now, Akinola Davies Jr.

As part of Somerset House’s Summer Series — long renowned for showcasing bold, boundary-pushing talent from across the globe — rituals: union black marks a significant and historic addition to the festival’s ever-evolving legacy. This premiere is not only the first live film score performance in the Series’ history, but it also exemplifies Somerset House’s commitment to platforming artists whose work challenges conventions and deeply reflects the communities they represent. Featured alongside a stellar 2025 line-up that includes six-time Grammy Award winner St. Vincent, UK rap icon Giggs, soulful chart-topper Freya Ridings, the genre-blending singer-songwriter Joy Oladokun and many more, Davies Jr.'s multidisciplinary commission offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience cinema, sound, and cultural storytelling in a singular, transformative event — cementing rituals: union black as one of this year’s most anticipated and culturally resonant highlights.