Emerging artists will take centre stage as part of a unique live music showcase at this year’s Aesthetica Film Festival.
The New Music Stage returns for a second year on Saturday, November 7, at York Theatre Royal as part of the festival’s Music at Aesthetica programme, featuring 10 breakthrough British and Irish acts spanning genres from indie and electronic to hip hop, R&B, and experimental music.
Cherie Federico, founder and director of Aesthetica, said: "Music has always been fundamental to cinema, from the score and soundtrack to the visual worlds artists create around their work.
"The New Music Stage creates an opportunity to build connections between emerging musicians, filmmakers and the industry, with discovery and collaboration at its heart."
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Circe (Image: Aesthetica)
Performers include Other People’s Leisure, who blend live hardware, vocals, and immersive visuals to create atmospheric indie-electronic soundscapes.
Dublin’s WineMom will bring their signature ‘Nostalgia Rock’ to the stage, while PH offers globally influenced hip hop.
LFay (Image: Aesthetica)
Roe delivers vulnerable songwriting informed by festival experiences such as Glastonbury, and Katherine Aly presents boundary-pushing alt-pop that fuses music, storytelling, and visual identity.
The line-up also includes cinematic dark-pop artist Circe, indie rock band Caro, and LFay, whose sound draws from hip hop, neo-soul, jungle, and rave culture.
Chisara (Image: Aesthetica)
Chisara combines Afro-art-pop with elements of theatre and dance, while Manchester-based Lepani blends alternative pop, R&B, and soul.
Pablo Ettinger, founder of Caffè Nero and a partner of Aesthetica, said: "Music and film are two of the most powerful forms of storytelling, and when they come together the possibilities are endless.
OLP2 (Image: Aesthetica)
"The New Music Stage is about discovering artists at an important moment in their careers, but also about bringing musicians, filmmakers and the wider industry together."
York’s creative community and audiences will have the chance to see artists before they break onto the national stage, with many already earning support from national radio and performing on major platforms.
Katherine (Image: Aesthetica)
The Music at Aesthetica programme goes beyond performance, offering masterclasses, industry conversations, and networking opportunities throughout the day.
A panel of experts from Beggars Group, BBC Introducing, BBC Radio 1, Universal Music, Futuresound Group, Rough Trade Records, and Domino Recording Company will share insights on artist development, A&R, labels, publishing, and the wider music industry.
The day will begin with Meet the Music Jury, featuring Rob Cannell of Beggars Group, Sally Bryant of Futuresound Group, music journalist Nicolas Tyrell, and writer Arusa Qureshi.
Lepani (Image: Aesthetica)
The panel will discuss how new artists are discovered and developed, as well as the realities of building a sustainable career in music.
A session titled Sync in Focus will bring together representatives from Universal Music, Rough Trade Records, and Domino Recording Company to explore the world of music placement in film and television.
For those interested in composing for screen, multi-award-winning composer Anna Rice will lead Scoring to Picture, drawing on her two decades of experience in film, television, and gaming.
The day’s keynote will be delivered by Jess Iszatt, presenter for BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing, known for championing new talent.
The New Music Stage (Image: Aesthetica)
Her talk will cover her career and the importance of supporting emerging artists, with BBC Introducing having helped launch the careers of Ed Sheeran, Florence + the Machine, Lewis Capaldi, RAYE, and Sam Fender.
Closing the evening will be Dilettante, the art-pop project of multi-instrumentalist Francesca Pidgeon, who won last year’s New Music Stage and returns for a live performance and Q&A.
The Music at Aesthetica programme is included with the Saturday Day Pass, Unlimited Pass and dedicated Music at Aesthetica Pass.
Aesthetica Film Festival runs from November 4 to 8 at venues across York.
Tickets and further information are available at www.asff.co.uk.