An Evening with Labi Siffre
British Library96 Euston Road
Thu 10 Dec · 19:00 · £30
About this event
Labi Siffre, singer-songwriter, poet and composer, is one of Britain’s most quietly influential and genuinely ground-breaking artists. Since the 1970s, he has carved out a singular path, blending folk, soul, jazz and spoken word with an honesty that set him apart from his contemporaries.For this special event, Labi talks to DJ and Classic Album Sundays host Colleen ‘Cosmo’ Murphy about his remarkable musical journey, followed by a vinyl listening session of his beloved 1972 album Crying Laughing Loving Lying.Labi has always written with clarity and purpose. His songs are direct and unguarded, rooted in lived experience rather than fashion or trend. From the intimate beauty of ‘Bless the Telephone’, to the enduring romance of ‘It Must Be Love’ and the classic, transcendent song of resolve and protest ‘(Something Inside) So Strong’.He has been sampled by countless artists over the years, by Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Kanye West, and most famously by Eminem, who drew on Labi’s 1975 track ‘I Got The…’ for his own ‘My Name Is’. Labi’s music continues to reach new audiences across generations. In 2025 his recording ‘Crying Laughing Loving Lying’ featured in the film The Holdovers and his 1971 recording ‘Bless the Telephone’ became a hit across TikTok, leading to 140 million streams.
Follow the thread
A different kind of night
Not the same tradition as the lineage above — a genuinely different thread to pull, if you want one.