ICA London  

It was a good job someone was around to alleviate post-war depression. The Institute of Contemporary Arts is a long-standing institution that recently celebrated its 60th birthday, and their mission of bringing modern culture in all its forms to the people of London is as vital today as it was back in the 1940s and '50s. Aside from presenting the cutting edge of visual art, cinema, design, and dance, the ICA had a love affair with music from the very first concert, and is constantly striving to be the first to showcase exciting performers. From Music Concrète and John Cage to Stravinsky and Stockhausen, the list of groundbreaking artists that have played on London's South Bank makes mouth-watering reading, and also includes the likes of The Smiths, The Cocteau Twins, Cabaret Voltaire, and Sonic Youth, to name just a few. Their current programme is no less adventurous, and takes in blistering young music makers like God Is An Astronaut and Lucky Dragons, as well as influential pioneers like Jan St Werner, Blacktronica, Rhys Chatham, and Mira Calix. The ICA still hold a torch to those old clubs where you'd talk about music and its messages, those exciting possibilities of change. With their membership options, the ICA nurtures a real sense of community, and whenever you feel musically saturated, you can easily refresh your cultural power-ups with the cinema, art gallery, theatre, or just discuss topics with pals and colleagues in the bar. There's always time to get your institute constitutional.

Address

ICA
The Mall
London SW1Y 5AH

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