At a time when music discovery is increasingly dictated by algorithms, The Cause is betting on something far more human: community.
On Saturday 25 July, the Docklands venue will host The Cause FM: New Frequency, a new festival that doubles as the launchpad for its forthcoming streaming platform. But this isn’t just another date for the calendar, it sets a true statement of intent, bringing to life a new independent place for broadcasting at the centre of how music is shared, experienced and understood in 2026.
Rather than curating a traditional line-up, The Cause has handed over its stages to a network of global radio communities, each bringing its own identity, context and sound. From Bethlehem’s Radio Alhara to Berlin’s Refuge Worldwide, Bali’s Headstream by Potato Head, and a cross-continental collaboration between Seoul Community Radio and London’s Keep Hush, the programme reads less like a festival bill and more like a map of contemporary underground culture.
Crucially, every stage will be streamed live via The Cause’s new platform, extending the reach of the event far beyond East London. In doing so, the festival blurs the boundary between physical and digital space, connecting listeners worldwide with the scenes, selectors and stories that shape independent music ecosystems on the ground.
The line-up reflects that same ethos of curation over clout. Artists like Kim Ann Foxman, L-Vis 1990 and Upsammy sit alongside a new generation of boundary-pushing selectors and live performers, from Didi Han and Sansibar to Melati ESP and TOUMBA. Elsewhere, the likes of Tornado Wallace b2b Fantastic Man, Teki Latex, Elijah b2b Yemz and Nihal underscore the breadth of perspective on offer, spanning club functionality, experimental edges and deeply localised sounds.
Yet what New Frequency proposes goes beyond programming. It arrives at a moment when recommendation engines dominate listening habits, flattening context into data points. Independent broadcasters, by contrast, continue to operate as cultural intermediaries, connecting audiences not just to tracks, but to the communities, histories and ideas that surround them.
In that sense, this is less of a festival and more like a convergence point. Broadcasters, artists and curators from across continents gathering not just to perform, but to exchange, building relationships that will exist outside platform logic and beyond geographic constraint.
The weather looks promising for the day with a max of 27 degrees, a perfect setting for this outdoor event. Tickets are available through RA and you can check the full line up below:
