East and Southeast Asian celebration festival Margins United returns for its second event in London, with Harajuku pop icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Yokohama-raised rapper Tohji, and more announced.
Taking place on 27th September at London’s Exhibition White City, the event will feature live performances, DJ sets, and a curated market. Also confirmed are Shanghai hyperpop artist Billionhappy, LA alt-pop vocalist Emei, South London rapper Jianbo, DJ/producer Jax Jones, and Myanmar-British singer Lucy Tun.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Returning to London for the first time in two years, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu headlines the daytime programme at Margins United. A defining figure in 2010s J-pop, she emerged from Harajuku’s fashion scene and early blogging culture before turning to music. Backed by long-time producer Yasutaka Nakata (Capsule, Perfume), her 2011 debut ‘PONPONPON’ became a viral hit, fusing surreal visuals with fragmented, hyper-stylised pop. Tracks like ‘Fashion Monster’ and ‘Ninja Re Bang Bang’ pushed her beyond the mainstream, while her influence on kawaii culture and its global spread remains hard to ignore.
Tohji
Tohji returns to London following a breakout year that’s seen him shift from underground cult favourite to the edge of Japan’s rap mainstream. Born in London and raised between Tokyo and Yokohama, he first emerged on SoundCloud in 2017 before forming Mall Boyz and drawing wider attention with the track ‘Higher’. His sound—somewhere between rap, rave, and experimental pop—leans into distortion, speed, and emotional overload. Recent releases ‘zero-one’, ‘zero-two’, push further into abstraction, pairing rave-damaged beats with stylised myth-making. Fresh from a sold-out show at Yokohama’s PIA Arena MM, Tohji brings that restless energy back to where it began.
Downstairs, the event’s “Eternal Market” will feature stalls from over 20 independent traders. Vintage Japanese clothing, avant-garde Vietnamese jewellery, an exclusive Carhartt WIP x Margins United capsule collection, food, and more will be available.
Additionally, from 11pm-6am, Margins United will host an afterparty at London’s Scala. The night will play host to trance DJs Minna-No-Kimochi, techno and hardcore DJ hainafromchina, hyper techno DJ Dirty K, alongside others.
Tickets are on sale now, with community ticketing for unemployed/low wage attendees to follow.
Festival Dates
| Date | Country | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27th Sep (Sat) | UK | London | Exhibition White City |
