The Met’s regular night showcasing emerging artists returns with an evening of music and poetry.

The electrifying sound of Bonfire Radicals is intensely creative and irresistibly fun. A danceable feast of vibrant, prog-folk music: original and traditional tunes and songs from the British Isles to the Balkans. They’re joined by The Patricias and poet Gemma Lees.

Bonfire Radicals are a high-energy folk powerhouse whose genre-defying live show is as joyful as it is explosive. Drawing on original and traditional music from across the British Isles and the Balkans, their sound fuses pounding grooves, virtuosic instrumentation, rich vocal harmonies and moments of spellbinding a cappella.

Renowned for their exhilarating stage presence, the band have been described as “dynamic and high octane” (Fatea Magazine) and “a serious powerhouse of a performance… foot-stomping and adrenalin-powered” (The Arts Desk ★★★★). Immersive, celebratory and unpredictable, their performances push boldly at the edges of folk traditions – folk music with a fearless, contemporary edge.

Their 2022 album The Space Between entered the UK Folk Charts at #13 and received widespread critical acclaim. In summer 2026, Bonfire Radicals tour with a brand new album, with the record available to buy at shows before its official release.

Photo credit Grant Harper Photography.

Gemma Lees is a Romany Gypsy, disabled and autistic performance artist, poet, facilitator and journalist. Her practise focuses on protest, advocacy and telling the stories that no one else is. Her poetry which embodies quintessential Northerness, confronts anti-Gypsism and celebrates her rich culture, has been performed in venues from tiny pubs to theatre stages, often infused with live art and comedy. She’s a frequent opinions columnist for Traveller’s Times and her poetry collection 1000 Years is available from Written Off.

Rumina are an exciting Manchester based band whose music explores elements of indie rock, indie folk, and indie pop with an electronic influence. Having been playlisted by Spotify with their first project Botanica and fresh off performances at Amsterdam Bangs, Un-Convention 2025 and Ramsbottom Come Together Festival, Rumina are building excitement leading up to the release of new singles. These include songs recorded in collaboration with Attitude is Everything and LayFullStop, as well as a batch of singles recorded at SAE Institute London.

Vocalist and instrumentalist Lu provides intimate and haunting performances that blur the line between serenity and uneasiness, whilst the instrumentation accompanies them with intricate detailing from Solle‘s guitars, pianos, and synthesisers. Rumina creates music that builds on both band member’s unique styles and inspirations, creating ethereal tracks that build a musical momentum that is captivating, if not hypnotic. With themes of identity and growth, Rumina’s music is intensely intimate and becomes increasingly so as the band continues to grow together, both as people and as musicians. Their upcoming releases feature heavy layers of guitar and building bass-lines above electrocuting percussion, emotionally textured beds of saxophone that add emotion, and piercing vocals that add an intense otherworldliness.