Acclaimed dance duo Maribou State are the latest big name headliners announced for 2025’s Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival (11-13 July 2025, Birmingham).
They join the previously revealed Ezra Collective, War, Goldie, Seun Kuti and Egypt 80, and DJ Craig Charles.

Maribou State - Chris Davids and Liam Ivory - made a significant impact with their 2015 debut album Portraits. Alongside 2019’s equally acclaimed Kingdom In Colour they redefined soulful, downtempo electronica for a new generation.

2025 sees the much anticipated release of the duo’s third studio album, Hallucinating Love (out 31 January 2025 via Ninja Tune). Featuring the tracks Dance On The World, Bloom and Otherside, the album is accompanied a run of sold out UK dates, three consecutive nights at London’s 10,000 capacity Alexandra Palace, and a massive spring US tour.

Also added to Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival 2025’s rapidly expanding line-up are Liverpool-based American singer-songwriter Jalen Ngonda, one of breakout artists from 2024's Glastonbury; MRCY, very much a ‘one to watch’ act who've just been nominated for a prestigious Rolling Stone UK Play Next Award; and Somewhere Soul, aka DJ, label A&R, and event programmer Josh Mason-Quinn, whose Somewhere Soul online music discovery platform has over one million followers. For his Mostly Jazz debut, Josh will be crafting an expertly curated forwarding-looking DJ set spanning jazz fusion, psychedelic soul, Afro-funk, global grooves, and more.

Other new additions to the festival bill include the classic '60s/'70s R&B-inspired MT Jones, live disco act Alive By Night, West Midlands-based hip hop artist The New Consistent, songwriter/ producer Jake Parsons’ Speak!, 12-piece Brum jazz/funk act Disco Manifest, and B:Music's young musical group, B:and Together.

Chris Proctor, Head of Programme at B:Music, who have programmed Speak!, Disco Manifest and B:And Together to appear at the festival said 'We’re delighted to continue the ongoing successful relationship between the festival and B:Music. We’re proud to be able to showcase some of the best young and emerging talent from across the city and the region at such an important weekend in the UK festival calendar. We’re proud of how this relationship has evolved over time, and are grateful to the team at Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival for providing these opportunities for B:Music and the artists that we support.'

John Fell, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul's Manager added 'We’re proud to be working with the B: Music team in 2025 offering 3 development slots at Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul. With Grassroots development at our core it is important that we build partnership with such prestigious institutions like B Music who are at the forefront of artist development programmes. We look forward to working with them next summer' He went on to say 'After Ezra Collective and War, we’re so pleased to reveal Maribou State as our third Mostly Jazz headliner. With three massive London shows and a UK tour that sold out within a couple of days, there’s huge demand to see the band’s return. And their new album, Hallucinating Love, will undoubtedly be one of the stand-out releases of the forthcoming year.'

Based at Moseley Park and Pool, in the Birmingham suburb of Moseley, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival runs from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 July 2025. Since debuting in 2010, the festival has consistently boasted a diverse line-up that combines trailblazing A-list international artists with innovative and emerging Brit acts.
Further 2025 line-up announcements, including family activities and the festival’s food and drink offer, will be revealed over the coming months.

B:Music at Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul

B:Music are proud to have programmed three exciting acts to perform

Speak! is a new collaborative project by Birmingham based songwriter and producer Jake Parsons. It's a product of a childhood growing up on Stevie Wonder, Jackie Wilson and Aretha Franklin, a later discovery of UK Hip Hop artists such as Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn, Little Simz and Loyle Carner, and covers just about everything in between. SPEAK! is underpinned by collaboration. With a wide range of artists featuring across the project, Jake often takes the backseat acting as a producer just as frequently as fronting the songs himself.

Disco Manifest is a 12-piece jazz-funk collective reimagining Disco, Funk, and Soul classics. Featuring a stacked 12-piece line up, they channel the spirit of Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Jaco Pastorius, and Tower of Power, infusing timeless hits with a contemporary jazz twist. Expect huge horn breaks, blistering solos, and powerful vocals built on a backbone of visceral funk grooves. Hailing from the vibrant Birmingham jazz scene, Disco Manifest has performed at iconic venues all across the city such as The Hare & Hounds, Symphony Hall’s Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space and Headlined Cheltenham Jazz Festival 2024’s Free Stage to open the festival. Influenced by artists like The Brecker Brothers, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, and Louis Cole, Disco Manifest is on a mission, fusing the heat of contemporary jazz improvisation with the infectious grooves of Disco, Funk, and Soul.

B:and Together is the B:Music talent development programme. The groups of young people passionately developing their Jazz and Gospel skills, meet for fortnightly workshops at Symphony Hall with the city’s best industry professionals. Their perfomances are joyous showcases of the next generation of musical talent.

For more information and tickets for Moseley, Mostly Jazz Funk and Soul Festival 2025, see: mostlyjazz.co.uk