Five legendary UK artists who should perform on ‘Saturday Night Live UK’
Right now, as you read this, there will be a mosaic of writers, comics, and crew running around a studio, trying to prepare as best as they can for the upcoming Saturday Night Live UK premiere.
There has been plenty of scepticism floating around since it was announced that the classic American sketch show is getting its own UK version, and rightly so. The sketch show hasn’t been as prominent in the UK in recent years, and the US version has an infrastructure, culture and legacy which helps carry it. Trying to do something similar in the UK is a big risk, but all successful shows are, aren’t they?
When the cast was announced, the range of comics involved was a promising sign, as it was a healthy mix of styles and personalities, and not the usual helping of comedians who seem to be on every comedy TV program the UK puts out. Then, when the first three hosts, Tine Fay, Jamie Dornan and Riz Ahmed were announced, those glimmers of hope were shining a hell of a lot brighter; damn, this might just work.
While SNL is renowned as a comedy programme, its musical performances are just as notorious as its sketches, and once again, the three bands announced for the first three episodes are pretty solid, as Wet Leg, Wolf Alice and Kasabian have all been confirmed as taking to the stage. It’s clear that this new iteration of SNL is a great way to show the high standard of British comedy to wider audiences, but it also allows the UK to promote some of its greatest artists. So, with that in mind, below are the others who should be booked to play the notorious sketch show.
The legendary UK artists who should perform on SNL
The Last Dinner Party
When you play on SNL, it’s not just a gig, as people aren’t simply there to hear the song, but they want a spectacle as well. When you look at a lot of the legendary performances which have previously blown audiences’ minds over the years on the US version, it’s a combination of great music, exciting set design, and captivating stage presence. There is no band that embodies all three of these elements more in the modern age than The Last Dinner Party.
When they released their breakout single ‘Nothing Matters’, they skyrocketed into the mainstream, and from that point on, hesitations about them being ‘one hit wonders’ were passed around, but these concerns were quickly dismissed as more songs were released, and it became clear the band were a new tour de force with a backlog of quality. Now, two albums later, that quality refuses to subside, and The Last Dinner Party continues to wow audiences wherever they go, wherein, simply put, they were made for a show like Saturday Night Live, and it would be a missed opportunity for them not to play it.
Ezra Collective
The UK is a diverse place, and that’s perhaps best celebrated within the music that the country puts out. Ezra Collective are a shining example of this, as when they originally formed, they did so with the intention of championing diversity as much as possible. They’ve admitted that they had a focus on “Black musicians, female musicians and those whose financial or other circumstances might lock them out of opportunities to pursue a career in the music industry”.
Since originally forming, the band have continued to put out excellent jazz music, which has seen them win a Mercury and receive acclaim from music lovers around the world, and they are one of the most fun, inventive and collaborative acts on the planet right now, so it would be great for them to show as much on such a big stage.
English Teacher
I spoke to English Teacher a couple of years ago ahead of their show in York’s Crescent for Independent Venue Week, and they were pretty open about how nervous they got before a gig. “I’m anxious as fuck,” they told me in the green room, “I always am, pre-tour; I always get quite restless. In a good way.” Anxious maybe, but you wouldn’t know it once they take to the stage, as in recent years English Teacher have become one of the UK’s must-see bands.
A combination of spoken word, indie music, jazz and pop, this band embodies that unpredictable post-punk ethos better than any other act in the world right now, and with every show, they continue to knock it out of the park, such that this unique approach to sound would be welcome on a stage as high-profile as SNL.
Jessie Ware
Perhaps one of the most fun gigs I’ve ever attended was Jessie Ware in Manchester a year or so back. As if the music alone isn’t good enough to get you dancing, with this sexy blend of disco, funk and lounge music, but the gig itself was a spectacle, filled with great stories, a plethora of dancing, and glitter balls.
Jessie Ware is such a personality, she could probably pull double duty and host the show as well, but an absolute must is having her take to the stage and play this great music. Given she is currently in the middle of a new album rollout, this seems like the perfect time for a performance, and a whole new branch of Jessie Ware fans would be introduced to her spellbinding sound.
Little Simz
Rap music is predominantly seen as an American style, and while the genre may have originated in the States, that doesn’t mean that UK artists aren’t capable of perfecting the sound. One of our greatest rappers, live performers, and general personalities is undoubtedly Little Simz, and she would be excellent when it comes to showing the States just how high the bar for UK rap is.
She hasn’t released a single bad album, and every record she puts out feels like progress, where she taps into new sounds, experiments with different flows, and changes themes so that lyrics don’t remain stagnant or repetitive. Her 2025 release Lotus was arguably one of her best to date, and so while the rapper keeps riding the wave and going from strength to strength, it makes sense to give her one of the biggest stages on television.
