On Wednesday 4th June, TRENCH took over the Strongroom Bar in Shoreditch for a Grime 3.0 showcase as part of the inaugural SXSW London festival.

Much has been made of the current tidal wave of grime right now. A new generation of creatives are inventing new techniques, new styles, new platforms and bringing with them a thunderbolt of energy. Meanwhile, grime’s elder statesmen are just as invigorated; we’re seeing Ruff Sqwad, Skepta, Wiley, Jme, Chip and others releasing some of the best music of their careers. Young and old generations alike are taking inspiration from each other and coming together for one of grime’s most creatively fertile eras ever. Ruff Sqwad are reinvigorating the cypher with cinematic visuals, Skepta’s dropping in at Victory Lap sessions, and DJ Mak 10’s taken TikTok by storm with gonzo on-the-road DJ sets.

It’s this meeting of the generations that defines Grime 3.0 and was a big impetus behind the showcase we put together. Curated by TRENCH brand manager Chantelle Fiddy and EIC Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson, the showcase celebrated the core of where grime is at in 2025.Teaming up with Balamii, Travs Presents, UD Music and GIRLSofGRIME, we put together a line-up that celebrated the new-gen innovators pushing the sound and scene forward. Hosted in Shoreditch, it was a fitting locale for a sound born in the heart of East London. Across two stages—one indoors, the other outside—attendance was essential and, with a queue stretching down the road, it ended up being one of the hardest events to actually get into.

Both the outdoor stage and the indoor venue boasted stacked line-ups and the highlights were non-stop. Those who couldn’t get in were robbed of the chance to see an athletic, breathless workout from Mez and Grandmixxer, namesbliss and Vagrant Real Estate’s lively and charismatic set, a high-intensity set from Mak 10 and Kruz Leone, Kaylee Kay’s new-gen showcase featuring Kengo, BigManBars, RB, and more, Jammz’s headline set, and unforgettable sets from BexBlu and Paul Stephan, Logan OLM and SI*BL, Jayahadadream, Duppy and Renz, £MONZO and Reptile B.

Scroll through below to see what went down in pictures...