Later... with Jools Holland - Season 57

Later... with Jools Holland returns to BBC Two for a special six-part winter series continuing in lockdown form, which sees Jools opening the doors to his unique south London recording studio, chatting to musicians about their favourite pieces of archive footage and showcasing specially shot performances from a wide variety of artists.

Kicking off the series, Jools welcomes one of this year's most hotly tipped artists, singer-songwriter Arlo Parks. She performs a track from her critically acclaimed album Collapsed in Sunbeams, a beautiful collection of songs touching on themes of mental health and sexuality. She also discusses her musical journey, loves and influences, as illustrated by classic clips from Later...

Continuing the theme of unique performances in interesting locations, the show marks the much-awaited return of Nashville rockers Kings of Leon with an exclusive performance from the band's studio. Having made their TV debut on the show back in 2003, it is a very welcome return for the global headlining outfit. They debut The Bandit from their forthcoming eighth album When You See Yourself, set for release in March.

And the show sees the return of Nottingham's polemical frontman Jason Williamson and dexterous producer Andrew Fearn, aka Sleaford Mods. They have a specially shot performance, featuring newcomer Billy Nomates, of their new single Mork n Mindy, which Williamson describes as ‘the sound of the central heating and the dying smells of Sunday dinner in a house on an estate in 1982'.

This week, Jools welcomes jazz drummer, producer and broadcaster Moses Boyd to discuss his musical journey, loves and influences, illustrated by classic clips from Later... A pioneer of the ever-growing contemporary London jazz scene, Moses started playing drums aged 13. His affinity for a wide range of music, from grime and electronica to the gospel, soul and funk he heard growing up in south London, has heavily influenced his unique sound. He made his Later... debut in 2017 as part of sax and drums duo Binker and Moses, and last year he released his debut solo album Dark Matter on his own record label, which went on to be shortlisted for the 2020 Mercury Prize.

The show also sees the return of the triple Brit award-winning singer Rag'n'Bone Man, with the debut performance of his new single All You Ever Wanted. It's a first taste of his second, much-anticipated album Life by Misadventure, the majority of which was recorded pre-pandemic in the musical city of Nashville. Due for release in April, the record is the follow-up to 2017's Human, the fastest-selling debut album by a male artist in over a decade.

To complete the line-up, Jools welcomes legendary American folk musician Peggy Seeger to the studio. With an illustrious career spanning 68 years, Seeger will shortly release her twenty-fourth and reportedly last solo album First Farewell. The album is her first to be recorded entirely with the immediate members of her very musical family, and it references her roots as a classically trained pianist. Seeger performs All in the Mind, a song co-written with her son Callum MacColl about ageing and its complexities.

Jools welcomes global superstar, The Voice judge and legendary singer Sir Tom Jones into the studio to discuss his musical journey, loves and influences, as illustrated by classic clips from the show. Together, they perform a track from Sir Tom's forthcoming forty-first studio album, Surrounded by Time, which reimagines a diverse set of songs of personal importance to the artist throughout his illustrious career.

Continuing the theme of unique performances in interesting locations, there is a performance from the restored Alexandra Palace Theatre in north London by Mercury prize-winning, genre-bending rockers Wolf Alice. The four-piece won the prize back in 2018 for their second album, Visions of a Life, and have been recently teasing their return with cryptic messages on their social media.

Also on the show and making his UK TV debut is the winner of the BBC Sound of 2021, British-Gambian rising star Pa Salieu, arguably the UK's hottest new rapper. Born in Slough, he grew up in the Gambia, and upon his return at the age of eight moved to Coventry. The city gave its name to his first mixtape, Send Them to Coventry, which was released in November and considers his Gambian heritage (and love of Gambian folk music), life in the Hillfields suburb, where he spent his formative years, and the trauma that he has encountered. It is just over a year since he released his breakthrough single Frontline. Pa Salieu is joined by Brit and Grammy-nominated singer Mahalia to perform their radio smash Energy.

Jools chats to award-winning British songstress Laura Mvula, who chooses and discusses her favourite performances from the Later archive. She also share news on what she has been up to since she was last on the show in 2016, including where she is at with the music for her third album and her love of the keytar. 

Performing for us on the show this week and making their TV debut is south London four-piece Dry Cleaning, filmed at east London's Moth Club. The performance features their recent BBC Radio 6 Music playlisted track Scratchcard Lanyard from their upcoming debut album New Long Leg. The album has seen them work with producer John Parish, best known for his work with PJ Harvey. 

We also welcome back the legendary mod-father and prolific singer-songwriter Paul Weller, who invites us into his Black Barn Studios in Surrey for a special performance of a track from his forthcoming new LP Fat Pop (Volume 1).

Jools chats to actor, comedian and music lover Lenny Henry, who chooses and discusses his favourite performances from the archive. This special Later... falls on the same night as Comic Relief 2021, so as well as mining our vaults, Lenny shares a few of his favourite musical moments from the fundraising show across the years.

Meanwhile, two artists make their debut on the show. First up is Enny, a rapper and singer from Thamesmead in south east London. After releasing her first music just under a year ago, she immediately caught the attention of Jorja Smith, who made Enny the first signing to her label FAMM. Fast-forward to the end of the 2020 and Peng Black Girls, Enny's celebration of Black British women, catapulted her into the critics' ones to watch lists.

Second up is Leeds-London collective Nubiyan Twist with a unique performance of their latest single If I Know, featuring Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist and singer K.O.G and recorded at the home of the now-iconic east London jazz night Church of Sound. The track comes from the band's recently released third album Freedom Fables, a record that pays homage to traditional jazz and Afrobeat whilst embracing genres from hip-hop to garage, dub and everything in between.

Jools chats to singer and actor Olly Alexander, best known as frontman of chart-topping band Years & Years and most recently as the star of hit drama It's a Sin. Olly chooses and discusses his favourite performances from the Later archive and treats us to an impromptu performance of a favourite song of his with Jools at the piano.

Making her British TV debut on the show at the tender age of 20 is British rising star Griff, who made this year's BBC Sound Of shortlist and has the stamp of approval from her hero Taylor Swift under her belt. Griff will perform her latest Radio 1 playlisted dark pop anthem Black Hole.

Jools also invites composer and musical polymath Nitin Sawhney and the multi-talented cellist and singer Ayanna Witter-Johnson to his studio to perform a beautiful duet called Movement II from Nitin's recently released album Immigrants.