Somerset House Summer Series: Lightning Seeds

On 19 July 2026 at Somerset House, London, The Lightning Seeds bring Ian Broudie’s finely crafted pop to the Summer Series. Formed in Liverpool at the end of the 80s, the project began as Broudie’s studio vehicle before growing into a live band. The Lightning Seeds sit where indie pop meets alternative rock and britpop, with clean melodies, crisp choruses and a producer’s care for detail.

Cloudcuckooland (1990) set the tone, then Sense (1992) introduced The Life of Riley. After Jollification (1994), the group took to the stage properly and moved through the 90s with singles like Change, Lucky You, Perfect and You Showed Me, while Broudie opened his songbook to guests such as Terry Hall. In 1996 came Three Lions with David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, a football chant that stuck in the culture well beyond that summer.

The 2000s brought a long pause after Dizzy Heights (1996) and the more dance-leaning Tilt (1999), before Four Winds (2009) and See You in the Stars (2022) nudged the catalogue forward. For this date, the band draw on those years of tuneful writing, supple guitars and neat arrangements, shaping a set that connects the early studio craft to their current live pulse.