10 UK Culture/Music Podcasts You Need In Your Life (2021 Edition)

Podcasts. Every streaming service is completely swamped with them, so cutting through to the ones that are doing something different and actually have something relevant to say is a near-impossible task. Here in the UK, new talents are cropping up every day and more and more of them are cutting through the noise with new takes on the format, as well as interviews with voices you don’t often hear.

Whether it’s sport, music, celebrity gossip or an escape from the everyday grind, there’s a glut of UK-based podcasts ready to rise to the top and offer us a new perspective or just some laughs. The execution’s improving too—and in a big way. The days of hastily thrown-together sets and cheap recording equipment are thankfully long gone, and it’s seriously paying off. Podcasters in 2021 have the kind of production value that some TV production companies could learn from.

Following our 2020 edition, here are 10 more UK culture and music podcasts you need in your life today (and forever). 

3 Shots Of Tequila

Fronted by Tazer Black, Marvin Abbey and Keith Dube, the topics that get discussed each and every week on the 3 Shots Of Tequila pod can range from highly informative (‘Casually Racist Britain’) and challenging (‘Men Of God Shouldn’t Be Rich’) to downright reckless (‘Who Shi**ed On The Floor?’), giving you a real, honest insight into some of the conversations young men today are having about the world around them. In 2019, three years after growing their brand to a point where they’re able to sellout concert-level live shows with next to no marketing, the London lads about town signed an exclusive deal with streaming giant Spotify UK and have since become one of the company’s greatest assets. 3 Shots Of Tequila have gone on to inspire hundreds of podcasts over the years, and this is testament to their dedication to podding but also their carefree, at times risqué, takes that most of us were thinking anyway. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

Listen to this podcast here.

Pressed

With a combined online following of over two million across YouTube, Twitter and Instagram, Nella Rose, Mariam Musa and Adeola Patronne are like the best friends you’ve never met. Adding to their individual successes, as models, influencers and all-round fly girls, the London-raised trio recently signed on with BBC Sounds/1Xtra to host Pressed, one of the most talked-about podcasts around. The girls give their listeners a recipe of witty anecdotes, where they unapologetically spill tea and voice their opinions on a wide range of topics. Turning heads every Friday, Pressed is not for the faint-hearted; but if you like your tea hot—with extra sugar—then, honestly, what are you waiting for? —Mimi Itseli

Listen to this podcast here.

RTM Podcast Show

It’s not unusual for a rapper to become a podcast host and ace it overseas, and you’d only have to look at the careers of Joe Budden and N.O.R.E. to see how successful it can be with a strong team in your corner and a mind to succeed. While North London road rap icon Young Spray isn’t retired like the previously mentioned talent, his career has taken a complete 360° turn, going from being the guarded one in interviews to being the one who asks all the questions. But much like the title of his Realer Than Most mixtape series, Spray and co-host Queen Icecream (she also raps) keep it a buck on the RTM podcast with every interview, unafraid to ask the tough questions and make it #awks every now and then. You can almost feel the tension in the room sometimes, unsure what will happen next, but that’s what makes RTM so entertaining. —Joseph ‘JP’ Patterson

Listen to this podcast here.

No Behaviour Podcast

No Behaviour, the podcast from dynamic duo Margs and Loons, well and truly lives up to its name. Essentially two best friends in conversation, No Behaviour is raw to the core but also cheeky and fun, mirroring the convos you heard growing up between the olders, and it’s that relatability factor that has afforded them such a large and loyal following. Sharing their unruly views on everything from Caribbean culture to old street tales, Margs and Loons are vital and necessary voices in the scene. —Mimi Itseli

Listen to this podcast here.

90s Baby Show

With over 300 episodes and nearly 40,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel alone, the 90s Baby Show—helmed by Fred Santana, Temi Alchemy and VP—has constantly found new ways to reinvent itself and keep listeners entertained. Every Monday, often with a guest on the couch, Fred, Temi and VP discuss everything that’s gone in the world the previous week, as well as trying to understand different perspectives of the younger and older generations concerning love, music, religion, and more. Having recently linked up with Link Up TV for a show on their Hub platform, and also starting a Patreon of their own, the 90s Baby crew are on their way to the top and we love to see it. —Mimi Itseli

Listen to this podcast here.

Meet Us After 7

Hosted by the core team of Yusuff and Gina, with contributions from producer Brent, Meet Us After 7 has been running weekly episodes since 2016. Each week, they dive into relationships, TV, music, films and whatever’s been grabbing headlines that week. It’s a relatively loose format, but more often than not they’ll get a guest involved, usually another podcaster, but one of the main strengths of this podcast is that they make a lot of effort to step outside their comfort zones and speak to people outside their echo chamber—but, crucially, it’s still funny. The pair tend to zip through topics pretty quickly, but there’s an episode from a couple of weeks ago, Hiding In Plain Sight, that should win you over. Joined by guests Emily Nsubuga and Michael Rhodes, they have a genuinely moving conversation about LGBTQ+ issues, masculinity, sexuality, and Michael’s issues with self-worth. These guys are worth your time. —James Keith

Listen to this podcast here.

Zero Manners

One of the wilder ones on our list, Zero Manners is hosted by up-and-comers Lim and Dillz and there are pretty much no limits to what they’ll discuss. Full episodes are posted on Spotify with shorter, filmed versions uploaded to their YouTube channel and highlights on Instagram. They’ve only been going for just shy of a year, but thanks to a slick operation and a decent production value, they’re steadily building a serious following. Like we said, it gets wild. Topics range from sex to politics, but mostly it’s just whatever they’ve seen in the news that morning. It’s a simple premise: two very good mates trying to make each other laugh, but it looks as if they’re gradually expanding the operation, so don’t be surprised if we start seeing some guests making their way onto the show. Whatever their future holds, they’re just getting started so jump into this one on the ground floor because they’re creating a stir online and are on their way to something huge. —James Keith

Listen to this podcast here.

Rhymeshe

Sharp social media banter has often poked fun at the fact that music and culture podcasts are generally dominated by male voices, reflecting the sexism of society in general. The Rhymeshe Podcast, now with two seasons under its belt, has sought to change that. Launched in May 2020 by BAFTA-nominated content creator Teeyana Aromi, journalist Ray Sang and the always-on-point Mimi The Music Blogger (the latter replaced by Cee Valentina for season two), this podcast offers the important perspective of Black women working in the music/entertainment industry. Rhymeshe cultivates a safe space for the hosts and their guests to discuss key topical issues, from slut-shaming in the grime scene and music industry cover-ups of predatory behaviour, to the role of influencers during times of crisis and the current spirit of collaboration amongst women in music. More serious themes are balanced with plenty of fun. The ‘Blasphemous’ section, featuring four envelopes containing unpopular opinions about the music biz, has been a recent highlight, with the convo about whether Drake has really put on for UK artists causing a bit of fire in the booth! There’s a consistent informative slant to each episode too, and this educative element makes Rhymeshe an important, empowering pod. —Robert Kazandjian

Listen to this podcast here.

Breaking Atoms

Breaking Atoms, which of course takes its name from the 1991 Main Source album, is hosted by Sumit Sharma and Chris Mitchell. They’ve been running in their current form since 2018, so they’ve built up quite a catalogue for you to get through. Recent episodes have been built around the format of a traditional interview, where they take their guests on a deep dive into just about everything—films, TV, politics, history, technology, all the time mooring it to hip-hop—but the episodes where they just debate topics and share their experiences often hold just as many gems. Before Breaking Atoms, Sumit had his own podcast series, Hip-Hop Chronicles, and every now and again they’ll dip into the archives to pull out classic interviews with people like Ice Cube, Nas, Just Blaze and Big Boi. The guys also ran a five-part series breaking down the context and stories behind Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt that is definitely worth your time, but if you want to start with their recent run, check out conversations with Evidence of Dilated Peoples or Wu-Tang affiliate 4th Disciple. —James Keith

Listen to this podcast here.