Meltdown (festival)

Coordinates: 51°30′24.99″N 0°6′50.07″W / 51.5069417°N 0.1139083°W / 51.5069417; -0.1139083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ray Davies closing the 2011 Meltdown Festival at Royal Festival Hall

Meltdown is an annual festival held in London, featuring a mix of music, art, performance and film. Meltdown is held in June at Southbank Centre, the arts complex covering 21 acres (85,000 m2) and including the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and The Hayward. Each year, the festival chooses an established music artist or act as director of the event, and they pick the performers of their choosing. Previous Meltdown directors have included Elvis Costello, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Lee Scratch Perry, Morrissey, Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, Scott Walker, John Peel and Ornette Coleman. The festival has been held annually since 1993, except in 2006 when the Royal Festival Hall was closed for refurbishment. On November 6, 2019, Grace Jones was announced as the curator of the 2020 Meltdown, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this has since been rescheduled to 2022.[1]

Previous line-ups

Year Curator Artists
1993 George Benjamin The London Philharmonic Orchestra with conductors George Benjamin & Franz Welser-Möst, Ensemble Modern with conductor Markus Stenz, percussionists James Wood, Robert van Sice and Emmanuel Séjourné and soprano Sara Stowe, Nikolai and Valery Mongoush, London Sinfonietta, Hatton Hodgson, Paul Burwell
1994 Louis Andriessen Housewatch,
les ballets C de la B, Asko Ensemble
1995 Elvis Costello Jeff Buckley, Keith Tippett, The Jazz Passengers, Marc Ribot, Brodsky Quartet, BJ Cole's Transparent Music Trio, Bill Frisell Trio, Steve Nieve, The London Sinfonietta, The Wooden Indians, The Angell Piano Trio, The London Philharmonic Orchestra, Anúna and the Sabri Brothers, Moondog, June Tabor, Huw Warren, Mark Emerson, Patricia Rozario, Fretwork, The Composers Ensemble, Michael McGlynn, Elvis Costello
1996 Magnus Lindberg Ibimil and Yat-Kha, Trevor Wishart, Electric Phoenix, Sonic Arts Network, Bruce Gilbert, Heiner Goebbels, David Moss, Ernst Stotzner, Varttina and Leningrad Cowboys, London Sinfonietta, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Avanti
1997 Laurie Anderson DJ Scanner, Ivor Cutler, Lou Reed, Spalding Gray, Gidon Kremer and his Tango Group, Ken Nordine, Arto Lindsay, Alan Reid, Heather Woodbury, Salman Rushdie, Bill T. Jones, Robert Wilson, Richard Foreman's Ontogical Hysteric Theatre, Ryuichi Sakomoto
1998 John Peel
1999 Nick Cave Barry Humphries, Bonnie Prince Billy, Gary Lucas, Nina Simone, Syd Straw, Dirty Three, Van Dyke Parks, Polly Borland, Tony Clark, Lee Hazlewood
2000 Scott Walker Mark-Anthony Turnage, Asian Dub Foundation, Blur, Cicala Mvta, Clinic, Evan Parker, Jarvis Cocker, Jim O'Rourke, Luc Bondy, Radiohead, Elliott Smith, Tom McRae, Clearlake, Richard Alston Dance Company, Smog
2001 Robert Wyatt
Cristina Dona, Eviatar Banai
2002 David Bowie
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2003 Lee "Scratch" Perry
The Bees, Mad Professor
2004 Morrissey
2005 Patti Smith
2006 N/A Royal Festival Hall closed for refurbishment
2007 Jarvis Cocker
2008 Massive Attack
Silent Disco with guests DJs including Four Tet and Peaches
2009 Ornette Coleman
Liberation Music Orchestra with Carla Bley, Robert Wyatt and The Bad Plus
2010 Richard Thompson Elvis Costello, The Duckworth Lewis Method, Joe Henry, Paolo Nutini, Van Dyke Parks, Tom Robinson, Seasick Steve, Loudon Wainwright III, Al-Thawra, The Kominas
2011 Ray Davies A Tribute to
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and The Legendary Pink Dots, The Fugs, The Sonics and Wire, Yo La Tengo
2012 Anohni , The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black.
2013 Yoko Ono
Bishnu Priya, Reggie Watts, Mac Lethal
.
2014 James Lavelle
Trevor Jackson, Goldie & Heritage Orchestra, Don Letts, Voicelab, JP Duncan, Acid Brass, Horsemeat Disco, Jeff Mills, A Guy Called Gerald, Craig Richard, re-envisioning of A Love Supreme
.
2015 David Byrne Bianca Casady & The C.I.A., Estrella Morente, Benjamin Clementine, Sinkane, Sunn O))), Psapp, screening of There Will Be Blood with live performance of Jonny Greenwood's score, Gaby Moreno, Atomic Bomb!, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, María Rodés, Eliza McCarthy, New York Brass Band, Carmen Consoli, Petra Haden, Anna Calvi, John Luther Adams, Matthew Herbert, Lonnie Holley & Alexis Taylor, François & The Atlas Mountains, Young Jean Lee, Young Marble Giants, Gob Squad, London Sacred Harp Singers, Monsalve y Los Forajidos, screening of Planet of the Apes with live orchestral performance
2016 Guy Garvey
2017 M.I.A. , MIA
2018 Robert Smith The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, Deftones, The Libertines, Manic Street Preachers, Mogwai, My Bloody Valentine, Nine Inch Nails, Placebo, The Psychedelic Furs

65daysofstatic, Alcest, God Is an Astronaut, Kristin Hersh, Low, Maybeshewill, Mono, The Notwist, Suzanne Vega, The Penelopes

A Dead Forest Index, The Anchoress, And Also the Trees, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Blue Crime, The Church, De Rosa, Douglas Dare, Drahla, Eat Static (DJ Set), Emma Ruth Rundle, False Advertising, Fear of Men, Hilary Woods, I Like Trains, Indian Queens, Is Bliss, Jambinai, James Walsh, Jo Quail, Jónsi, Alex Somers & Paul Corley: 'Liminal', The Joy Formidable, JoyCut, Kælan Mikla, Kagoule, Kathryn Joseph, Kiasmos DJ Set, Kidsmoke, Kite Base, The KVB, Loop, Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard, Martinez, Matt Holubowski, Misas Fall, Moon Duo, Planning for Burial, PG. Lost, Pumarosa, Skinny Girl Diet, The Soft Moon, Thought Forms, Tropic of Cancer, The Twilight Sad, Vessels Live & DJ set, Vex Red, Yonaka[3]

2019 Nile Rodgers
2022 Grace Jones Grace Jones, Peaches, Skunk Anansie, Baaba Maal, Angélique Kidjo, Sky Ferreira, Shingai, John Grant, Greentea Peng, Dry Cleaning, Eska, Alewya, Josey Rebelle, cktrl, a live dub of Island Life by Seng Seng Rhythm Section, ShezAr and the Soul Sirens performing gospel covers of Jones' songs, Hot Congotronics (Hot Chip x Kasai Allstars), Lee Fields, Skinny Pelembe, Big Joanie, Dave Okumu, The Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra, Adrian Sherwood performing Time Boom x The Upsetters Dub Sessions, Hercules and Love Affair, Kevin Richard Martin and Hatis Noit, Oumou Sangaré, Meshell Ndegeocello, Ben Hayes and Hector Plimmer, Honey Dijon, Cut Hands, Desire Marea, Two Another
2023 Christine and the Queens

References

  1. ^ Sam Moore (9 April 2021). "Grace Jones' Meltdown Festival rescheduled to 2022". NME. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Meltdown festival 2016 line-up". Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  3. ^ "Robert Smith's Meltdown - All Events". Retrieved 26 April 2018.

External links

51°30′24.99″N 0°6′50.07″W / 51.5069417°N 0.1139083°W / 51.5069417; -0.1139083