Meltdown (festival)

Meltdown is an annual, English 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 include: 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. The guest director for the 2010 festival was renowned rock and folk musician Richard Thompson. For the forthcoming 2011 festival, Ray Davies of The Kinks is to be the guest director.

Previous line-ups

Year	Curator	Artists
1993	George Benjamin	The London Philharmonic Orchestra with conductors George Benjamin & Frank 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, Just Merit
1994	Louis Andriessen	Housewatch, Icebreaker, City Degung Gamelon Ensemble, Piano Circus, The Steve Martland Band, Mecklenburgh Opera Ensemble, Bang On A Can All Stars, Gavin Bryars Ensemble, Philip Glass, Alain Patel and 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 Pheonix, Sonic Arts Network, Bruce Gilbert, Heiner Goebbels, David Moss, Ernst Stotzner, Varttina and Leningrad Cowboys, London Sinfonietta, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, Avantil
1997	Laurie Anderson	DJ Scanner, Ivor Cutler, Lou Reed, Spalding Gray, Gidon Kremer and his Tango Group, Ken Nordine, Arto Lindsay, Alan Read, Heather Woodbury
1998	John Peel	Cornershop, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci, Masonna, Sonic Youth, Spiritualized, The Delgados, XOL DOG 400, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Culture Blood, Damon Albarn, Jessica Voorsanger, The Leopards, The Beau Hunks play the films of Laurel and Hardy, Ardal O'Hanlon, Jeremy Hardy
1999	Nick Cave	Question Mark & the Mysterians, Barry Humphries, Bonnie Prince Billy, Console, Faust, Gary Lucas, Kleidler, Nina Simone, Syd Straw, The Dirty Three, To Rococo Rot, Van Dyke Parks, Polly Borland, Tony Clark, Lee Hazelwood
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	Baaba Maal, David Gilmour, Elvis Costello & Brett Anderson, Ivor Cutler, Julie Tippetts, Massacre, Matthew Shipp & William Parker, Max Roach, Oi Va Voi, Sparklehorse, The Raincoats, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Tricky, Wayne Horvitz, Mark Eitzel, Anja Garbarek, Cristina Dona, Eviatar Banai
2002	David Bowie	Asian Dub Foundation, Baby Zizanie, Badly Drawn Boy, Bobby Conn, Coldplay, Daniel Johnston, David Kitt, Fischerspooner, Gonzales, Harry Hill, Kimmo Pohjonen, Luke Haines, Mercury Rev, Peaches, Pete Yorn, Philip Glass, Senor Coconut Y Su Conjunto, Six by Seven, Stew, Suede, Supergrass, Television, The Dandy Warhols, The Divine Comedy, The International Noise Conspiracy, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, The Lonesome Organist, The Polyphonic Spree, The The, The Waterboys, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
2003	Lee "Scratch" Perry	Fun Lovin' Criminals, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Stateside Hombres, The Sun Ra Arkestra, Asian Dub Foundation, Tortoise, The Bees, Mad Professor
2004	Morrissey	Alan Bennett, Ari Up, Cockney Rejects, Damien Dempsey, Ennio Marchetto, Gene, James Maker with Noko 440, Jane Birkin, Linder Sterling, London Sinfonietta plays Henryk Górecki and Arvo Pärt, Loudon Wainwright III, Lypsinka, Nancy Sinatra, New York Dolls, The Ordinary Boys, Sparks, The Libertines
2005	Patti Smith	Antony and the Johnsons, Balanescu Quartet, Bert Jansch, Beth Orton, Billy Bragg, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Carbon/Silicon, Cat Power, Ed Harcourt, Eels, Flea, Fred Frith, Hank Williams III, Janet Hamill, Jeff Beck, Joanna Newsom, John Cale, John Frusciante, Johnny Marr and Robyn Hitchcock, Kevin Shields, Kristin Hersh, Lemn Sissay, Lenny Kaye, Loso, Martha Wainwright, Marc Almond, Rachid Taha, Richard Hell, Roy Harper, Sinéad O'Connor, Steve Earle, Television, Tinariwen, Tori Amos, Yat-Kha, Yoko Ono
2006	N/A	Royal Festival Hall closed for refurbishment
2007	Jarvis Cocker	Cornershop, Iggy & The Stooges, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Motörhead, Devo, Melanie Safka, Roky Erickson, Sunn O))), Littl'ans, Scout Niblett, Selfish Cunt, John Barry, The Valerie Project, 1990s, Mathew Sawyer and The Ghosts, Clinic
2008	Massive Attack	Massive Attack, Gong, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Reggae Acoustic Songbook, Princess Malachi, Elbow, Fleet Foxes, Vangelis, Stiff Little Fingers, Mark Stewart,[disambiguation needed ] The Maffia, Adrian Sherwood, The Shortwave Set, Martina Topley, Grace Jones, Dälek, The Cool Kids, Shape Of Broad Minds, Flying Lotus, Gang Of Four, Tom Tom Club, Terry Callier, Aloe Blacc, Tunng, Leila, Saxon Sound System with Musclehead, Tippa Irie, Trevor Sax and Papa Levi, Silent Disco with guests DJs including Four Tet and Peaches
2009	Ornette Coleman	The Roots, David Murray with the Gwo-Ka Masters and Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band with Sean Lennon and Cornelius, Baaba Maal, Yo La Tengo, Moby, Bobby McFerrin, Patti Smith and The Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band, Master Musicians of Jajouka, Charlie Haden and the 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 Tony Wilson, Current 93, Alan Price Set, Ben Waters: Boogie 4 Stu, Geno Washington and the Ram Jam Band, John Cooper Clarke, John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett, London Sinfonietta, Lydia Lunch, Madness, Michael Eavis: A Glastonbury Life, Nick Lowe and special guests, Peter Asher: A Musical Memoir of the Sixties and Beyond, Ray Davies, Roger McGough and special guests, Terry Jones and Michael Palin In Conversation, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown and The Legendary Pink Dots, The Fugs, The Sonics and Wire, Yo La Tengo.

External links

Music portal

• Meltdown page at the official Southbank Centre site