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Last month, it was revealed that Mercury Prize-winning rapper Little Simz would have the honour of curating the 2025 edition of Meltdown, joining the likes of David Bowie, Grace Jones, Nick Cave and Chaka Khan in selecting the line-up for the Southbank Centre’s renowned summer arts festival.
Time Out’s editorial team was thoroughly excited by the prospect of a festival masterminded by one of London’s most creative musical talents, and we’re looking forward to it even more following this morning’s initial line-up announcement.
On the bill for Meltdown’s 30th edition an eclectic roster of established and up-and-coming artists, including a healthy number of London-made talents.
The festival opens Thursday June 12 with The Streets, performing at Royal Festival Hall in what is currently the only UK date this year for the legendary Mike Skinner-led project. The Southbank Centre’s largest auditorium also welcomes 2025 BRIT nominee and ‘Messy’ hitmaker Lola Young, MOBO-winning rapper Ghetts and multiple Grammy-winning jazz musician Jon Batiste.
Also on the line-up are British-Columbian singer-songwriter Sasha Keable performing with inner-city youth music project Flames Collective, while Little Dragon vocalist Yukimi will perform a solo set following the release of her first album this month.
As with previous editions of Meltdown, the festival culminates with a one-off headline show from the curator herself on Sunday June 22. Performing hits from her stellar back catalogue and upcoming sixth album, Lotus, Simz will appear alongside Southbank Centre residents the Chineke! Orchestra, the first professional orchestra in Europe to be made up of majority BAME musicians, in what is sure to be a memorable performance.
As usual, the gig series will take place alongside a variety of free activities, performances and club nights. Curated by members of a one-off young producers’ project established for the festival, these will be announced at a later date.
The full line-up for Little Simz’s Meltdown so far
The Streets
Thursday 12 June at Royal Festival Hall
Sasha Keable
Saturday 14 June at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Lola Young
Tuesday 17 June at Royal Festival Hall
Ghetts
Wednesday 18 June at Royal Festival Hall
Yukimi
Wednesday 18 June at Queen Elizabeth Hall
Jon Batiste
Saturday 21 June at Royal Festival Hall
Little Simz & Chineke! Orchestra
Sunday 22 June at Royal Festival Hall
When do tickets go on sale?
Tickets for the festival go on sale to Southbank Centre members on Wednesday 26 March at 10am, before the general release on Friday 28 March at 10am. We expect many of the gigs will sell out fast, so be quick if you want to grab a ticket!
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