Harry Styles Just Curated His Own Festival
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Harry Styles
Every summer, the Southbank Centre invites a prominent artist to curate Meltdown, its annual music and arts festival, which was launched in 1993. Past curators include David Bowie, Yoko Ono, Patti Smith, and most recently Little Simz. This year, for the venue's 75th anniversary, it was Harry Styles.
Meltdown ran from 11–21 June, with Styles also performing an intimate headline show. The line-up mixed electronic, jazz, pop and experimental music, featuring artists including Warpaint, Kamasi Washington, Erika de Casier, Devonté Hynes, Nilüfer Yanya and Jon Hopkins.
“It’s a true honour to host legends who have paved the way for the generations that follow them, as well as new acts that have inspired me to push my creative boundaries,” Styles said.
Photo via @hshq
“I’m so grateful to every artist who was part of the line-up for sharing their talent, generosity and creativity, and I’m incredibly thankful to the Southbank Centre for welcoming me into a space that has long been a home to unforgettable cultural experiences. [...] Music brings people together, and that has been at the heart of these past 11 days,” he added.
The inclusion of artists such as Mulatu Astatke broadened the festival’s sonic palette, bringing influences from beyond the Western music world and highlighting the ways global traditions continue to shape contemporary experimental music. Rather than building towards a single identity, the line-up thrived on contrast: ambient performances sat alongside dancefloor beats, while indie guitar bands shared the bill with improvisational artists.
At a time when festival line-ups can feel increasingly shaped by algorithms, Meltdown still stands apart, built instead around personal taste and perspective. The question the festival seeks to answer is not “Who is trending right now?” but rather “What has shaped the curator’s creative world?”
As the Southbank Centre marked its 75th anniversary, this year’s edition felt especially reflective, bringing together a festival built on artistic influence and a venue steeped in cultural history.