FKA Twigs has been selected to curate Meltdown 2027.
The 38-year-old polymath will oversee an 11-day program at the Southbank Centre from June 10 to 20, aiming to cast London as one of the globe’s premier hubs for music and the arts.
In announcing the appointment, Twigs said she is honored and excited to curate Meltdown at the Southbank Centre.
The potent artistic and cultural landscape in London has carried me from Croydon College to performing in underground cabaret clubs, dancing until sunrise in warehouses by the docks and last year being fortunate enough to sing my operatic songs before one of London’s largest arenas.
She added: “London’s cultural and artistic clash is unlike anywhere else. Where cultures, sounds, stories and traditions from all over the world meet, collide and transform one another. I intend to bring you a taste of all that has raised me and continues to inspire me: celebrating the diversity, freedom and creative energy that I believe makes London one of the world’s great capitals of music and the arts.”
Initial highlights for Meltdown 2027 will feature pianist Lang Lang, rock icon Patti Smith and composer Philip Glass.
Alongside the London festival, the Southbank Centre unveiled the inaugural Hometown Meltdown—a nationwide spin-off designed to champion grassroots music venues. Spanning December 2026 to March 2027, it will visit six cities, with each two-day event curated by local artists.
Kelly Lee Owens will head December dates at Neuadd Ogwen in Bethesda, followed by Stewart Lee at The Cornish Bank in Falmouth (January 30–31). In February, Kathryn Joseph will curate Beat Generator in Dundee (13–14) and Jamie Cullum will host at Chinnerys in Southend (23–24). Pauline Black will take over Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham on March 2–3, before Rhoda Dakar closes the run at FORGE Warehouse in Sheffield on March 25–26.
Beverley Whitrick, COO of Music Venue Trust, said: “Grassroots Music Venues are often overlooked in conversations about the cultural infrastructure for the UK, even though they provide access to incredible live music in well over 800 locations across the four nations.”
“Not only is Hometown Meltdown an exciting project in terms of the curators, artists, venues and audiences it will bring together, but the Southbank Centre’s recognition and championing of these venues is a powerful statement about the music ecosystem.”
More additions to the lineups will be announced in due course.
Meltdown has previously been curated by Harry Styles, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Grace Jones and Robert Smith.
