Grace Jones’ Meltdown: Greentea Peng, Dry Cleaning and others join Southbank Centre line-up

The final line-up of artists set to perform at Grace Jones’s Meltdown festival has been unveiled, along with a programme of free public events inspired by the music icon’s career.

South London artists Greentea Peng, Eska and Dry Cleaning are among the third and final instalment of acts joining the 10-day festival at the Southbank Centre, all of which has been curated by Jones.

Elsewhere, cktrl has also been confirmed for a one-off show with the London Contemporary Orchestra, while DJ Josey Rebelle and Little Simz collaborator Alewya are also set to perform.

They join the likes of Honey Dijon, Peaches, Angélique Kidjo, Oumou Sangaré and John Grant on the long-awaited line-up — the festival was initially set to take place in 2020, but was thwarted by multiple Covid lockdowns.

The free public programme will take place on the Southbank Centre’s terrace, overlooking the Thames. No Signal radio station will helm a night of back-to-back DJs playing music inspired by Jones’ legacy, while roller-skating sessions will pay homage to a famous photo of Jones skating along Compo Beach in Connecticut from 1973.

A reggae soundclash will bring together two competing sound systems in a nod to Jones’ Jamaican roots, while her famed fashion sense will be celebrated in a night of catwalk looks, in collaboration with Africa Fashion Week London.

There will also be a disco-dancing workshop, a series of poetry broadcasts across the site, and more events still to be announced.

Meltdown dates back to 1993, and has been held annually apart from in 2006, when the Southbank Centre closed for refurbishment, and in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid. David Byrne, Yoko Ono and Patti Smith are among the past curators.

Visit southbankcentre.co.uk to buy tickets.

Grace Jones’ Meltdown line-up

June 10

• Adrian Sherwood Time Boom x The Upsetter Dub Sessions

• Grace Jones: Up Close and Orchestral

• Honey Dijon

June 11

• Peaches

• Cut Hands

• Heather Leigh

• Hercules & Love Affair (DJ set)

June 12

• Angélique Kidjo

• Desire Marea

June 13

• Kevin Richard Martin and Hatis Noit

June 14

• Dave Okumu & Brilliant Corners: Pull Up to The Bumper

• Hot Congotronics (Hot Chip x Kasai Allstars)

• Two Another

June 15

• Oumou Sangaré

• The Love Unlimited Synth Orchestra

• Big Joanie

June 16

• Meshell Ndegeocello

• Skinny Pelembe

• Sky Ferreira

June 17

• John Grant

• Blancmange

• Skunk Anansie

• Nova Twins

• Shingai

June 18

• Baaba Maal

• Lee Fields

• Joel Culpepper

June 19

• Grace Jones

• Ben Hayes & Hector Plimmer