In February, it was announced that Little Simz would be curating the annual brilliance of Meltdown Festival at the Southbank, and last month saw the first wave of acts to play the festival, which included Lola Young and Ghetts. Today (April 7), we have the next set of names confirmed for the summer’s event, with some more huge names added to the bill.
Mahalia is taking to the stage on the first Friday of the festival to belt out new music, with other names also coming in the form of Nigerian Afrobeats singer Tiwa Savage; Canadian instrumental band BADBADNOTGOOD; Mercury Prize-winning artist James Blake; London saxophonist Nubya Garcia; and more. (View the full lineup further down).
Credit: @southbankcentre, via IG
Who else is playing Meltdown Festival?
As for the previous announcement…
Has it come to this? Yes, it has. Mike Skinner and the crew are pushing things forward with a performance to make sure that you’re listening to The Streets at the Southbank Centre on June 12. Things will also get Messy later on as breakout star of the last year Lola Young plays a huge slot on June 17, while no Double Standards will be on display as UK rapper and MOBO-award-winning Ghetts hits the big stage on June 18.
Also among the last announcement was British-Colombian singer-songwriter Sasha Keable with Flames Collective, Little Dragon vocalist Yukimi, and the Academy Award® winner Jon Batiste.
For Little Simz herself, the Mercury Award-winning musician will take to the stage, on the final night of Meltdown as is tradition, to perform a one-off performance with Southbank Centre Resident Orchestra Chineke! Orchestra. The rapper is already known for the grandiosity of her performances, and the elevation of an orchestra will allow audiences to see tracks in a way they have never before. Fans can hear songs from her whole back catalogue, as well as material from Lotus, her sixth record which drops on June 6.
Little Simz Meltdown Festival Lineup 2025 (so far)
June 12 – The Streets, Royal Festival Hall
June 13 – Mahalia, Royal Festival Hall
June 14 – Tiwa Savage, Royal Festival Hall
June 14 – Sasha Keable, Queen Elizabeth Hall
June 16 – BADBADNOTGOOD, Royal Festival Hall
June 17 – Lola Young, Royal Festival Hall
June 17 – Kara Jackson, Purcell Room
June 18 – Ghetts, Royal Festival Hall
June 18 – Yukimi, Queen Elizabeth Hall
June 19 – Nubya Garcia, Queen Elizabeth Hall
June 20 – MEGA & John Poppi, Queen Elizabeth Hall
June 20 – James Blake, Royal Festival Hall
June 21 – Jon Batiste, Royal Festival Hall
June 22 – Little Simz & Chineke! Orchestra, Royal Festival Hall
Meltdown Festival curated by Little Simz runs between June 12 – 22 this summer at the Southbank Centre. Tickets for the Meltdown Festival events that have just been announced will go on sale to members on Wednesday, April 9 at 10am , before opening up for a general sale on Friday, April 11 at the same time.