The festivities will take place at London’s Southbank Centre this summer with a host of events highlighting the some of the best in indie music, art and culture. Pulp will go on at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 18 July. On the set will be their 2025 album ‘More’ performed in full for the first time ever, as well as a host of fan-favourites.

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This performance is set to be one of Pulp’s only UK showings this year. The band embarked on the Here Comes More Tour last June, their most expansive tour since the 1990s. It has taken them to arenas across the country and even to a surpise appearance at Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid Stage last year.

Other 2026 UK/IE appearances for Pulp include headlining the All Together Now Festival in Ireland this July as well as Dorset’s End of Road Festival in September. They will also play a one-off show at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on August 28^th.

As for the further Rough Trade 50 bill: fellow Rough Trade signees, Scritti Politti will play two sets at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on Saturday 18 July: a matinee set at 3 pm and an evening show at 8 pm. And on Sunday 19 July, London-based rock band, caroline, will play the Queen Elizabeth Hall, with special guests My New Band Believe.

Rounding out the celebration of all things indie will be a series of performances across music, film and the written word. An Evening with Rough Trade Books will take place on Friday 17 July and include author appearances and a record fair from the record label’s publishing venture. A special new staging of Hannah Patterson’s debut novel, Ungone will take place in the Purcell Rooms on Saturday 18 July. And Sunday 19 July will see Pulp’s own Jarvis Crocker present a screening of the Northern coming-of-age classic, Kes (1969), which will feature a live orchestral accompaniment of the film’s soundtrack.

Geoff Tavis, founder of Rough Trade Records, said of the label’s Golden Jubilee “this year means it’s 50 years since the day the first shop opened its doors on Kensington Park Road.” He went on to say, “the Rough Trade shop, which became a distributor and then a Record label, has helped to bring into the world some of the very best music.”

Pulp recently appeared on ‘HELP (2)’ , the compilation charity album from War Child Records. They contributed ‘Begging for Change’ to the project. The band shared that the song was recorded during sessions for ‘More’ but never finished. It was completed for War Child project at Abbey Road Studios.

In a four-star review of 2025’s ‘More,’ NME said, “Pulp have retained their original spirit and flair into a statement of middle age without feeling any less vital.” The band will perform ‘More’ in full at Rough Trade this July.

Tickets for all events, except for Pulp’s headline show, go on sale 2 pm Thursday April 16.

For Pulp’s gig, pre-sale begins Friday 17 April at 10 AM. General sale will be on Monday 20 April at 2 PM. Tickets can be found here.

This years event will mark the 18th edition of the festival and is scheduled to take place between October 21 and November 2.

The Rotherham-born singer-songwriter will take over the festival on Saturday November 1 for ‘Self Esteem Presents’. Taylor will first appear in conversation with author, screenwriter and columnist Dolly Alderton. They will discuss Taylor’s literary debut, ‘A Complicated Woman’, which is out on October 30.

The Mercury Prize nominated musician’s debut book shares it’s title with Self Esteem’s latest studio album which was released in April. She is expected to discuss her lyrics, songwriting process and personal experiences.

This conversation will then be followed by “an evening of music and spoken word from artists including Travis Alabanza, Pam Ayres, Magred, Tom Rasmussen and Seraphina Simone”.

Tickets for the evening event will cost £20 +£3.50 booking fee and will be available to purchase from tomorrow (July 10) at 10am. Head here to purchase tickets and find more information.

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Taylor has spoken of her excitement at being apart of the event, saying: “I’m honoured to be curating at this year’s London Literature Festival, I’ve never really believed there to be rigid lines between songwriting, art, poetry and prose.

“I’ve always longed to be free from genre and labels, not just in my own work, but also in the art I’m drawn to. I want it all because I am greedy, and I’m no longer going to apologise for that.

“I am so excited to explore this through my involvement with the London Literature Festival, alongside a host of multidisciplinary artists I admire and am inspired by.”

Multiple key figures linked to the festival have also come out sharing their enthusiasm to have Self Esteem involved. Ted Hodgkinson, Head of Literature & Spoken Word at the Southbank Centre, said: “I’m thrilled to be collaborating with one of my favourite artists, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, a.k.a Self Esteem. Rebecca is a masterful chronicler of what it is to be a young woman today; with her unmistakably frank and funny lyricism. Rebecca’s writing acts as a striking reminder of the galvanising power of great literature.”

The Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre, Mark Ball, added: “The Southbank Centre is a place where culture makers come to congregate, collaborate and create their best work, and we’re delighted that Rebecca Lucy Taylor will bring her extraordinary vision to the curation of events at this year’s London Literature Festival.”

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Head here to purchase tickets to the event from tomorrow (July 10) morning and find out more information about ‘Self Esteem Presents’ and the London Literature Festival as a whole.

Simz will be joined onstage by the Chineke! Orchestra, one of Southbank’s six Resident Orchestras. Made up of primarily black and ethnically diverse musicians, it strides to champion diversity in classical music.

Simz has also curated the lineup for this year, hand-picking a number of artists to perform, including The Streets, Lola Young, Ghetts, Jon Batistse and Sasha Keable. In a press release, Jane Beese, Head of Contemporary Music at Southbank shared her excitement for Little Simz Meltdown Festival plans: “Ranging from jazz, hip hop, R&B, electronic and soul with a lineup of both renowned legends alongside the creators of the future, this is only the start for what’s going to be London’s go-to festival this summer.”

Simz will be playing hits from her catalogue as well as new tracks from her upcoming album, ‘Lotus’. Throughout her career, her production has featured live instrumentation and orchestral elements, most notably on her fourth album ‘Sometimes I Might Be Introvert’. The grand textures of that release were admired by critics, with Pitchfork saying: “The arrangements here are glorious: huge swathes of string and horn, cascading drums, choral flourishes. These songs luxuriate in their own richness.”

Around a month ago in February, Simz announced her new album ‘Lotus’, which is scheduled to release on May 9 2025. Alongside the announcement, she released a single from the upcoming album called ‘Flood’, featuring Obongjayar and Moonchild Sanelly. With a striking cinematic, black-and-white video, the rock-tinged, tension-building track sees Simz reel off valuable lessons in navigating fame as well as some confident brags: “Talk nice, but my silence is louder / Spend ’nuff, but my finances louder”

Simz had a busy 2024, a year which saw her praised for her standout performance at Glastonbury, honoured with a MOBO award, and named one of BBC Radio 6 Music’s Top Artists for the year. She released her “Drop 7” EP last February to critical acclaim. She also made a couple of guest appearances, on Sampha’s “Satellite Business 2.0”, Coldplay’s “We Pray” and Wretch 32’s “Black and British”.

In December she dropped the single ‘Hello, Hi”, teasing to fans that new music was on the way. After some cryptic social media posts, she announced that her new album was on the way.

Tickets for Meltdown 2025 will go on sale to Southbank Centre members tomorrow (Wednesday, March 26) at 10am, and to the general public on Friday (March 28) here.

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MELTDOWN.

I’ll be curating Meltdown Festival in London this summer at The @southbankcentre !! Over 11 days there will be live performances, panel talks, workshops, DJs & more. Gonna be epic thoooo. Can’t wait, more announcements soon

Shot by Thibaut Grevet pic.twitter.com/FBfqb5FhC5

— Little Simz (@LittleSimz) February 12, 2025

Born in London, Little Simz has rapidly emerged as one of the most innovative voices in the UK music scene. Known for her incisive lyricism and genre-defying sound, she has captivated audiences with a blend of introspective storytelling and bold, forward-thinking production. Her chart-topping single ‘Introvert‘ not only resonated with fans but also cemented her reputation as an artist capable of bridging deep personal narratives with infectious, contemporary beats.

As she continues to evolve, the rapper’s influence on the UK music landscape remains profound and her appointment is seen as a natural evolution for the festival, aligning with its longstanding tradition of showcasing innovative artistry and challenging musical boundaries. Additionally, a new album is rumoured to be on the way.

The 2024 Meltdown Festival, curated by the legendary Chaka Khan, took place from June 14 to June 23, 2024, at London’s Southbank Centre. Celebrating her 50-year career, Chaka Khan both opened and closed the festival with performances at the Royal Festival Hall. The opening night featured her greatest hits, including classics like ‘Ain’t Nobody‘ and ‘I’m Every Woman‘. Other acts included the British singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé and the feminist punk band Big Joanie.

Fans are eagerly anticipating the fresh, diverse lineup, that is expected to be announced later in the spring, to reflect Little Simz’s dynamic approach and commitment to creative exploration. As the countdown to June 2025 begins, all eyes are on Southbank Centre, where the fusion of legacy and contemporary vision promises to deliver a truly unforgettable celebration of music and art. For more information, visit the Meltdown Festival’s page on the Southbank Centre’s official website.

Ships will be premiering on the 21st October as the centrepiece of the 2023 Venice Biennale Musica. Eno will then play shows in prestigious venues in Berlin, Paris, and Utrecht before closing the tour with two performances at 6:30 pm and 9 pm for the Royal Festival Hall in London on 30^th October.

Tickets will go on general sale from Thursday 8^th June. Members of the Southbank Centre can access the ticket presale from 10 AM BST on Wednesday 7^th June. For more information see here.

Eno will be performing with Baltic Sea Philharmonic, orchestrated and conducted by Kristjan Järvi as commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia. At the Biennale Musica, Eno will be honoured with the Golden Lion lifetime achievement award “for his research into the quality, beauty and diffusion of digital sound and for his conception of the acoustic space as a compositional instrument” according to the event’s page.

#BiennaleMusica2023 @brianeno, this year’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, has just announced his first ever solo live concert tour, starting on October 21 at the @teatrolafenice, as part of the 67th International Festival of Contemporary Music. SHIPS is commissioned by… https://t.co/LPdDpiiY8f

— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) June 6, 2023

Eno toured with Roxy Music in the 70s but has since rarely played live only playing one-off shows or at festivals. Brian and his brother Roger played together at Acropolis, Athens back in 2021 as part of the annual Epidaurus Festival. The concert was filmed and screened in cinemas across the UK for one night only on the 2^nd March earlier this year.

Originally Eno didn’t plan on making The Ship a record. “The way the whole piece started out was not as a record but as an installation,” Eno told Entertainment Weekly back in 2016. When a friend of Eno’s asked him for a recording of the installation in Stockholm he started thinking of making The Ship an album. “It took me by surprise a little bit,” he continued. “I wasn’t planning it as my next record project when I started it.”

On the third track “Fickle Sun (ii) The Hour Is Thin”, Eno used a Markov chain generator to create the lyrics spoken by Peter Serafinowicz by mixing “dirty songs by First World War soldiers” with “accounts written from the lifeboats by people watching the Titanic sinking” and “part of a book about the blitz over London”. The result is an eerie and twisted lullaby. Listen to the track below:

Last month Eno collaborated with British DJ Fred Again.. on the surprise LP Secret Life. The album was released on electronic artist Four Tet’s label Text Records and was dubbed by the artist “the most beautiful album of 2023”.

The album Secret Life by Fred again and Brian Eno is coming out on my label Text Records on Friday

— Four Tet (@FourTet) May 2, 2023

Listen to the track “Trying” from the album below:

See below for Brian Eno’s Ships tour dates:
21/10/23 – Venice Biennale Musica – Venice
24/10 – Philharmonie Berlin – Berlin
26/10 – La Seine Musicale – Paris
28/10 – TivoliVredenburg – Utrecht
30/10 – Royal Festival Hall – London

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Alongside gigs, the Southbank centre will also offer a range of art, poetry and dance exhibitions, as well as creative workshops for all ages. When speaking of the upcoming events, the Southbank Centre’s head of contemporary music Bengi Ünsal spoke passionately about the importance of celebrating the arts in such troubling times.

“While 2020 was undoubtedly a horrific year for our industry, we did see unprecedented demand for music streaming and on-demand gigs, showing – more than ever – just how much the UK’s cultural scene means to its people,” he explained.

Ünsal also spoke with excitedly about the artists announced to play; “One particular success story was Black Country, New Road who, on the back of just two tracks, found critical acclaim. We are delighted to be platforming the band as they release their debut album; we can’t wait to watch them take their alt-rock sound to international audiences.

“We also host the much-anticipated global stream from The Cinematic Orchestra; undoubtedly one of the most influential British bands of the last 20 years.”