In an interview with BBC 6 Music this morning Robert Smith announced the next batch of bands for Meltdown Festival 2018. Taking place in London’s Southbank Centre, the series of gigs this June have been curated by the Cure’s frontman.
With acts such as the Libertines, Manic Street Preachers, Nine Inch Nails and Placebo already on show across the series, today they were joined by (amongst others) Death Cab for Cutie, Sigur Ros’ Jónsi, Frightened Rabbit, Drahla, The Twilight Sad, Pumarosa and Welsh rockers The Joy Formidable.
The excitement continues as we announce even more acts who will be playing at Robert Smith’s #MeltdownFest! On sale to Members on Friday. https://t.co/VfpOYPAWk5 pic.twitter.com/iFsySMl1gK
— Meltdown 2018 (@meltdownfest) April 10, 2018
It looks to be a pretty special few weeks of music, if your pockets are deep enough to shell out for multiple shows that is. Perhaps stealing the other bands’ thunder, Smith also announced he would be closing the festival with a special show.
“It will be me and four other people that I know really well, and some others,” he told BBC 6 Music cryptically. He’ll play “primarily Cure songs” and interpretations with “different instrumentation”, and that the set would be “completely different to the Hyde Park show” and “a little bit more weird.”
It certainly sounds like a Cure show…the Meltdown website is similarly non-committal, although judging by Smith’s tone in the interview you’d be surprised if his bandmates don’t show up for a few songs.
“CURÆTION-25 is a special show from Robert Smith, closing out his Meltdown on Sunday 24 June, in which he promises to be joined by ‘four curious friends’ and other acts for a one-off two-hour Royal Festival Hall performance.”
That Hyde Park show is a celebration of 40 years of the band and will showcase some of their most well known songs. Smith rarely does interviews, and he also revealed that the Cure plan to tour in 2019 (he hasn’t ruled out a slot at Glastonbury!) and that curating the festival has inspired him to write some new material.
“I’ve listened to more new music in the last six months than I ever have,” he told 6 Music. “I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing new songs, so it’s had a really good effect on me. I booked some time to do some demos next month. Some of it’s really good, some of it not so good.”
We’re sure it’s all perfectly decent Robert! Find full details of the sprawling line-up and ticketing options for Meltdown here, and check out the full interview with Smith in the player below.