LOUD LDN

Serving as a support network for artists in various stages of their careers, where members can share experiences, advise and collaborate, LOUD LDN is striving to a long term goal of improving the experience of the music industry and minimising discrimination and exploitation based on gender for young artists.

Founded just over a year ago, the collective have already made great strides in a short space of time and in April threw a party in collaboration with Spotify that helped platform the LOUD LDN as well as celebrate new music.

‘The members of LOUD LDN are our biggest inspiration,’ they told us when we asked the collective to tell us about their musical influences. ‘The great thing about a collective is that everyone can share advice and find inspiration in everyone. We are always discussing the best way to do things and sharing experiences. The group wouldn’t be what it is today without its brilliant members’.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the relative newness of the collective, this year’s Meltdown is the first time that LOUD LDN have performed at the Southbank Centre together, although many of their members have appeared here before in other guises. ‘The Southbank Centre is such a legendary space’, they told us. And who are we to argue?

For their Riverside Terrace debut LOUD LDN will be offering up four distinct DJ sets across the festival’s final afternoon, as collective members LCYTN, Elphi, Driia and the brilliantly named Jacqui Wheeler control the decks for an hour apiece. And rest assured we have given Jacqui Wheeler full authority for their set.

‘Being involved in such a well known festival is such a huge thing for LOUD LDN,’ they told us ahead of Meltdown. ‘We could have never imagined we’d get these opportunities when we started the group.’

And what does it mean to them to be part of Christine and the Queens’ Meltdown in particular? ‘Christine is someone who has always been vocal about being queer throughout his career, and has always been a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. With many of our members identifying as LGBTQ+ it means a lot to be sharing a line up with someone like Christine. And of course, someone who is such an incredible artist. We are grateful and very excited to be part of the festival this year!’