The Royal Festival Hall’s Level 2 foyer spaces are currently being refurbished, as we work to bring you a brand new cafe, bar, shop and Ticket Office. Find out more

Over the Easter weekend, the Royal Festival Hall is closed to the public on Sunday 31 March and Monday 1 April. The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open 12 noon – 8pm on both days. Find out more 

Robert Smith's Meltdown

15 – 24 JUN 2018

Robert Smith from the band The Cure.

The lead singer and principal songwriter of The Cure curated the festival in its 25th year

Meltdown 2018 was nominated for Music Week Awards' Festival of the Year and won the AIM Independent Music Awards' Act of Independence award. 

One of popular music’s defining bands, The Cure took the ‘alternative rock’ genre mainstream around the world and garnered numerous awards including a Brit Award for Best British Band, an MTV Icon Award, a Q Inspiration Award and NME’s Godlike Genius Award. Lead singer, principal songwriter and the only constant member of the The Cure since the group formed in 1978, Smith has been presented with an Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement.

An iconic figure in his own right, Smith’s influence reaches across popular culture, film, art, and fashion. His many collaborations include performing and recording with artists as varied as David Bowie, Blink 182, The Stranglers, Placebo, Crystal Castles, Faithless, Korn and 65daysofstatic.

For his 2018 Meltdown festival, Smith aimed big and delivered a number of huge headliners to our Royal Festival Hall, including Nine Inch Nails, My Bloody Valentine, Deftones, Placebo and Manic Street Preachers. But it wasn’t all hard-edged rock, there was also a softer side to the line-up, with appearances from Death Cab for Cutie, Mogwai, Suzanne Vega and Kristin Hersh. Taking advantage of our recently reopened Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, Smith also put the spotlight on some up and coming international acts, such as Italy’s JoyCut, Japan’s MONO and from France, the post-metal band Alcest.

'I have finally figured out my Meltdown festival psychedelic puzzle… and it really is just like heaven… 10 delirious June days at London’s Southbank Centre await!'

Robert Smith