The Southbank Centre
Photo : Morley von Sternberg
In your career who been most influential or inspiring ? I grew up at the Roundhouse ; it ’ s where I started my first band , put on some of my first gigs , and got to do some really experimental things . The framework of the organisation and the building , the physical rehearsal spaces , and [ Roundhouse CEO ] Marcus Davey have all been hugely influential . I ' ve known Marcus half my life , he gave me some top tips when I was first putting gigs on ; he has been a massive support .
What is your vision for the Meltdown Festival ? The most amazing thing about Meltdown is that it ' s a completely different festival every time . What I really hope is that through the work we ' re doing at the Southbank Centre London ' s internationalism is reflected throughout , and that it ' s somewhere local people can feel at home ; somewhere their culture and their creativity is reflected . Because London is one of the most diverse places in the world , that is reflected in what
“ SOUTHBANK CENTRE FELT LIKE THE PERFECT PLAYGROUND TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT .”
we ' re doing . For Meltdown , it is about asking the artist what they care about , not just in terms of their songs but as a human being and as an artist . For Chaka Khan , she cares about mental health in young people and building communities . So , we ' re able to bring young people into the festival this year and find ways for them to collaborate with the artists who are performing . We are creating activities to support people ' s mental health and community building . It ’ s all coming from the curator . I want Meltdown to feel fresh every time but also for Londoners , the taxpayers , to feel like it ' s a festival for them , that they can rock up and enjoy one of the free stages and get involved in things that they care about .
If there ’ s one thing you could change overnight in the live events industry , what would it be ? The first thing that comes to mind is the legacy of Form 696 , and the impact on black promoters and artists that had . If I could change anything overnight it would be that , particularly at a grassroots level , we as a country were able to better support promoters working at that level to enable them to do really ambitious things and put on great events .
What ’ s your favourite way to unwind ? It might sound like a cliché , but honestly , it ’ s just going to see great music . That ' s what I love doing best . accessaa . co . uk 51