Pitchfork

Photo by Anoulay Tsai

You always knew Jarvis Cocker was brilliant, but in the back of your mind, you wondered if he was a bit whacked (he is, after all, the cat who penned the poker-faced paean to infidelity "Pencil Skirt"). Both sides of the Cocker coin are at play with the announcement of the lineup of the previously mentioned, Jarvis-selected Meltdown Festival, June 16-24 at London's Southbank Centre. It's brilliant, sure, but it's also a bit whacked.

It begins with a bang; Jarvis has pegged thunderous kill-meisters Motörhead to kick off the festival's first night. The same evening sees swarthy ivory-tickler Gonzales, and roller-girl/folk-relic Melanie Safka.

There's no shortage of left-field choices over the rest of the fest, either, with the kid's TV theme cover act KPM Allstars, dirge-metallurgists Sunn O))), "Brimful of Asha" Punjabi-poppers Cornershop, purportedly recovering acid casualty Roky Erickson (his first UK gig), a freak folk supergroup with members of Espers, Fursaxa, and Fern Knight (The Valerie Project), and-- in perhaps the most conventional selection contained within this overlong sentence-- Devo. Standing out amongst all that oddball stuff is tough, but the "Lost Ladies of Folk" collective manages the task, gathering together 60s era starlets Bonnie Dobson, Wendy Flower, and Susan Christie.

There's a smattering of the standard summer 07 fest-fare, too: reunions abound with the Jesus and Mary Chain and the Stooges, alongside Clinic, Scout Niblett, and, of course, a set from Jarvis himself. You know you're in for a wild week when Jarvis seems straight-laced by comparison. Perhaps that was his intention?

In other Jarvis news, he'll be the subject of a June 10 episode of ITV's "The South Bank Show", discussing his life's work with host Melvyn Bragg. Fellow pop savant Scott Walker will speak to Jarvis' credentials on the show as well. And Jarv's hitting the road for a spell following the fest, dates for which are available after the jump.

Jarvis:

06-23 London, England - Southbank Centre (Meltdown Festival)
07-13 Madrid, Spain - Summercase Festival
07-14 Barcelona, Spain - Summercase Festival
07-15 Suffolk, England - Latitude Festival
08-18 Chelmsford, England - V Festival
08-19 Stafford, England - V Festival