Pitchfork

Mind your boots: here comes the Meltdown Festival, pouring itself out over absolutely every square inch of London's multi-venue Southbank Centre June 13-22. This year's offerings were selected by none other than Bristol trip-hop icons Massive Attack, and the thing's about as well-curated as the guest vocalists on Mezzanine. Let's explore.

Massive Attack will perform at the beginning and the end of the festival, as well as mix a live performance of the Blade Runner soundtrack by the Heritage Orchestra. As for the band's other picks, well, they're highlighted by appearances from Gang of Four, Grace Jones, Johnny Clarke, Stiff Little Fingers performing their 1979 debut Inflammable Material in its entirety, the Tom Tom Club, George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, Fleet Foxes, Elbow, the Yellow Magic Orchestra, Adrian Sherwood, Dälek, the Cool Kids, the Shape of Broad Minds, Flying Lotus, Tunng, Aloe Blacc, Terry Callier, Leila, the Shortwave Set, and Martina Topley-Bird.

Additionally, there will be DJ sets from Peaches and Kieran "Four Tet" Hebden, chats, some visual art, and screenings of some fine films, too. Seems like that oughta fill up nine days, right?

As for Massive Attack's other plans, well, word is, their follow-up to 2003's 100th Window is due sometime this year. A host of producers and guests have been rumored to be attached to the project, from Dave Sitek and Tunde Adebimpe of TV on the Radio to frequent collaborator Horace Andy (who is also playing Meltdown). We'll leave that to the speculators before getting to the cold hard facts: beyond their Meltdown, Massive Attack are touring this summer. Dates after the jump.

06-09 Tallinn, Estonia - Saku Arena
06-11 St. Petersburg, Russia - Stereoleto Festival
06-14 London, England - Meltdown Festival
06-22 London, England - Meltdown Festival
06-28 Glastonbury, England - Glastonbury Festival
07-01 Cork, Ireland - Marquee
07-03 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Westerpark
07-04 Belfort, France - Eurockeenes Belfort
07-06 Gdynia, Poland - Heineken Open'er Festival
07-10 Ljubljana, Slovenia - Krizanke Monastery
07-11 Balaton Lake, Hungary - Balaton Sound Festival
07-13 Istanbul, Turkey - Parkorman
07-15 Athens, Greece - Fly Beyond Athens Festival
07-17 Naples, Italy - Carpisa Naepolis
07-18 Rome, Italy - Roma Rock Festival
07-19 Ravenna, Italy - Pala de Andre
07-20 Padova, Italy - Villa Pisani
07-22 Cascassonne, France - Festival de la Cite
07-23 Arles, France - Theatre Antique d/Arles
07-24 Fourvieres, France - Les Nuits de Fourviere
07-25 Nyon, Switzerland - Paleo Festival
07-26 Cognac, France - Cognac Blues Passions Festival
08-06 Lokeren, Belgium - Lokerse Festival
08-09 Saalburg, Germany - Sonne Mond and Sterne Festival
08-15 Almeria, Spain - Ola Festival