Robert Smith of The Cure is curating the "must-see event of the summer"

Smith follows in the footsteps of M.I.A., David Bowie, Patti Smith, David Byrne, Nick Cave, Massive Attack, John Peel, Yoko Ono, and will curate an eclectic bill of art, music, film, and more. His Meltdown event will be the "first major festival to take place across the whole Southbank Centre site", with the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room both back in use after significant refurbs.

"I am honoured and excited to be curating the 25th Meltdown Festival," Smith says in a statement. "More than 30 of my all time favourite artists - some of the most exciting, inspirational, intense and influential performers of the last 40 years - will make sure this 10-night extravaganza at London’s Southbank Centre is the ‘must see’ event of the summer!"

"Robert Smith is the perfect artist to help us celebrate our silver jubilee Meltdown," adds Bengi Unsal, the Southbank Centre's Senior Contemporary Music Programmer. "Over a career spanning four decades, he has achieved globally-recognised excellence, paving the way for the alternative and the uncategorisable. This year’s festival will be a celebration of that influence and that legacy. We also celebrate the legacy of Meltdown, where the legendary and the contemporary meet, where icons perform in an iconic setting, and where both artists and audiences enjoy once-in-a-lifetime experiences."

The Cure are this year celebrating 40 massive years together, and play a sold-out show at London's Hyde Park in the summer.