This year it’s David Byrne’s turn to curate the South Bank’s annual Meltdown festival, with acts featuring in his first lineup announcement including Byrne’s erstwhile collaborator Anna Calvi, unsung Cardiff post-punk band’s band Young Marble Giants, Russian collective Phurpa (who take inspiration from Tibetan chants and play instruments made of human skulls), and flamenco singer Estrella Morente. “Please let’s not pull the ‘world music’ tag out,” is Byrne’s only request (17-30 Aug, Southbank Centre, SW1) …
Possibly the least cynical anniversary tour yet comes courtesy of the chronically low-key Badly Drawn Boy, who’ll celebrate 15 years of his debut The Hour Of The Bewilderbeast in July (24-31 Jul, tour starts St George’s, Bristol) …
Slickly styled ex-Moloko woman Róisín Murphy returns with unappetisingly titled third solo album Hairless Toys. On top of her May dates she’ll play a trio of shows in November (24-27 Nov, tour stars Glasgow O2 ABC) …
Finally, Diplo’s cartoon-and-dancehall driven side project Major Lazer tours in the autumn (14-17 October, tour starts O2 Academy, Birmingham).
