Meltdown 2026: James Murphy

We headed back to the Southbank Centre for a late one, expecting to return again the next night when Soulwax would close out Harry Styles’ two-week event. Sadly, that was cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances”, so it’s left to LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy to give us one last dance with a DJ set.

The foyer of the Queen Elizabeth Hall is not a natural place for dancing. A largely windowed bar looking out towards the Thames and the brutalist concrete of the Southbank complex, it’s clear that nothing is going to transform this into a club atmosphere for the next three hours. Given Murphy’s collaboration with Soulwax on the Despacio Sound System, I was surprised to find out he wasn’t playing from open until close. That project prides itself on long sets that have time to build and take turns, something that isn’t possible in the hour or so allocated tonight. If the Despacio belief is that complete darkness, a focus away from the DJ and long sets are the ideal ingredients for dancing, we basically have the antithesis of that tonight.

That isn’t to say it can’t be enjoyable for what it is. After opening with Cut Copy’s 00s classic ‘Hearts on Fire’, almost everything from then on is a new discovery to me. Many of the tracks share the hallmarks of LCD’s trademark awkward, jerky funk, though never breaking into the euphoria of his own work. It’s a fun time, and would’ve been a fantastic warm up to Soulwax on the night. As it turns out, we leave what has largely been an excellent festival without the chance to take it up a notch one last time.