first acts for Antony Hegarty's 'Future Feminism' Meltdown

The Southbank Centre have announced the first acts for the nineteenth Meltdown that showcases 'Future Feminism' this year's theme that is artistically directed by Antony Hegarty, best known as the lead singer of Antony and The Johnsons.

Antony's Meltdown will host singer Elizabeth Fraser, the Scottish singer who has lent her voice to projects with Massive Attack, Craig Armstrong and Peter Gabriel performs her first two full shows since she left the Cocteau Twins in 1998.

Also announced today is 80's singer Marc Almond who presents a rare live performance of Marc and The Mambas' 1983 release 'Torment and Toreros'. Antony has also invited Canadian-born Cree artist Buffy Sainte-Marie to perform.

A significant part of the Meltdown line-up pays homage to the New York underground scene, where Antony developed as a performer and an artist in the 1990s. These include Diamanda Galas, Laurie Anderson (Meltdown curator in 1997) performing 'Dirtday', Antony collaborators CocoRosie, and NYC vocalist and drag performance Joey Arias singing Billie Holiday.

New York artrock is represented with the punk-metal spectacle The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black making their first appearance in the UK. Completing the Queen Elizabeth Hall double bill will be performance artist, writer, film curator and raconteur Vaginal Davis, performing for the very first time in the UK with Berlin-based art band Tenderloin.

Experimental musician, William Basinski will perform 'Disintegration Loops', his profoundly moving study on decay which premiered on 9/11 last year at The Metropolitan Museum in New York. Basinski will be joined by an orchestra to present two interpretations of Disintegration Loops arranged by Maxim Moston.

Berlin is also represented with performances by two bands on the scene right now Planningtorock, and Light Asylum.

'Albion – Hypnagogue – Ghost: Hallucinatory Queer British Paganism' will bring together David Tibet of Current 93's new project Myrninerest and Stephen Thrower and Ossian Brown's Cyclobe making their UK live debut. The evening will also feature four rarely screened Super-8 short films by Derek Jarman

. Meltdown often honouring the influence of cult artists, and this year space-age Anatolian psych-folk-funk of Selda, sampled by many including 2ManyDJs and Mos Def will be celebrated. The first speakers announced include Serbian-born performance artistMarina Abramovic, a close friend and collaborator of Antony's, comes to Meltdown to give a Lecture for Women. Kembra Pfahler, from The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black, will also be giving a talk with Claywoman, the 500-million-year-old enigma who, legend has it, can cure anyone of their deepest pain. More Meltdown talks will be announced soon.

In 2006 Antony and the Johnsons collaborated with film director and video artist Charles Atlas and 13 women from New York City to stage 'Turning', a concert and live video portrait event. This years sees the film premiere at Meltdown, and will feature an appearance from the Meltdown director.

Completing the first raft of announcements is Meltdown veteran and maverick producer Hal Willner returns with his usual, surprising and eclectic array of musicians, actors and other artists – established, emerging, famous and infamous – to perform songs that inspired and illuminated the 'Civil Rights Movement'.

There are still many more acts to be announced. Meltdown festival Director Antony, said, "I dreamed of assembling a constellation of courageous artists, all of whom have used their platforms as cultural producers to challenge us. They have exhibited a ferocity in their pursuit of beauty, and, falling like a guillotine behind it, justice. Today I am among a group of artists from NYC (some of whom are performing at this Meltdown Festival) who reject patriarchy in its myriad virulent and apocalyptic manifestations, and who advocate for a fundamental shift towards the feminine in all our systems and structures of governance. We have named this approach Future Feminism."

Meltdown takes place over all 21 acres of the Southbank Centre, including the riverside, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The dates for Meltdown 2012 are confirmed as Wednesday 1st until Sunday 12th August 2012. Tickets will go on sale at midday on Thursday 10th May 2012, and eFestivals will have links to buy them then.

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