Southbank Centre’s annual Meltdown festival is always a cultural highlight in the London calendar. For the last 23 years Meltdown festival has invited the creme de la creme of cultural megastars to curate a personal, summer calendar of headline events. Past figures to take control of the festival include David Bowie, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker, Patti Smith and David Byrne last year, so the standard is sky-high.

This year sees Elbow frontman Guy Garvey at the helm (who formerly performed at Massive Attack’s Meltdown in 2008), and he’s utilised his impressive speed dial for a killer line up. So allow us to (ahem) melt it down for you and take you through our edit of the events on offer…

Connan Mockasin and Guy Garvey may not be the most expected musical pairing. However, we do hear that Mockasin has recently upped sticks from LA and set up home in Manchester, just around the corner from Garvey’s hometown of Bury. So perhaps they bumped into each other at the local council meeting one Monday evening to debate bin collection dates.

Which ever way the two musicians first connected, the Elbow man has recruited everyone’s favourite eerie sonic-manipulator for a special night of… well, who knows. This is Connan after all, the man who brought his ‘Wet Dream’ show to London last year and sings woozy seductive songs that aren’t as karaoke friendly as they may seem. But one thing is for sure, it’s going to be one hell of a show, expect woozy guitars and intergalactic experiences a-plenty, sit tight as you’re lulled into Mockasin’s sleazy bosom.

“The reason why I am an illustrator is because growing up, the only form of amusement I had was with a biro and chip paper. I didn’t really have many toys when I was a nipper, all I did was draw and draw and draw.” Having grown up in a Manchester chip shop  (living the dream!), DJ, designer, illustrator Stanley Chow found inspiration from his surroundings and began documenting them in a wholly unique manner.

What began as creating  posters for his own gigs and sketching his mates on nights out (including Garvey) quickly evolved into more than a hobby for Chow. For Meltdown he has filled the Royal Festival Hall foyers with his Manchester Collection, depicting the city’s iconic landmarks such as the Hacienda and Affleck’s Palace (a favourite haunt for any self-respecting Manc, and former home to Rubber Plantation – a condom megastore crafted ‘for your pleasure’).

Stanley Chow: Manchester Collection will be on show 10th June – 19th June at Royal Festival Hall’s Central Bar.

Meltdown always has a few surprises up its sleeve: Patti Smith performing a track-for-track rendition of her seminal record Horses; Iggy Pop breaking the fourth wall and inviting fans on stage as he blasts through Fun House surrounded by his Stooges at Yoko Ono’s 2013 programme; Spiritualized sharing a stage with Sonic Youth to play the same chord for twenty minutes; and New York Dolls’ incredible 2004 reunion.

This year’s festival has it’s own future highlight ready and waiting, Josh T. Pearson’s Lift to Experience are set to reunite for their first show in over fifteen years.

The cult band, consisting of Josh T. Pearson, Andy “The Boy” Young and Josh “The Bear” Browning, team up for an exclusive performance, marking the 15th anniversary of the release of their double concept album The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads (which is set to be reissued later this year via Mute). Having formed in 1996, Lift to Experience crafted a unique sound that hinted at shoegaze but lifted it that one step higher (eyes at midriff level). Against Pearson’s deadpan deliver, the band twisted barbed guitar riffs into a momentous wall of sound. Needless to say, this will be pretty epic.

Lift To Experience play on Friday 10th June at Royal Festival Hall.

One man who combines style with substance to produce certified results is Sheffield luminary Richard Hawley.

The quiffed crooner is a romantic at heart, a modern man’s Elvis. The former Longpigs and Pulp guitarist-turned Brit award and Mercury prize-nominated solo artist is a real national treasure – a guitar wielding trooper on the front-line of British rock and roll.

If you like your gigs with a heavy dollop of atmospheric goosebumps, Hawley is a certified must-see. We give it 60 seconds minimum until he has the whole audience wrapped around his finger.

Richard Hawley plays on 16th June at Royal Festival Hall.

At the tender age of thirteen Rozi Plain’s brother taught her a few simple guitar chords and – as they say – the rest is history. Now on her third album, the Winchester-born musician remains an under-the-radar for those lucky enough to come across her ethereal melodies and left-field instrumental nuances.

Plain will be appearing at this year’s Meltdown on the Bryan Glancy Stage, as part of a free series of special performances. Yes, we said free. Save your pennies for the bar.

Rozi Plain plays on 11th June on the Bryan Glancy stage.

Guy Garvey’s Meltdown takes place 10th June – 19th June at the Southbank Centre see the full programme here.