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Patti Smith is a poet, celebrated artist and peace activist. She is also one of the most influential women of rock and heralded as a creator of punk. Her tenure as Meltdown curator in 2005 coincided with the 30th anniversary of Smith’s landmark album, Horses, a seminal recording that many believe changed rock music.

In spite of securing her place in rock history all those years ago, she continues to innovate, creating music of intensity, passion and inventiveness, while also producing a number of books containing original poetry and artwork.

Highlights of her Meltdown programme included: the multi-skilled experimentalism of John Cale; vivacious rai-punk from French Algerian Rachid Taha; music theatre of German dramatist Bertolt Brecht featuring Marc Almond, The Finn Brothers and others; rebel alt-country with Steve Earle; amp-bursting guitar glory from Jeff Beck plus Flea and John Frusciante of The Red Hot Chili Peppers in homage to Jimi Hendrix; lullabies and protest songs in a nod to one of Britain’s most famous poets and visionaries, William Blake, featuring amongst others Beth Orton and Sinéad O’Connor; New York alt-rock godfathers Television; innovative, uncompromising art with Yoko Ono; and rich, torch song beauty from Antony and The Johnsons.

It was also the scene of a number of firsts for Patti Smith. She read out loud, in full, her poetry collection The Coral Sea for the first time, working in collaboration with My Bloody Valentine’s Kevin Shields and Cat Power, fulfilling a promise she made to photographer Robert Mapplethorpe on his deathbed that she would continue their work together. She also set Royal Festival Hall alight with the first ever performance of Horses in full, an unforgettable experience for those lucky enough to bear witness.

www.pattismith.net
www.myspace.com/pattismith