Harry Styles has released his new album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally," performing it for the first time in a concert in Manchester. Simultaneously, Styles has announced the full lineup for the Meltdown 2026 festival, which he is curating at London's Southbank Centre.
Album Release and Concert Debut
Manchester Concert Marks Return
On Friday, May 24, Harry Styles released his latest album, "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally." The same day, he performed the album in its entirety at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, marking his first full stage appearance in two and a half years. Over 20,000 fans attended the concert.
This performance followed a prior appearance at the Brit Awards, held at the same arena a week earlier, where Styles performed the album's lead single, "Aperture." The Manchester concert was promoted as a homecoming event for Styles, who grew up in Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, near Manchester.
Attendees for the Manchester show included fans who traveled from international locations such as Chicago, USA, and Berlin, Germany. Some fans reportedly waited up to 48 hours to secure positions at the front of the stage barriers. Tickets for the Manchester concert were priced at £20. This contrasts with Styles' upcoming summer stadium residencies, where seated tickets for Wembley Stadium start at £44, and standing tickets are priced from £144. Reports indicated significant resale activity for the Manchester concert, with one individual reportedly paying £1,000 in cash for a ticket, and fans without tickets were observed outside the venue seeking entry.
Album Details and Critical Reception
A New Sound for Styles' Fourth Album
"Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally" is Styles' fourth studio album, following "Harry Styles" (2017), "Fine Line" (2019), and "Harry's House" (2022). The new album features upbeat songs with prominent drums, heavy bass, and electronic sounds, alongside melodies described as cheerful or melancholy. It incorporates limited disco elements and a notable presence of electronics with few guitars.
Tracks mentioned include "Coming Up Roses," a ballad with piano and orchestra, "Taste Back" and "The Waiting Game" which feature sweet melodies, "Pop" with a Daft Punk-esque synthesizer hook, "Carla's Song," "Season 2 Weight Loss," "Dance No More" a funk-infused song with '80s synthesizer elements, and the acoustic ballad "Paint by Numbers."
Live performances of Styles' songs often become more dynamic than their studio versions, a transformation exemplified by his Brit Awards performance of "Aperture." Similar adaptations are anticipated for many tracks from "Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally."
The album is projected to become Styles' fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the United States and his third chart-topper in the United Kingdom. Initial critical reviews for the album have been largely positive. NME, Rolling Stone UK, and The Independent each awarded the album four-star ratings.
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian provided a three-star review, citing a "perceived absence of 'unequivocal pop bangers'" and commenting on aspects of the album's lyrical content.
Meltdown 2026 Festival Curation
Styles to Curate Esteemed London Festival
Harry Styles will curate the Meltdown 2026 festival, scheduled to take place at London's Southbank Centre from Thursday, June 11, to Sunday, June 21, 2026. Styles commented on his role as curator, describing the significance of the artists involved, the planned performances, and the Southbank Centre as a venue for live music.
He joins a distinguished list of previous Meltdown curators, including David Bowie, Nick Cave, Patti Smith, Grace Jones, Christine and the Queens, Nile Rodgers, Robert Smith, David Byrne, Yoko Ono, Anohni, Massive Attack, Little Simz, and Jarvis Cocker.
Styles is also scheduled to perform a headline show at the Royal Festival Hall on March 16, 2026, separate from the festival lineup.
Meltdown 2026 Full Lineup
The festival will commence with a performance by Warpaint on June 11. The last scheduled performances within the provided lineup are on June 20. The confirmed artists and their performance dates are:
- June 11: Warpaint (Royal Festival Hall)
- June 12: Stephen Fretwell (Purcell Room), Shabaka & Friends (Queen Elizabeth Hall), Ninajirachi (Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer)
- June 13: Erika de Casier (Royal Festival Hall), Fousheé (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
- June 14: Kamasi Washington: Jazz Legends Reimagined (Royal Festival Hall), Kamasi Washington: Fearless Movement Live (Royal Festival Hall), Nilüfer Yanya (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
- June 16: Getdown Services (Purcell Room)
- June 17: Mulatu Astatke (Royal Festival Hall)
- June 18: Beverly Glenn-Copeland (Royal Festival Hall), Bar Italia (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
- June 19: Devonté Hynes Ensemble (Royal Festival Hall), Orlando Weeks (Queen Elizabeth Hall)
- June 20: Yussef Dayes (Royal Festival Hall), Jon Hopkins with Maddie Ashman and Leo Abrahams (Queen Elizabeth Hall), James Murphy (Queen Elizabeth Hall Foyer)
Meltdown 2026 Ticket Information
Tickets for Southbank Centre members will be available starting April 9, 2026, at 10 am. General sale for tickets will commence on April 10, 2026, at 10 am. Further details regarding ticket sales for Harry Styles’ headline performance on March 16, 2026, are expected to be announced separately.