90s band Massive Attack blew fans away in Bristol as they made a triumphant return to their hometown for the first time in five years.
The British trip hop collective – fronted by Robert “3D” Del Naja, 59, and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, 64 – which formed in 1988 saw their 1998 album Mezzanine peak at number one in the UK charts.
The duo are behind popular singles such as Teardrop and Unfinished Sympathy.
The Bristol-based collective, which has collaborated with artists such as the late Sinead O’Connor, put on a politically-charged headline set on Sunday during a climate-conscious event, Act 1.5, hosted by Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
The group took to stage at the 100% renewable energy powered, meat free arena filled with compostable loos where they collaborated with Horace Andy on Girl I Love You, Elizabeth Fraser for Black Milk and Scottish band Young Fathers with Voodoo In My Blood.
All the while, phrases such as #stoptheleft, #antiimmigration, #saveourkids and #tommyrobinson flashed behind them to the crowd of around 34,000, according to local reports.
Palestinian solidarity was also a strong theme in the set, giving a platform for Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza to call for a ceasefire in Gaza (which is also the music group’s Instagram bio).
Other performers on the day included US rapper Killer Mike, Irish folk group Lankum and the actor Samantha Morton.
Speaking to the BBC ahead of the event, the genre-defining hitmakers – who have just returned from touring around Europe – explained their passion to take part in climate-forward events as part of the music industry.
‘We’re very aware of the polluting we’ve done, which is why we’re doing this,’ Robert explained.
Grant added: ‘It’s simple. It’s because there’s only one planet, and we’ve got to try and save it.
‘Everybody knows what’s going on, and if we can do our bit to try and save something for the future, then it seems like a no brainer.’
Robert echoed him in an interview with the Guardian, adding: ‘Some people think the whole point of our sector is to tell people about [the climate crisis], as if it’s not one of the most widely reported issues globally of our time. We don’t need to talk about it – we need to act on it.’
Partners for the show – which also faced torrential rain – included Ecotricity, Grid Faeries, UN Race to Zero, Train Hugger and Zenobe.
Needless to say, the show was a massive success.
‘Massive Attack were epic at their sustainable concert tonight in Bristol,’ @mariavbooks wrote on X.
‘Massive Attack in Bristol last night. Live music life highlight,’ @phillimilne echoed.
As one fan pointed out, the merch also reflected the ethos of the night.
‘The merch at the Massive Attack show was on another level. Loved seeing the designs inspired by their support for immigrants and social justice—definitely more than just a concert,’ @biafisher noted.
Massive Attack live in Bristol tonight. Gig of a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/y0q9SzdGNL
— Fran Carlyon (@FranCarlyon) August 25, 2024
I got absolutely soaked watching massive attack tonight and itâs still one of the best gigs Iâve ever been to.
— Hannah (@fionchadd) August 25, 2024
The sentiment was echoed on Instagram.
‘Amazing experience and revolutionary in its low emissions strategy. As you once said, you are defined by what you do not what you don’t do. I’m 39 years old and Massive Attack has been huge part of my life ever since I can remember. If this really is the last tour, you went out with a bang,’ @bluesera85 commented.
‘Thank you for standing on the right side of history,’ @jp_dream_family_home added.
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