Music : Massive Attack hope Bristol climate change gig with improve music industry: “There’s only one planet”

Massive Attack have said they hope their upcoming climate change concert will improve the music industry, stressing that “there’s only one planet”.

The trip-hop legends are preparing for their ‘Act 1.5’ show at Clifton Downs in Bristol on Sunday (August 25), an all-day, “large-scale climate action accelerator event” to celebrate 25 years of climate activism for the band.

It will be Massive Attack’s first UK performance in five years, and they will be joined by the likes of Killer Mike, Lankum, Sam Morton and the Wild Bunch’s DJ Milo. Find any remaining tickets here.

The show is designed to be the lowest-carbon concert of its kind and scale ever put together, and they hope it will provide a model for the rest of the live music industry to take forward.

In a new interview with the BBC, the band have underlined why they feel the cause is so fundamentally important. “This experiment, by its very virtue of being here, is hopefully going to create some activity,” Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja said. “And it’s a sector which has a lot to say about climate change, but unfortunately it’s not doing much about it.”

“It’s simple,” added Grant ’Daddy G’ Marshall. ”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.”

The set times for Massive Attack’s ‘Act 1.5’ show are:
20:25 – 22:15: Massive Attack
18:25 – 19:25: Killer Mike
16:40 – 17:40: Lankum
15:15 – 16:00: Sam Morton 
14:00 – 15:00: DJ Milo

Explaining the importance of the nature of the event, Del Naja has previously stated: “The ACT 1.5 event in August may be the last time we play Bristol, so we’ve put a lot of attention into making sure the experience is as rich as possible. The show itself is a transgressive leap in our collaboration with Adam Curtis and United Visual Artists that we’re really excited to present.”

“The show production is pioneering in all aspects of decarbonisation and will create a blueprint for the way live shows can be produced. The scale of innovations and emissions reductions will speak for themselves. It’s a special moment for multiple reasons, and we cannot wait to see you all there.”

The entire festival site and operations will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy and battery, food outlets will be 100 per cent plant-based and will use a localised food supply chain, and a reusable cup system at all bars will encourage attendees to bring their own reusable containers.

All 34,000 attendees are also strongly encouraged to walk or cycle to the site or to use public transport, including one of five special trains being laid on.

Following the Bristol show, the band will embark on a handful of 2024 North American shows in the autumn – marking their first gigs in the US in five years.