Musicians have recently been using their platforms as a call to action in the ongoing climate crisis, from Dolly Parton releasing “World On Fire,” to Björk and Rosalía’s song “Oral” bringing attention to fish farming. Now, Massive Attack members Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall are hoping to decarbonize live music with an all-day concert in 2024.
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Next August 25, Massive Attack will headline a show—called Act 1.5—at Bristol’s Clifton Downs in collaboration with the Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research. To goal is to control the show’s carbon output to produce the “lowest carbon show of its size ever staged,” according to the band. For their first show in the U.K. in five years, Massive Attack is implementing measures they’ve been developing for years to reduce their carbon footprint.
Some of those measures include electric shuttles to and from local rail stations to reduce or eliminate car travel, powering the venue with renewable energy, going meat-free at concessions, and using electric or waste hydrogenated vegetable oil-powered vehicles for touring and production, according to a report from DJ Mag. Additionally, the band is discouraging long-distance car travel by offering pre-sale tickets to fans local to the area.
“We’re chuffed to play our home city again and to be able to do it in the right way,” said Del Naja in a statement. “In terms of climate change action there are no excuses left; offsetting, endless seminars and diluted declarations have all been found out — so live music must drastically reduce all primary emissions and take account of fan travel. Working with pioneering partners on this project means we can seriously move the dial for major live music events and help create precedents that are immediately available.”
The band first announced their blueprint for decarbonization in 2019 and planned to tour by train in 2020, but their first go at eco-friendly touring was canceled by the pandemic. Additionally, Del Naja wrote a piece for The Guardian about the band’s efforts to decarbonize live music, writing in part, “audience transportation and venue power account for as much as 93% of all the CO2 emissions generated by major music events.” In the announcement of the show on social media, the band wrote, “Art and music can lead the way on climate action & climate justice, but our own house must be in order first.”
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