Massive Attack, the trailblazing act who helped shape Britain’s trip-hop scene in the Nineties, will this weekend attempt to set a new standard for the music industry while addressing its dismal record on climate action.
Act 1.5 – named after the UN climate treaty that called on countries to keep global heating to a 1.5C threshold – was conceived by the band in 2018 and will take place on Sunday 25 August in their hometown of Bristol.
It is being hailed as the lowest carbon/greenhouse gas emissions show of its scale ever staged, and is 100 per cent powered by renewable energy.
Thirty-thousand fans are set to attend, with additional performances to take place from US rapper Killer Mike, the Mercury Prize-shortlisted Irish folk group Lankum, and Oscar-nominated actor/musician Samantha Morton.
“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,” frontman Robert Del Naja told The Guardian.
“We don’t need to talk about it – we need to act on it.”
While the band say that no one will be able to tell the difference between their event and a typical music festival, attendees might spot a few noticeable features.
All of the food will be vegan and served with compostable cutlery (the toilets are also compostable), while there is a reusable cup system in place on all bars – guests are encouraged to bring their own reusable containers.
Instead of diesel generators, the stage and stalls will be hooked up to electric vans containing large batteries.
There is no car park: guests are encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transport, such as one of the five special trains organised to take people back across the south-west of England on Sunday night. The support acts have also been encouraged to travel by rail.
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Steve Meersman, the founding director of Zenobe Energy, which has partnered with Massive Attack to provide second-life battery units and fully electric buses for the event, said the UK festival community alone uses in excess of 12 million litres of diesel each year.
“This live music event will set a precedent for more carbon-free shows to take place in the years ahead,” he said.
Massive Attack have also pared back their own tour operation, going from six trucks to two and travelling by train as much as they can across Europe for their ongoing tour.
“We’re very aware of the polluting we’ve done, which is why we’re doing this,” Del Naja told the BBC.
Asked why they felt so strongly, his bandmate Grant Marshall, aka Daddy G, said the answer was simple: “It’s because there’s only one planet, and we’ve got to try and save it.
“Everyone 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.”
Mark Donne, the festival’s lead producer, said the response from ticket-holders to their experiment had been “incredible”.
“If you’re listening to the science and you’d like us all to avoid catastrophe, there’s no meaningful alternative to immediately and consistently reducing GHG emissions – from stage to field; we can all do that right now,” he said.
“This August we’ll show that major live music shows can be done differently, collectively, and dynamically.”
Some of Massive Attack’s peers have been taking their own steps to reduce the environmental impact of their tours. In June, Coldplay announced that a new 12-point sustainability plan had led to a 59 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to their previous tour.
For Billie Eilish’s 2022 residency at the O2 Arena in London, she requested that only vegan food be served. The US star has partnered again with Reverb for her upcoming Hit Me Hard and Soft tour, including a reduction of single-use plastics, plant-based food options and a donation of profits to the funding of climate projects.
Other stars have come under scrutiny for the environmental impact of their globe-spanning tours.
Days before Massive Attack’s show on Bristol’s Clifton Downs, pop titan Taylor Swift concluded her string of eight shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, and will soon launch the final US and Canada run of her record-breaking Eras Tour.
The “Fortnight” singer has become a major target for climate activists, following a report in The Tennessean that her two jets travelled up to 178,000 miles – emitting 1,200 tons of carbon dioxide – in 2023.
Massive Attack plan on compiling more research after their festival concludes to learn what worked and what didn’t, which Del Naja said he hopes will be “transformational” for the music industry.
“Other industries have got clearer plans and central targets, so you can see progress being made,” he said. “Whereas, I think with lots of individual [music] events and acts, it’s been slower for all this to come together and be co-ordinated.
“So the more that we can see all the pieces of the puzzle in place, and what that looks like, it really does help show other events what’s possible – without necessarily assuming that everyone can do all of it straight away.
“Someone needs to go first in putting all of the pieces of the puzzle together.”
The Independent will be revealing its Climate 100 List in September and hosting an event in New York, which can be attended online and is part of the 15th annual NYC Climate Week.
The list is a roll call of those working in science, academia, activism, philanthropy, travel, business and entertainment, who are committed to the fight against the climate crisis.