Massive Attack pulled off the biggest low-carbon gig yet seen in the UK on Sunday when they played in front of 30,000 fans on Bristol’s Downs at the Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator.
If not net zero, then it was as close as any outdoor show has got to that figure thus far. The band had put in a whole range of measures for the show’s production: there were no car parks for private vehicles, additional train services had been laid on, all on-site food was from plant-based sources, there was a reusable cup system, compost toilets and the festival was powered by 100% renewable energy.
It was the band’s first hometown gig in five years, with a diverse range of support acts, from Irish folksters Lankum, actor-turned-musician Samantha Morton, Killer Mike - one half of hip hop duo Run The Jewels and Milo, the DJ who played an important role in Massive Attack’s own story in that he was the central figure around which the original Wild Bunch coalesced in the 1980s.
To add to this there was a smaller stage where talks and discussions were held with appearances by Ecotricity founder and activist Dale Vince, the new (Green) MP for Bristol Central, Carla Denyer and historian David Olusoga.
Always an engaged act, the band also allowed Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza an opportunity to address the crowd before their headlining set. Azaiza spoke of the current situation facing the Palestinian people and the ongoing humanitarian nightmare in Gaza.
In an interview with the BBC prior to the gig the band – Grant ‘Daddy G’ Marshall and Robert ‘3D’ Del Naja had outlined their hopes for the day. “This experiment, by its very virtue of being here, is hopefully going to create some activity,” 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,” Marshall added. “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.”
As a one off event Act 1.5 was an undoubted success and many in the live sector will have noted what aspects of the festival worked and could be scaled up to an entire tour and what perhaps still needs tweaking. Either way, Del Naja and Marshall deserve a huge amount of credit for simply being the first to attempt such a thing.
