AHEAD of a reduced run of European show dates, Massive Attack announce a large scale super-low carbon emissions live show for 2020, to be held in Liverpool.
The show, which will take place next summer, will form part of the Good Business Festival cultural programme.
Robert Del Naja, founding member of the band, commented on the news: “I’m looking forward to exploring the social and scientific solutions to the challenges we face in transitioning to a low carbon society.
“This project offers an opportunity to work with new and progressive identities in the planning, energy, technology and transport sectors after years of participation in large scale music events that have had questionable sponsors on the ticket and too often, very little enthusiasm for meaningful change.”
The pilot will mark the first physical phase of fast progression to the ambition of carbon neutral live music, or as near as it’s possible to reach that standard.
The show will be produced to support development of the band’s Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research project.
Tyndall Centre Manchester scientists are creating a plan for concerts and tours to have zero emissions, or as close to zero as possible.
Massive Attack, who has been working with Extinction Rebellion, approached the scientists to find solutions for the music industry’s live performances.
Professor Carly McLachlan, Director of Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Manchester, added: “Climate Emergency requires rapid shifts from theory to practice.
“The Liverpool event offers a great opportunity to bring together the different organisations needed to really reshape the impact of live music events.
“This collaborative and learning by doing approach will allow a real-world exploration of where the quick and easy wins are and where we need to work together to tackle the more stubborn challenges.”
This first phase show will achieve a dramatic reduction of carbon impact in every sphere that it’s possible to influence: band, crew and equipment transportation, production power, catering options, audience transportation, merchandising and show sponsorship.
To achieve reductions, Massive Attack will work with Culture Liverpool and various city authorities and transport providers as well as their own suppliers.
This show will also unite pioneering expertise from the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors.
The event will provide the opportunity to test a range of solutions presented in the Tyndall Centre commission report and allow field-analysts to identify carbon reduction methods that could then be quickly and widely implemented across the music industry.
The band will use the summer shows to collect data and share the Tyndall report with the European festival sector.
The band, crew and equipment will be transported to these dates by rail.
According to the show partners, radical, verifiable reduction of carbon emissions in each sphere of carbon impact must go hand in glove with commercial viability and while these goals are ambitious, they are both achievable and unavoidable.
Claire McColgan MBE, Director of Culture Liverpool and The Good Business Festival, notes:
“As both a festival and a city, we are proud to be working with Massive Attack on this unprecedented event.
“We are committed to supporting bold, positive action and The Liverpool show is a prime example of how change can be driven from leading industry figures, whatever the sector.
“We’re keen to see how these learnings can be applied quickly and widely to all appropriate content moving forward. “
