It seems like nothing can dent Massive Attack’s moral compass. The Bristol trip-hop pioneers have always been a principled force, but since returning from a five-year concert dry spell in 2024, they’ve especially used their stature to mould live music to their design.
Earlier this week, they banned promotion for Barclays at a Manchester gig (the bank has ties to companies funding the Israeli military). Now, the first day of London’s LIDO festival has a bill hand-picked by Robert “3D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, all the food on sale is vegan, and everything the crowd sees onstage is battery-powered.
From the start of tonight’s headline showcase, it’s clear those batteries are doing vital, herculean work. Massive Attack’s intro is a video about the atrocities currently being committed in Gaza, screened onto a backdrop at least 30ft tall.
That consciousness runs like a heartbeat throughout the 90-minute set. The group’s towering visuals display haunting numbers and images not just concerning the horrors in Palestine, but also the suffering within the Congo, the hoarding of data for wealth, and the news media and politicians trying to distract us from all of it. It’s a manifesto for the human race, rooted in harsh reality rather than the flimsy plucking of heartstrings.
Of course, that messaging wouldn’t land half as hard if the music underscoring it weren’t immaculate. But, Massive Attack put just as much effort into sonic presentation as they do optical information (if not more), expanding to a monumental eight-piece lineup. And that’s not including the revolving door of guest singers they’ve brought along, as well.
Such opuses as Blue Lines and Mezzanine have been benchmarks for songwriting economy ever since they came out, making just a handful of layers and motifs feel like orchestral monoliths, and this evening only furthers that sense of scale. Inertia Creeps’ distorted riffing and twin drumkits hit as hard as any metal band you can name. At the other end of the spectrum, Teardrop is even more tragic than usual, hammered home by powerful acoustic guitar.
Vocalists Deborah Miller, Horace Andy and Elizabeth Fraser are all in majestic form, despite the latter two recording their defining Massive Attack parts more than 25 years ago. Andy remains distinct and seductive at 74, especially during the darkly alluring Angel. Miller’s wails throughout Safe From Harm ignite more than one round of blown-away cheering, and Fraser leads the ominous crawl of Black Milk as gracefully as she did in 1998.
In one performance, Massive Attack have captured the purpose of modern live music, being faithful to recorded works while elevating them to new levels, and embodied the spirit of protest art. This is a collective who embrace their standing and use it to its fullest potential, both as entertainers and campaigners. Why can’t more musicians do that?
Massive Attack setlist: LIDO festival, London – June 6, 2025
In My Mind (Gigi D’Agostino cover)
Risingson
Girl I Love You
Black Milk
Take It There
Future Proof
Song To The Siren (Tim Buckley cover)
Inertia Creeps
Rockwrok (Ultravox cover)
Angel
Safe From Harm
I Against I (feat. Yasiin Bey)
Unfinished Sympathy
Levels (Avicii cover)
Teardrop
