Massive Attack's Green Gig: Can This Bristol Show Change the Music Industry?

Massive Attack, the seminal Bristol band who helped redefine British music in the 1990s, are aiming to change the music industry's record on climate action. They believe the sector has been "stuck for too long" and are hoping their upcoming mini-festival, their first hometown show in five years, will provide a blueprint for others to follow.

This weekend's event is being billed as the lowest-carbon concert of its scale ever held. Fans attending the Clifton Down gig, which will see 34,000 people descend upon the venue, are being strongly encouraged to leave their cars at home and opt for walking, cycling, or public transport. To facilitate this, five special trains will be laid on to take people back across the south-west at the end of the bank holiday Sunday night.

While the music itself will remain the main attraction, attendees might notice a few subtle shifts in the festival's operation. All food will be vegan, toilets will be compostable, and attendees might spot electric vans containing large batteries topping up other large batteries around the site.

The band is also putting the spotlight on sustainable practices beyond the immediate event. They have travelled to their summer European tour dates by train and ferry, and have reduced the amount of equipment they take on tour, going from six trucks to just two. They are also encouraging other festivals and promoters they work with to adopt similar practices.

"We're very aware of the polluting we've done, which is why we're doing this," says Robert Del Naja, known as 3D, the band's driving force behind their drive for sustainability. Bandmate Grant Marshall, or Daddy G, is fully on board, saying, "It’s simple, there's only one planet, and we've got to try and save it."

The Bristol concert comes five years after Massive Attack commissioned the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research to produce a report outlining a roadmap for "super low carbon live music." The band is now putting as much of that report into practice as possible, with the aim of demonstrating that large-scale events can be environmentally conscious.

"This experiment, by its very virtue of being here, is hopefully going to create some activity," Del Naja says. "And it's a sector which has a lot to say about climate change, but unfortunately it's not doing much about it."

The band has been disappointed by the lack of action from others in the music industry since their initial research. "It's been five years and no-one’s shown much interest," Del Naja says. "A couple of bands, a couple of promoters, but very little interest. We've already done an impact report – it's publicly available – so we don't need any more pledging. We just need to put it into action."

While Massive Attack are leading the way, other artists are beginning to make changes. Coldplay have stated that their 12-step plan, including a kinetic dancefloor and electricity-generating bicycles, reduced the carbon emissions of their last world tour by 59%.

Adam Corner, a Bristol-based writer and researcher on climate and culture, believes the Bristol show is pioneering for its attempt to combine a wide range of environmentally friendly measures. Many of the technologies and techniques have been tried out by other festivals and events, but the show's overall approach is unique.

"It showcases what's possible," Corner says. "Many people in the music and creative industries agree that things could and should be improved – and some artists, organisers and bodies have been trying for years – but progress has been slow. This event can help show other events what's possible – without necessarily assuming that everyone can do all of it straight away."

Massive Attack's Bristol concert will be a test case for their ambitious vision. If successful, it could potentially inspire a new wave of sustainable practices across the live music industry, ushering in a more environmentally conscious era for music events.