Live Report: Huge Performance by Massive Attack at LIDO Festival, London

      At certain moments, it felt less like being in a delightful public park for a Massive Attack concert and more like being ensnared in the surreal atmosphere of an Adam Curtis documentary. This marked the opening night of LIDO, a new festival in London's Victoria Park that will run for a couple of weeks, making for a striking debut. Charli XCX is set to perform on this same stage next week, but one could reasonably anticipate a different experience compared to what Massive Attack delivered. Their performance was far from a typical gig; it was a journey through bizarre visuals, vivid colors, and strong anti-war themes, paired with the band's distinctly smooth vocals and deep bass. Unlike most festival headliners who opt for safer performances, Massive Attack took a bolder approach.

      The anticipated afternoon rain never materialized. Instead, the sun shone brightly as crowds began to flow into Victoria Park, one of the many cherished public spaces in London that has been partially handed over to private interests for seasonal festival festivities. There was a time in the UK—long before my existence—when free festivals were scattered throughout the country and easily accessible. Nowadays, the festival scene is primarily commercial—tickets for this Lido event were priced at least £85—and it’s hard not to feel for the local residents who, for significant portions of their summers, are excluded from enjoying their green spaces and must tolerate bass reverberating through their windows until 11 PM during weekends. While this is clearly less than ideal, people do need to seek enjoyment where they can, and LIDO organizers have considered local communities by hosting a free festival during the week for anyone interested.

      The day was promoted as "100% battery powered," in line with Massive Attack’s Act 1.5 initiative aimed at decreasing carbon emissions and air pollution commonly associated with large-scale events. Accordingly, none of the expensive food vendors offered meat, single-use plastic items were not distributed at the bars, and notably, a mascot crafted from recycled tin cans wandered the festival grounds, waving and dancing. These environmentally friendly measures—banning plastic and refraining from selling meat—didn't significantly alter the audience's experience unless one had a literal craving for meat. In essence, they are sensible initiatives that should see broader implementation.

      Live music is inherently a polluting endeavor, especially exemplified by private-jet-flying superstars like Taylor Swift, so it’s encouraging to see a prominent act like Massive Attack endeavor to bring about change. Whether their efforts will lead to substantial outcomes is uncertain—climate scientists are welcome to share their insights—but at a symbolic level, it certainly seems worthwhile. By acknowledging the climate-damaging practices of their industry and striving to create alternative pathways, Massive Attack may ultimately help to initiate positive change.

      The Lido Festival's lineup was reportedly curated by each day's headliner, so for this occasion, Massive Attack presented us with a roster that included Hunny, Everything Is Recorded, Mad Professor, and Tirzah. However, the group that truly kicked off my day was 47Soul, a Palestinian-Jordanian collective recognized as pioneers of the "shamstep" movement, blending Western electronic music with the Levantine folk tradition of dabke. They took the stage in the sunlight, one member sporting a Kneecap t-shirt, and launched into an invigorating, genre-blending performance filled with captivating percussion, crunchy electronica, and bilingual rapping and singing alternating between Arabic and English. It was, as they described it, “anti-colonial music," and the enthusiastic crowd showed their support.

      During these grueling months marked by relentless, live-streamed tragedies in Gaza, it has occasionally felt frustrating to witness the lies and deceptions of our unsavory politicians and media figures. Despite their efforts to persuade us to ignore the horrific realities constantly relayed to us, their narratives falter in the presence of an audience united in understanding right from wrong. While this may appear inadequate in such dark times, whether at a protest march or amidst a crowd at a concert, there's strength found in recognizing we are not isolated. 47Soul, burdened by the weight of ongoing events in their homeland, reminded us of this truth.

      As their set continued on the main stage, Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, performed on the second stage with his partner The Alchemist. By the time I joined, the tent was overflowing, but things began to settle, allowing me to slip inside. Bey commanded the stage with an impressive presence, though the energy felt somewhat muted as Air prepared to start their set on the main stage and drew the crowd's attention. Initially packed, Bey’s tent gradually loosened, but he revived the atmosphere by playing some of his older songs. It can be challenging for an artist committed to new music to cater to demands for older hits, yet he handled this with poise, thanking the audience for listening to his latest tracks before promising to have "some fun" with

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