Bristol-based trip-hop duo Massive Attack have been announced as one of the headline acts at LIDO Festival 2025, their first performance in London since 2019. The band have always been known for their social awareness, from politics to environmentalism, and LIDO is in keeping with their core values, being entirely battery-powered as part of a push towards greener live music events.
This isn’t the first time the band have been involved in an event with an emphasis on climate awareness, with their last appearance in the capital coming as part of a surprise show supporting an Extinction Rebellion protest in 2019. They also commissioned a report from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in 2021 to assess the carbon footprint of live music, offering their findings out to event organisers in a bid to tackle the issues raised. They put the report’s findings into place last year with their ‘Act 1.5’ shows in Bristol and Liverpool. They incorporated 25 measures that reduce the carbon footprint of the events, including incentives for fans cycling to the shows, serving plant-based foods, and using renewable energy.
Speaking to NME in December, Robert Del Naja, one half of the duo, revealed that the band had turned down an offer to play Coachella 2025. He gave a damning critique of the event, saying, “It’s in Palm Springs. It’s a golf resort built on a desert, run on a sprinkler system, using public water supplies. Mental. If you want to see something that’s the most ludicrous bit of human behaviour – it’s right there.” Instead, they will grace a festival which has pledged to implement eco-friendly policies ranging from waste management to working with local suppliers and food partners.
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Joining Massive Attack on June 6, are French electronic act Air, Forensics (the newly announced project from Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, and producer The Alchemist), and Tirzah, though more acts will be announced before the festival. Air will also join Massive Attack at INmusic festival, taking place in Zagreb between 23 and 25 June.
LIDO isn’t the only festival that has made sustainability a major consideration. Shamabala has pioneered green initiatives, from banning meat to using alternative fuels such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, solar, and hybrid power instead of diesel generators. In 2023, Glastonbury had a prominent wind turbine installed that powered food stalls. LIDO takes it one step further, suggesting the festival will be powered entirely by batteries. Zenobe provided the batteries for the ‘Act 1.5’ event, repurposing batteries from electric vehicles and giving them a second life.
Massive Attack’s activism extends beyond climate concerns too, with the band canceling a show in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in 2024. As citizens protested against intrusions on freedom of the press and LGBT rights, the band released a statement, saying “At this moment, performing at the state-owned Black Sea Arena could be seen as an endorsement of their violent crackdown against peaceful protests and civil society”.
As LIDO Festival prepares for its maiden outing, fans of Massive Attack and the wider music community will be welcoming their push for sustainability in the live music sector, and will be hopeful that the event acts as a blueprint for others to follow.
