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Massive Attack have announced Act 1.5, their first UK show in five years. The event takes place August 25 at Clifton Downs in their hometown of Bristol, England. It’s described as a “large-scale climate action accelerator event” and “the lowest carbon show of its size ever staged.” The show comes after the band outlined its 2021 plan for the music industry to reduce carbon emissions. Act 1.5 is the latest in Massive Attack’s partnership with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
The event touts some “unprecedented” measures toward decarbonization. Those include a rail travel incentive and an initial presale for local postal codes (for Bristol, Bath, and surrounding areas) to deter long-distance travel. The event purports to be entirely powered by renewable energy, with electric shuttles to rail hubs. No meat will be sold. All touring and production vehicles will be electric or fueled by 100 percent waste product HVO fuel.
In partnership with Train Hugger and the Royal Forestry Society, they’re creating “as a show legacy” a new woodland plantation in the South West region. They’ll plant mountain, shining, and southern blue gum trees “chosen for their fast growth and efficient carbon capture qualities.”
Robert “3D” Del Naja said in a press release, “We’re chuffed to play our home city again and to be able do it in the right way. In terms of climate change action there are no excuses left; offsetting, endless seminars and diluted declarations have all been found out—so live music must drastically reduce all primary emissions and take account of fan travel. Working with pioneering partners on this project means we can seriously move the dial for major live music events & help create precedents that are immediately available.”
Professor Carly McLachlan of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research added: “This is precisely the type of transformative approach that we need to see more of in the live music sector and indeed every sector; one that has the collaboration and vision to reduce emissions across all areas of impact and working beyond the areas you directly control to unlock the systemic change we urgently need to deliver on our Paris Agreement commitments.”
