Massive Attack to headline LIDO Festival

Massive Attack to headline LIDO Festival at London’s Victoria Park this summer and their first festival show in the capital for nine years will be 100% powered by battery.

Taking place on Friday 6 June, the iconic Bristol band will not only perform their acclaimed live show (designed in collaboration between Robert Del Naja, United Visual Artists and documentarist Adam Curtis) but continue their pioneering work with ACT 1.5 to rapidly decarbonise live music events.

With their ongoing partnership with clean energy provider Ecotricity, their performance at LIDO will be 100% powered by battery – significantly reducing both carbon emissions and local air pollution.

Also performing will be Air, Yasiin Bey and The Alchemist are FORENSICS and Tirzah, with many more to be announced.

100% Battery Powered

Last year, ACT 1.5 and Massive Attack hosted their first large-scale climate action accelerator in Bristol that sought to completely reimagine how music events can be staged. The all-day outdoor event, described by the New York Times as the “gold standard for green gigs” delivered an unprecedented network of decarbonisation methods across all scopes, and was the first practical phase of work designed with scientists from the renowned Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

Three months later, they applied their science based approach to an indoor event in Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena joined by IDLES and Nile Rodgers & Chic. Continuing their partnership with clean energy provider Ecotricity, ‘ACT 1.5 presents…’ aimed to test, operate & adapt a range of measures to dramatically reduce the level of carbon emissions & air pollution that would usually be produced at live music events.

Speaking about the event Robert Del Naja (3D) writes: “To present London’s first ever 100% battery powered festival day with a dynamic range of artists is an optimum outcome for us. History shows it’s often the combination of art and science that overcomes the greatest challenges we face, so it’s good to see LIDO take learnings from our ACT1.5 event last year and apply those technologies to where they see emissions coming from. Clean productions beginning this journey to normalisation is good news for everyone, but especially for music fans that come to festivals and the local communities that live around them.”

Setting The Standard

Support will come from a stellar line-up including the French duo Air, famed for their elevated and otherworldly pop, including classics such as Sexy Boy, Playground Love, Cherry Blossom Girl and Kelly Watched The Stars.

Also on the bill will be Yasiin Bey and The Alchemist are FORENSICS. Hip hop legends Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and The Alchemist recently presented a live streamed performance of FORENSICS on Bandcamp and a full album is set to follow. South East London singer and songwriter Tirzah, who has released three albums, Devotion, Colourgrade and trip9love…???, will also perform.

Jim King, CEO of European Festivals, AEG Presents, said: “Big changes require both courage and determination, and I cannot speak highly enough of Massive Attack and their team for embracing the challenge of launching this important initiative. AEG was fortunate to collaborate with Massive Attack on the ACT 1.5 event in Bristol last summer, which set the standard and inspired our team to continue the work they have started at LIDO. Massive Attack has demonstrated that there is a better way to operate for the future of both our planet and our industry.”

Massive Attack will join previously announced headliners Jamie xx (Saturday 7 June), OUTBREAK Fest (Friday 13 June), Charli xcx’s own party girl festival (Saturday 14 June) and London Grammar (Sunday 15 June) for the inaugural LIDO.

For tickets, on sale Friday 21 February, click here

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