Massive Attack's Ultra Low Emission Festival

Massive Attack are about to play their first Bristol show in 5 years, and are aiming to set the standard for low emission festivals. Entitled ACT 1.5 to reflect the global heating threshold set for all countries, it'll feature a wealth of renewable and sustainable measures to show that big events don't need to have a huge impact on the climate. More from the Guardian article on the event: 

As the group prepare for Act 1.5, a Bristol festival aiming to have the lowest emissions of any big music event, Robert Del Naja says decarbonised touring is possible

A home town Bristol show on Sunday, titled Act 1.5 – a reference to the 2015 UN climate treaty that asked countries to keep global heating to under a 1.5C threshold – will be 100% powered by renewable energy, in what the band say is a "world first" for an event of its scale. Thirty thousand fans will attend the one-day festival, which also features the US rapper Killer Mike, the Irish folk group Lankum and the actor Samantha Morton's solo music.

Del Naja describes Act 1.5 as a "climate action accelerator", adding: "Some people think the whole point of our sector is to tell people about [the climate crisis], as if it's not one of the most widely reported issues globally of our time. We don't need to talk about it – we need to act on it."

The environmentally minded show was conceived in 2018, and announced in 2021 – a scheduled performance in Liverpool was pulled owing to the venue's links to an arms fair. Then rearranged plans were shelved because of ill-health in the band.

They're not the only artists who are embracing this ideology:

By Billie Eilish's request, the O2 Arena in London only served vegan food during the singer's 2022 residency, and she has announced an array of climate actions for her next tour. In June, Coldplay reported that a 12-point sustainability plan had led to a 59% reduction in carbon emissions compared with their previous global tour.

Read the full article in the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/23/massive-attack-music-industry-climate-inaction

Get tickets here: https://www.massiveattackbristol.com/

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