Massive In Meltdown

Massive Attack play Meltdown Festival

15 June 2008 - This year’s Meltdown Festival is curated by Bristol trip hop pioneers Massive Attack.

A variety of events and artists chosen by the duo will take place around London’s Southbank precinct over their 10 day programme.

Although Meltdown gives artists a chance to expose some of their influences to a wider audience, it was the music Massive Attack themselves have been making over the last few years that people were curious to hear.

A fifth album has been in the works for quite some time, and they’ve taken several different turns musically from the early days of the Wild Bunch - with varying degrees of success.

They are playing several dates over the course of Meltdown which began last night at the Royal Festival Hall.

It felt like a shaky start as they kicked off their set with a couple of new songs, but any doubts the audience held were quietly swept away when vocalist Stephanie Dosen sang the first few notes of Teardrop.

From then on, it was a mix of old and new material, political slogans illuminated on stage and roars of approval from the crowd for both the classic tunes and anti-war sentiments.

The encore enveloped the audience with Horace Andy’s vocals for Angel

The night continued to gather momentum, but it was difficult to rally around a set that was largely comprised of new songs.

Especially ones that explored the same kind of dark territory heard on 100th Window, their least accessible album.

Despite this, there was a sense of loyalty from the crowd, and Massive Attack need only delve into their back catalogue to deliver.

The encore enveloped the audience with Horace Andy’s vocals for Angel, and the night peaked with the unquestionably brilliant Unfinished Sympathy, a song which had the whole audience united on their feet and shouting for more.

SETLIST

All I Want
Marooned
Teardrop
16 Seeter Risingson
Kingpin Mezzanine
Harpsichord
Red Light Inertia
Creeps
Safe From Harm
Marakesh

ENCORE

Angel
Unfinished Sympathy
Dobro

Victoria Hannaford