Brighton Dome, 9 February 2010
Firstly let me say that this concert had the most impressive light show EVER. This doesn’t really come as a shock; if there’s a group that is going to have that sort of epic respect within the industry, enough to be able to work with whoever they damn well please, it is Massive Attack. There were four singers there in all, all with iconic voices and songs, and all just as mesmerizing in their own way. Particularly Horace Andy, casually dressed silver PJs, and Shara Nelson were jaw-droppingly stunning live. ‘Angel’ and ‘Unfinished Symphony’ were obvious highlights and the rework of ‘Teardrop’ with a Spanish guitar as well, which was very nice (and probably necessary as we’re all bored of that advert for that game).
All there was to do was to sit and take it all in. It is hard to come up with something objective to say about them, but it is very hard to think of a brand of person who wouldn’t be able to appreciate how good these guys are live. These are musicians of the highest worth. They have a certain sort of magic about them that forces you to dig deep within yourself and search for some sort of epic truth which lies within on some higher level of consciousness. Ok, there was no need for such mellow drama, but the point is the entire show was polished and spotless, no act, no pretence, just pure awesomeness.
There were bad points too, some idiot decided to start a fight in the middle of the pit and in the silence in between songs threatened that he was going to rip someone’s head off. Also it was reported afterwards that one or two of the more cynical of us left halfway through the gig because the band got all political. Fair enough, the night should have been about the new album – however with great power comes great responsibility and yes, there was a massive attack of political activism involving taser budgets, the price of an MP’s toilet paper holder surpassing that of the money needed to look after an entire village of Ghanaians and the useless crap the government fills our heads with to distract us from how corrupt and tyrannic the world is. It is overlooked how selfish this minority of rich men actually are, and in comparison to how much the average worker might donate to a Haiti appeal, they still haven’t scratched the surface when it comes to taking responsibility.
There wasn’t too much of the new album played, but enough to get you interested and want to go out and buy it because, let’s face it, they aren’t likely to release a rubbish one; there is far too many people in their group that someone’s bound to notice if it is shit.
What did you think of the gig?
Simon: “Fantastic gig. It reminds me of my days as a student in my flat. Absolutely loving it.”
Andrina: “Totally awesome gig. It’s taken me right back.”
Darren: “Brilliant gig. Great sound. I loved the girl.”
Lauren: “Amazed by this. I loved the lighting. I didnt expect it to be quite so political but loved it all the same.”
Words by Kate Elliott
Photography by Keith Trigwell
HOPING is a campaign backed by Massive Attack which was launched in 2003 to help Palestinian refugees, specifically children and young adults. It is dedicated to providing the young with basic human necessities in order to live out a normal life in the future. For more information go to hopingfoundation.org.
For the new Massive Attack album which promises to be just as infectious as it’s predecessors (and includes vocals from Gorillaz front man Damon Albarn) check out their MySpace. myspace.com/massiveattack
