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Massive Attack

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Massive Attack Tickets

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Rating: 4.3 out of 5 based on 551 reviews

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About

Massive Attack's groundbreaking blend of hip hop, dub reggae, techno and rock revolutionized Britain's dance club scene in the early ‘90s and gave birth to the trip-hop sound that would eventually be popularized by such acclaimed artists as Portishead, Björk and Sneaker Pimps. All Massive Attack's albums to date are certified platinum and feature a dynamic roster of vocalists including Elizabeth Fraser, Horace Andy, Tracey Thorn and Sinead O'Connor. Comprised of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, the band has recently released Collected (a compilation of select works) and has plans to release a new album Weather Underground in early 2007. While on tour in the US, 3D spoke to Ticketmaster about Collected, their new record in the works, and their current tour.  

TM: How did you come to the decision that it was time for a "best-of" album?
3D: To be honest it was kind of one of those things that had been looming for the last few years. It's a quite conventional thing to do in the UK and Europe...  We were in this space where we were making our record and the record company wanted something. We thought ok, we give them something commercial and then we get some favors on the next record when we want to do something more unconventional and work with video directors or do something with the artwork which might not sort of add up to count in terms of the numbers and figures. But they'd feel a bit more obliged maybe, or more sort of likely to warm to some of our ideas. Especially in a business which is more difficult to squeeze money out of the companies now, you know.
  
TM: How did you go about selecting the tracks to include on it?
3D: It took about all of two minutes on a Post-It® note, you know what I mean? With a pencil and then filling it all in with marker afterwards after sort of changing my mind a few times. It was very, very obvious really. Only problem is on a CD you have to restrict it to 14 tracks and not 16, so you have to lose a couple, but you know.

TM: So was it mainly about chart success and they were less personal choices?
3D: No, because there are things on there that were never singles, which was kind of fun as well. So some singles and I also left a couple singles off which, normally, on a "best-of" is a complete no-no, so the record company weren't very happy with me. There were a few singles that weren't on there at all. But Collected has a really interesting second disc with new tracks and remixes and unheard things and unfinished sketches. And then the artwork, creating all the new artwork and working with (Jonathan) Glazer on the new video. That kind of stuff is the real interesting part of it.

TM: Yes, definitely. So let's talk about what's foremost on your fans' minds at the moment—your highly anticipated new album Weather Underground. How are you coming along  and are you still on schedule for a Feb 2007 release?
3D: We'll see. We've obviously spent a lot of time on the road this year so we've lost quite a lot of time in the studio you know ... sometimes it's difficult because you're traveling and you're tired, you're playing. There's not a lot of time to really be doing any meaningful writing. So we might sort of lose that February vibe, but there's also a lot of work for me and G (Daddy G) to be listening to each other's things, to put our heads together and get back to a sort of space where we're going to work together on some things. But I guess a lot of it will be done separately like most of our albums that we've done in the past.

TM: Now what's that like working separately? Just logistically, how you do make it work?
3D: Well it's the way it's always been...from Blue Lines onwards. Mushroom would come in with an idea or G would come in with an idea, or I would come in with one and we'd work normally with an interface person—like a co-writer or co-producer—and then the other guys, or I would suggest something or someone would suggest something that adds life to someone else's idea. We've very rarely sat in the same room writing together. It's very unconventional in that way. It always has been and I guess it will never change. And I think that's the way this next record will be made. It wasn't a shock to me making 100th Window without anyone else because I've spent so much time in the studio without the guys anyway.

TM: How would you describe the direction of the new album?
3D: It's got a lot of different sort of angles going at the moment. But I don't think it's found its pure direction yet. I was very interested in getting a gothic soul approach out of it which is something I've tried a few times but it's more difficult than it seems. Trying to get the right voice with the right sort of musical textures. But we'll see (laughs).

TM: So who are some of the guest vocalists on the new record?
3D: Obviously we're working with Elizabeth Fraser and Horace Andy, but also Damon Albarn's on a track, Tunde from TV On The Radio's done a track. There are a few other things floating around but I'm not at liberty to say all of them yet because not all the songs have been developed enough and I don't want to jinx them by saying that they'll all be included.

TM: Of course. You worked on two film soundtracks since releasing your last album 100th Window. How has the experience of scoring music for a visual medium affected the way you're currently producing songs?
3D: It's fun in a strange manner and, a lot of people have said this before, it's liberating because you're not writing about yourself. You have to work to a picture and a storyline and therefore you have those restrictions that allow you to do something you might never do. And also you're not worried about how you see the history of the band as a part of that. And I think it does free you up to do some quite different things you might not think of doing which you can also then adopt in the writing process of another record because you have so much stuff you never use in the film. But they create little sketches and little moments you might want to build on to create tracks.

TM: So some of the music that you wrote for those two films we might hear on the new album?
3D: There's a couple of things, actually, yeah which were kind of left out of both of those films, which were quite nice basics or sort of like background parts for new songs. One of which we've written something on. I don't know if it will make the record because it's a little bit strange. But, yeah, it does have that possibility when you work that way.

TM: On the subject of visuals, how involved are you personally with creating the visual elements of your live shows?
3D: Well most of the ideas will come from me. And I work with an interface of a company called UV Artists (United Visual Artists) and we've worked with them for the last four or five years. I'll suggest things, we'll work on them together, they'll do the programming and bring it back to me—we'll talk about content, we'll talk about the light source, the strength of the light, the color of the light, the position of the lights, you know. The whole thing is a proper collaboration from beginning to end. It's the same way I've worked on all the (record) sleeves over the years, you know, working with photographers and the graphic designers to get exactly the sleeve we want to make. I mean that's the kind of thing that's not only exciting but it's vital to maintain your individuality as a band and people go "wow that belongs to that band and no one else."

TM: So you do consider the visual aspect to be an integral part of your live shows?
3D: Definitely. Definitely. As much as the sleeves are. It's always been about the visual with us. I think it's helped us enforce our identity as something tangible. Massive Attack being something that people go "right, I hear the music, I reckon it's them," you know what I mean? I see something visual, I reckon it could be them even without knowing for sure. In an age where there's so much visual and aural medium out there, music's got a lot cheaper and it's more competitive. To maintain and keep an identity together is really what it's about and I think we've always done that and using visuals as opposed to our own faces and our own personalities to sell ourselves, it's given us this room to maneuver.

TM: And who does your tour line-up consist of this time around?
3D: On the tour we've got... Elizabeth Fraser's with us and Deborah Miller who's been singing with us for the last decade; Horace Andy's with us; obviously myself; we've got two drummers now instead of one which is really kind of funky; guitars; bass; guitarist Angelo Bruschini's been working with us now for over ten years; and keyboards. So the line-up, mostly, is people we've known and worked with for the last ten years so it feels very tight as a live unit. We travel together. We eat together.

TM: Are you playing a lot of new material on your current tour?
3D: Not much really. Lots of stuff we dropped out. We started rehearsing it, but we've not used it. I think mainly because the tracks are either not developed enough or because we're dynamically changing everything. Because the two drummers scenario changed a lot of arrangements I think...it's alright messing around with arrangements with tracks that you know because you have the ability to really destroy them again and rebuild them, but I think the problem is with new tracks,  they've not yet established themselves in any way.  Not in your mind let alone transmitted to an audience...We were already adapting them and changing them but they weren't necessarily strengthening the ideas; it was actually making (us think) "well, what is this?" No one's gonna know what it is and we've forgotten what it is now because we've changed it so much.

TM: Alright. So one last question for you. Who are some current artists that you admire?
3D: Neil Young and Michael Franti.

Reviews

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 based on 551 reviews
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  • Rating: 3 out of 5

    A disappointing experience

    by G. C. on 9/6/19Hollywood Palladium - Hollywood

    The band was tight, the instrumentation was great and so was the video show. However, the mixing was bloody awful and the instruments completely drowned out the lyrics, rendering them virtually inaudible. We kept hoping it would be fixed but it never was. The feeling many people were left with, including myself was that it was a good show which was largely spoiled by a problem that never should have happened.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    A Massive Trip

    by A. Helheim on 9/6/19Hollywood Palladium - Hollywood

    Before I knew who Massive Attack actually was they had been creeping into my subconscious with their underground sounds of dark bass lines, gritty guitar, and hauntingly beautiful to rhythmic humming vocals that bordered on frightening for years through soundtracks, sound systems in cafes, and mixed artists cds from the import section of the few “record” shops we had in Las Vegas in the 90s. It was the fall of 98 when a friend insisted that Mezzanine would be how I spent a quarter of my paycheck from my mall job and I finally started to put all the pieces together. Massive Attack immediately became a quiet audio obsession that I had to expand on. I bought Blue Lines and Protection only to find I knew most of the songs on these albums. With seminal artists I had already loved like Tricky, Tracey Thorn, Beth Gibbons, and the Cocteau Twin’s Elizabeth Fraser featured all over their work, finding Massive Attack felt like finding some kind of missing puzzle piece and a secret window into not only my experience with trip hop, but into the creative heart of the Bristol scene itself. It was this small world with such incredible talent that created a sound beyond time that is unmistakable. Vegas then was home to mostly casino shows and the local rock station’s rap rock marathon concerts and there were slim-to-no performances outside of your “Top 40” music experience that would ever play there. Not-to-mention, few folks in our strip-mall tourist town even knew who Massive Attack was 1998. With little hope of ever experiencing them live and few folks to share it with, my “thing” for MA stayed mostly a private one, with the occasional exception in finding them mentioned in a comic book, or a movie like High Fidelity, or an unexpected fan, of course initiating a full on geek out. The thing about being a trip hop fan is that it isn’t fanatical. It isn’t pop or rock and it never will be. There’s almost nowhere to put or share your obsession beyond obscure references and deeper research into other artists of the era. It’s not something the collective conscious knows, not then and not now. It’s background music at a party, it’s music you create to, music you love to, music you disappear into long drives in the desert with. It is simply music to live by, and when I say that, I mean sink into the couch cushions of existence in the infinite dark and soak in it. Over these last two decades I’ve picked up MA’s albums and the works they’re associated with and like most music from the genre, it’s all remained a consistent back ground soundtrack for most of my life without ever feeling overdone or dated. When I got wind of the 21st anniversary tour of Massive Attack’s Mezzanine, now living in LA, I couldn’t buy tickets fast enough. The show was postponed from 3/19 to 9/19, but it was worth the wait of the last 6 months and in truth the last 20 years waiting to see them live. Massive Attack performs as an actual band with mostly live instruments and after 30 years consistently making music together the breadth of their work and ability is clearly sweeping. One might have expected an 21 yr anniversary tour show for a “lounge album” to be the chill of all chill, but they'd be wrong. They manage to arrest you as they always have with their deep drum n bass lines and often driving rock guitar riffs that shake you to your core. Nothing felt “canned” or played back. It was sensorially alive and engaging beyond nostalgia. Adam Curtis’s video collaborative accompaniment was almost a show with in the show, delivering a hard hitting visual combination of choreographed lighting, visceral imagery, and post modern dystopian narrative. It’s poignant social commentary couldn’t be ignored, and it really shouldn’t have been. Even the Gen X/Gen Y attendees who were clearly there to grind on eachother thinking of their younger years were visibly shaken by how gritty and real the show became. This was not the weed vibes groove lab destination they expected and you could feel it. Nevertheless, the crowd appreciation was there. Amid visuals of late 80’s stock/newsreel footage and historical political propoganda the bands Avante-Garde, Post-punk, and New Wave cover’s were phenomenal and terrifyingly apropos. In all, this wasn’t just an incredible Massive Attack show, though it absolutely was, it was in a way a stand in for every trip hop show we never saw and in a way that pretty much any other trip hop act on its own could never do. Massive Attack isn’t their sound alone, it is the sound of an entire decade and a half lived scene, a tiny genre that everyone who loved it loved in obscurity. They are what we might understand now as an entire Trip Hop station on Pandora or Spotify and that’s not just nostalgia speaking. If you have tickets for this show, you’re in for a ride, and maybe not the one you’re expecting, but I promise you, it’s so good. If you don’t know who I’ve been yammering about...fix yourself.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Amazing show and great venue!

    by BT on 9/6/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    Seeing Massive Attack play live is an incredible experience for the eyes and ears. People were mesmerized, and rightly so. No one has a voice like Elizabeth Fraser's, so it was very special to see her as well. Lighting, video, and sound quality was perfect. The show was immersive on every level, and the small setting of this outdoor venue lent to the experience. This was my second time going to the Open Air Theatre and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite venues.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    The show itself was great

    by J. on 9/6/19Hollywood Palladium - Hollywood

    I loved seeing Massive Attack with Liz Fraser and what seemed like all the other original members playing Mezzanine, including Horace Andy. They sounded amazing and I love that Liz came out after all these years to sing again. She, and they, still have it. What was disappointing though was they made us wait 2.5 hours to start playing, and the “preshow” music was about 5 very badly equalized, muffled songs on repeat by Cher, Britney Spears and Madonna. It was general admission so we just had to stand there and listen to it. Horrible. Thankfully the band made up for it, but it was exhausting.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5

    Amazing show, good venue

    by S. on 9/4/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    The show was spectacular! Massive Attack put on a better performance than I ever expected. Big band, multiple vocalists, they played the best classics and some newer stuff. The venue was great seating-wise, however the concession and bathroom logistics were not quite adequate for a venue of that size.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    massive attack delivers

    by syentst on 9/4/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    not only was the show sonically amazing, the light/video show was equally as stunning. perfect combination to watch and absorb what 'mezzanine' was all about.

  • Rating: 2 out of 5

    Odd night...

    by w. on 9/4/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    The band shows up 1 1/2 late, has no interaction with the audience, and ends abruptly with no encores. The final message 'imagine the future' was old news. The videos (overbuilt and an unneeded imposition) and printed messages about 'data', 'war', and more also provided no news. Very talented musicians, but a presumptuous presentation at best...

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Flawless Show

    by World_Citizen on 9/4/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    Awesome show. The sound system was state-of-the-art, clean and powerful. The lighting design was dramatic and worked perfectly with the on-screen visuals which together worked to reveal a cautionary tale about technology, government and big pharma working together for control of our lives. Robert and Daddy G were up front, plus the legendary Horace Andy and Elisabeth Fraser to round out the amazing vocals. The Ampitheatre was a great venue as well. Great seating, on a steep enough angle where every seat had a great view. Since Massive Attack rarely play the USA, this is my first and maybe only chance to see them. I am so glad that I got the chance after all these years. Even if you are just a casual fan, you should see this show. It’s the best thing out there.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Mind Blowing

    by Daddio98 on 9/4/19Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre at SDSU - San Diego

    After a 21 year wait, I finally got to see Massive Attack. I was not disappointed, as they broke out songs that influenced their career, most notably for me the Cure and Bauhaus! A fully immersive 2 hour show was for me the second best show of the year!

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Unbelievable experience.

    by Cajeta on 10/24/14Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara

    Arrived at the Bowl around 530. Went to go get my tickets at will-call. The woman the window was very nice and attentive. I went and waited until some of us were allowed to finally go in. I arrived to the seating area with the help of the wonderful ushers. I had the nachos at the concession stand...I'm glad I did. A bunch of chips and a cup of cheese, and jalapenos and salsa are sold on the side for a dollar each, and it was quite filling. Massive Attack came on at 8:15. They were absolutely epic. This may sound a bit exaggerated but I felt like I was in a trance. The music, the loudness of it and just the crowd in general, made my body feel so amazing. I felt so, so good, and I was really enjoying the experience. Although there were many people smoking weed, that actually made the concert better for me. The crowd was great, and they had a guest female singer with really great sparkly pants (I forgot her name) Overall, phenomenal show. I wish to see them again in the future.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Andre16 on 10/22/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    Great concert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Anonymous on 10/22/14Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara

    great light show, sounded awesome, played hits, great venue

  • Rating: 2 out of 5

    disappointed

    by domz on 10/22/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    i'm a huge fan of massive attack but i was disappointed with the show. throughout the show, the stage was dark and dreary. it was hard to even make out if the artists were even on stage singing or if a recording of their music was just playing. the performance was less than entertaining or engaging.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Anonymous on 10/22/14Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara

    Simple the best concert ever for me. And LOVED the venue also.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by Anonymous on 10/21/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    great sound, amazing lightshow, songs sounded as fresh as when they came out.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Another great set

    by LollahRollah on 10/21/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    Massive Attack doesn't disappoint live. Their live arrangements are perfection.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Massive Attack strikes again

    by LollahRollah on 10/21/14Santa Barbara Bowl - Santa Barbara

    They always put on a fantastic live show. Crisp, clear audio - great setlist.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Loved every minute of it

    by reemaonthefly on 10/21/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    I love massive attack and would buy the ticket and see it again and again. But no the opening act, it was't that good.

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    Massive Attack Trips Out The Greek

    by hhillsbill on 10/21/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    Massive Attack returned after a four year absence as strong as ever. Their use of video and lights to enhance the emotional impact of the songs is unmatched in modern music. The Greek seemed to be the perfect place for their unique brand of trip hop, soul, gospel and reggae. The Great Horace Andy was missing but that was the only glitch

  • Rating: 5 out of 5

    by BarbsOC on 10/21/14Greek Theatre - Los Angeles

    They were great as always!! Playing the classics, displaying powerful words in the back along their lyrics, closing with unfinished sympathy; for sure it was a FYI for anyone interested in good music and humanity.