 |
| |
|
| |
Live Review
by SashaS
20-4-2003
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Massive Attack: tomorrow's gig today |
|
Live: Massive Attack
Brixton Academy, London
Friday, April 18, 2003
Massive Attack: triumph against privation
2003 AD hasn’t been great so far, either for Massive Attack or globally: the band’s member numbers have crumbled to leave 3D in charge and the resulting (solo by all means but name) album, ‘100th Window’ was met with a fairly negative criticism but topped the charts for a brief period, nevertheless. Robert Del Naja got arrested on Internet child pornography charges, to be completely cleared subsequently, and reckons it was his vociferous opposing to the Middle East invasion that attracted the establishment’s attention to his ‘case’. (Blur’s Damon Albarn was also a visible anti-demonstrator but no nab?)
Anyhow, it’s been glum time for pacifists but also depressing for Catholics: evidence points toward Jesus having had a brother, James. So, ‘Son of God’, ‘Immaculate Conception’…? Still, it’s Good Friday and we seek solace from the world’s entropy within the Massive Attack’s show. And, it is an extravaganza you don’t see much around, grandiose, thought-provoking, perception altering, as juicy as the hottest mating! Visually, it is the most stunning presentation seen in eons, it is so functional, it’s Bauhaus-ian: all industrial, metal-tubes and panels décor (hiding all amps), lights captivating like in ‘Room 101’, giant monitor displaying data (Brixton is 0.11 minutes North, there are 7.2 million Londoners), binary shapes, electro ‘Rorschach blots’…
But, this is a Massive Attack performance – its setlist focused on the ‘100th Window’ selection, plus a choice cuts from ‘Mezzanine’ and ‘Blue Lines’ – with them taking a back seat: ‘3D’ has conceived, recorded, produced, rehearsed this material but it is delivered like a revue in the soul tradition. Basic four players are fronted by Del Naja, Dot Alison on ‘Teardrop’ and ‘Special Cases’ (covering for Liz Fraser and Sinead O’Connor, respectively), the reggae-veteran/regular collaborator, Horace Andy, reinstated Daddy G (Grant Marshall) and, not least, Debbie Miller who voiced the final songs.
Trip-hop, trance-atmo, digital-ambient, call it what you want but this music simply invades your brain, conquers you soul, commands your muscles and… Erm, everything else: my three-inch quiff sported moves of its own volition by that booming bass! There is no escape from the sound that is really dark, industrially grey, cyber-blues… It sure did get trying at times due to jumbo-monitor flashing info upon intel to (almost) the point of distracting from the tonal glory!
As ‘Safe From Harm’ was pulping us toward the ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ encore, military budget data were flashed on screen and it was interesting to discover that UK spends less than a TENTH of what the Uncle Sam’s lot throw in (and you don’t wanna know the price of an air-carrier!?), and yet – it is all wasted and could be used to improve education in the country, health services, public transport and build roads that don’t get congested as soon as they are opened.
Massive Attack – during the original Bush Sr vs. Gulf war had to shorten their name to ‘Massive’ – on their third (of five sold-out) nights, majestically triumphed, again. Education through entertainment! Provocative, to boot – couldn’t wish for more, Jehovah, Jeshua, Bush (Jr) or not! Pop music for digital age, cyber futurama extraordinaire that makes one chuffed to be its automaton!
SashaS
5-9-2003
Massive Attack’s album ‘100th Window’ is available now on Virgin
|
|
|
