Massive Attack have taken to the stage to play their first live show in five years, and brought out Elizabeth Fraser for ‘Song To The Siren’. Find footage of the show below.
The gig took place last night (June 5) at the Gothenburg Film Studios in Sweden, when the band played their first live show since they had a two-night stand at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall back in 2019.
It also marked their first return to the stage since the death of guitarist Angelo Bruschini to cancer last year.
During the set, the band surprised fans by bringing out numerous surprise guests. These included a appearance from Scottish singer and Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser. During the set, they performed their collaborative song ‘Teardrop’, as well as another from the ‘Mezzanine’ tracklist, ‘Black Milk’.
A standout moment, however, came midway through the set, when both Massive Attack and Fraser pulled out a rendition of ‘Song To The Siren’. The track was originally released by Tim Buckley, but the most famous version was the cover shared by The Mortal Coil in 1983, which Fraser sang on, alongside Cocteaus bandmate Robin Guthrie.
Elsewhere during the set, the band brought out both Horace Andy – who joined them for performances of ‘Hymn of the Big Wheel’ and ‘Angel’ – and Young Fathers, who took to the stage to help them perform ‘Voodoo In My Blood’.
Longtime member Deborah Miller also joined them at the Sweden gig to perform both ‘Unfinished Sympathy’ and fan-favourite ‘Safe From Harm’. For the latter, 3D (Robert Del Naja) explained how the performance that night was in solidarity with the people in Gaza.
“Traditionally this is a song of protest, tonight it is a song of solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he told the crowd (via Brooklyn Vegan). Find more footage of the set and the full setlist below.
The Massive Attack setlist was:
‘Risingson’
‘Girl I Love You’ (with Horace Andy)
‘Black Milk’ (with Elizabeth Fraser)
‘Hymn of the Big Wheel’ (with Horace Andy)
‘Take It There’
‘Future Proof’
‘Song to the Siren’ (Tim Buckley cover) (with Elizabeth Fraser)
‘Inertia Creeps’
‘ROckwrok’ (Ultravox cover)
‘Angel’ (with Horace Andy)
‘Safe From Harm’
‘Unfinished Sympathy’
‘Karmacoma’
‘Teardrop’ (with Elizabeth Fraser)
‘Levels’ (Avicii cover)
‘Group Four’ (with Elizabeth Fraser)
The vocal support from Del Naja also comes just days after he posted a video, reading a letter from a doctor describing the “catastrophe” for newborn babies in Rafah.
Massive Attack have been vocal about their support for Palestine in the past too, having boycotted performing in Israel since 1999.
The band have also announced a Gaza benefit single in collaboration with Fontaines D.C. and Young Fathers, which will reportedly release on July 1, and supported the wave of bands that dropped out of The Great Escape festival, which totalled over 100.
Massive Attack said of the walkout: “We’ve endless, special respect for younger artists or artists at earlier stages of their careers who choose to take a stand against corporate support for apartheid and now genocide in Palestine.”
Following the show last night, Massive Attack are set to embark on more shows across the UK and Europe this summer, including a huge homecoming gig in Bristol. Details of the homecoming gig were first shared in December, when the trip-hop collective confirmed that 2024 would see them perform at an all-day “large-scale climate action accelerator event” – celebrating 25 years of climate activism for the band.
In keeping with the environmental theme, the event is also set to be the lowest carbon show of its size ever staged. In April, the band announced the full run of artists that will be joining them as special guests for the all-day event. These include Killer Mike, Lankum, Sam Morton and a rare performance from the Wild Bunch’s DJ Milo.
As well as the Bristol show, Massive Attack will also be performing in Spain at Bilbao BBK Live in July, as well as making an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Visit here for remaining tickets to their shows.
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