Massive Attack on why they turned down the chance to play Coachella 2025

nme.com:

Massive Attack have opened up about why they passed on the offer to play at Coachella 2025.Frontman Robert Del Naja, along with long-term collaborator Mark Donne, spoke to NME in a new interview, and shed light on their ongoing efforts to tackle the climate crisis.This included reflecting on the recent Act 1.5 “climate action accelerator” event in in Liverpool that they headlined – chosen as Liverpool was anointed by the UN as the world’s first ‘Accelerator City for Climate Action’.

Joined by IDLES and Nile Rodgers, the gig looked to pioneer a greener way of holding live shows, and used clean renewable energy.It also followed another ‘Act 1.5’ show at Bristol Downs, which celebrated 25 years of climate activism for the band and saw them joined by Killer Mike, Lankum, Sam Morton and the Wild Bunch’s DJ Milo.Now, in the new NME interview, Del Naja and Donne spoke about how they continue to keep the climate crisis in mind when making decisions about live shows, and even turned down some opportunities because of it.“We said no to Coachella for next year because again, we’ve been there once, and once was enough,” the frontman said.“It’s in Palm Springs.

It’s a golf resort built on a desert, run on a sprinkler system, using public water supplies. Mental. If you want to see something that’s the most ludicrous bit of human behaviour – it’s right there.”He continued, explaining why Massive Attack also wouldn’t consider a Las Vegas residency. “It’s a head-scratcher, the artists in Vegas residency thing, because that’s an aviation destination,” he said. “You can’t get to Vegas [without flying].

So if you’re doing a couple years in Vegas, you are the catalyst for all those scope 3 emissions [indirect emissions created by a company.