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This isn’t the first time the band have been involved in an event with an emphasis on climate awareness, with their last appearance in the capital coming as part of a surprise show supporting an Extinction Rebellion protest in 2019. They also commissioned a report from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research in 2021 to assess the carbon footprint of live music, offering their findings out to event organisers in a bid to tackle the issues raised.   They put the report’s findings into place last year with their ‘Act 1.5’ shows in Bristol and Liverpool. They incorporated 25 measures that reduce the carbon footprint of the events, including incentives for fans cycling to the shows, serving plant-based foods, and using renewable energy.  

Speaking to NME in December, Robert Del Naja, one half of the duo, revealed that the band had turned down an offer to play Coachella 2025. He gave a damning critique of the event, saying, “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.” Instead, they will grace a festival which has pledged to implement eco-friendly policies ranging from waste management to working with local suppliers and food partners.

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Joining Massive Attack on June 6, are French electronic act Air, Forensics (the newly announced project from Yasiin Bey, formerly known as Mos Def, and producer The Alchemist), and Tirzah, though more acts will be announced before the festival. Air will also join Massive Attack at INmusic festival, taking place in Zagreb between 23 and 25 June.

LIDO isn’t the only festival that has made sustainability a major consideration. Shamabala has pioneered green initiatives, from banning meat to using alternative fuels such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, solar, and hybrid power instead of diesel generators. In 2023, Glastonbury had a prominent wind turbine installed that powered food stalls. LIDO takes it one step further, suggesting the festival will be powered entirely by batteries. Zenobe provided the batteries for the ‘Act 1.5’ event, repurposing batteries from electric vehicles and giving them a second life.

Massive Attack’s activism extends beyond climate concerns too, with the band canceling a show in the Georgian capital, Tbilisi, in 2024. As citizens protested against intrusions on freedom of the press and LGBT rights, the band released a statement, saying “At this moment, performing at the state-owned Black Sea Arena could be seen as an endorsement of their violent crackdown against peaceful protests and civil society”.

As LIDO Festival prepares for its maiden outing, fans of Massive Attack and the wider music community will be welcoming their push for sustainability in the live music sector, and will be hopeful that the event acts as a blueprint for others to follow. 

Three years after Tirzah’s last album ‘Devotion’ comes her anticipated return onto the UK music scene. The new album has been foreshadowed by the tracks ‘Send Me’ and ‘Sink In’ – which serve as a reminder of the artists amazing musical history.

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Not only is the announcement of  ‘Colourgrade’ to be celebrated but also the fact that the new album and it’s tracks, especially ‘Tectonic’, have reunited Tirzah with Levi and Coby Sey. On the new single ‘Tectonic’ and the collaboration that took place, Pitchfork commented that “together they provide another captivating example of hushed restraint that sounds like it’s transmitted from the future“. “Tectonic” is to be the first song on the upcoming album and will undoubtedly set the astonishing, futuristic tone for the rest of the 9 tracks. You can watch the music video for the single here.

‘Colourgrade’ also provokes a unique and personal picture for the London singer-songwriter. The album was recorded between the birth of her first child and her second so naturally touches on motherhood, whilst also covering new beginnings and recovery. A fluctuation of themes unfold under an emotional aching – an ache that mirrors that of her previous music.

Tirzah has quietly but successfully paved the way for her unique music and career, ever since her first solo record – the EP “I’m Not Dancing“, which was released back in 2013. Since then, Tirzah has also released her 2014 EP ‘No Romance’ and the 2015 single ‘Make it Up’. These were followed by her debut studio album ‘Devotion’ which was released back in 2018. It was the year of this debut album that Tirzah told Pitchfork, “you don’t have to be loud to move forward” and in 2021 she is proving that statement.

You can pre-order ‘Colourgrade‘ here.

Devotion

01 Tectonic
02 Hive Mind [ft. Coby Sey]
03 Recipe
04 Beating
05 Sleeping
06 Crepuscular Rays
07 Send Me
08 Sink In
09 Hips

Director Leah Walker worked on Tirzah’s last music video, and she returns to direct the music video for this song as well. The choreography is created and performed by Lewis Walker and Tylor Deyn (pseudonym illyr), both London-based dancers, in a dark and unstable setting with water at the dancers’ feet. As with many of her songs and videos, the meaning is left open to interpretation. When asked about her writing style in an interview with Pitchfork, the ‘Devotion’ singer explained, “They’re quite like abstract thoughts, really, just listed in a way. There’s never a plan. Or if there is a plan, I start writing and then it all comes apart and starts going somewhere else.” 

Behind the scenes, we find that the artist ‘Tirzah’ is really a continuous joint effort between close friends Tirzah Mastin and Mica Levi. Mastin shared that she had a classical focus at the Purcell School for Young Musicians in Watford that pushed her away from wanting to pursue music as a career. So while she was studying textiles in London, Levi asked her to do vocals on a track and discovered she could sing. This was the start of their collaborative efforts, and they’ve been working together ever since. Mastin talks a bit about why she doesn’t have much of an online presence and how essential Levi is to the core of this project:

“I don’t see it as my thing, I see it as our thing. It’s mine and Mica’s work. Calling it “Tirzah” was a split-second decision, and I didn’t have intentions to be a solo artist. It’s only through doing what I’ve done with Mica that it feels right. Any other odd bits I’ve done with other people always felt quite strange, because that’s not really why I’m doing it. I’m doing it because I like doing it with my mate.”

This year is her first time releasing new music since her debut album ‘Devotion’ in 2018. She has a relaxed approach to music making, social media, and more, and this reserved personality comes through in her sound. Regardless of her internet presence, Tirzah has managed to capture the ears of a steadily growing fanbase of devoted listeners who enjoy each crafted release. You can catch her performing some of her beloved songs at Gala Friday in London’s Peckham Rye Park on 30 July. Tickets can be found here.