The most carbon-efficient concert ever. That is the ambition of Massive Attack, the English trip-hop group, for the festival they are organizing themselves, at home in Bristol (United Kingdom) on August 25, 2024. “This might be the last time we play in Bristol, so we want to make sure the experience is as memorable as possible.”announces Robert Del Naja, co-founder of the group also known under the pseudonym “3D”.
A special focus on renewable energy, a partnership with railway companies and food redistribution are among the innovative measures. Even more radical, Massive Attack has organised a pre-sale exclusively for Bristol residents. So if you want to get involved in their approach, aim instead for their visit to Rock en Seine this Saturday 24th August.
“The festival will be a pioneer in all aspects of decarbonizationjubilee 3D. It will become a model for live production.” With its full name “Act 1.5 Climate Action Accelerator,” it will probably do better than the average festival, which emits 1,000 tons of CO2 for 50,000 peoplethe equivalent of 400 round trips between Paris and New York.
The group’s commitment to the environment is not new. It has been touring Europe by train since 2019, and in 2021 it ordered a scientific report to reduce the carbon footprint of its concertsMassive Attack is positioning itself as the leader of the ecological concert, in the manner of Shaka Ponk in France.
41% of CO2 emissions come from spectator transport
It is from this report that Act 1.5 draws most of its measures. The festival will only be powered by renewable energy, even if it means using batteries in case of shortage. The trucks that will install the equipment? Electric. As for the food trucks, they will serve vegetarian dishes based on local products. The plates and cutlery will be compostable and food leftovers redistributed. In addition, some infrastructures are intended to be sustainable for future festivals.
That’s it for the environmental impact on site, but you still have to get there. While the carbon footprint of artists is often the subject of strong criticism (we remember Taylor Swift’s private jet), public transport remains the major issue in the music industry. The movement of fans, often by car and sometimes by plane, represents 41% of CO emissions2 of a festival, according to a study by A Greener Future.
In addition to the pre-sale reserved for residents of Bristol and the surrounding area, Massive Attack intends to encourage its fans to take public transport. To do this, the group has formed a partnership with a rail booking platform, Train Hugger, which plants a tree for each ticket purchased. A particularly welcome initiative in a country that has lost so many of its forests.
The band even links the environmental incentive to the musical incentive: every festival-goer arriving by train will be entitled to access to a VIP bar with separate toilets, and to a free connection between the station and the festival by electric bus. Taking inspiration from football clubs, Massive Attack has also arranged with the local railway company to charter five additional trains.
Act 1.5 will certainly not green the music industry on its own. A deeper change will have to be implemented on a global scale, with initiatives of this type coming from artists as well as festivals and concert halls. But as Li-Ya Mar of the nonprofit Planet Reimagined notes, whose project «Amplify» aims to unite a climate movement among fans, the music world is moving forward.
“Billie Eilish leads by exampleshe says, by mandating vegetarian options in the food trucks on his tours and inviting local environmental associations to his concerts to raise awareness of global warming and promote action.”, among other ecological initiativesColdplay also announced that it had reduced its CO emissions by 59%.2 during its 2022 world tour. A sign that the Act 1.5 festival will soon no longer be exceptional?
Source: www.slate.fr
