Massive Attack GB
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The Thursday programme for next year’s Pohoda Festival will spotlight the legendary trip-hop band Massive Attack, who made their return to concert stages this year after a five-year break. We can expect nearly two hours of iconic tracks, including “Teardrop”, “Unfinished Sympathy”, and “Karmacoma”.
Fronted by Robert “3-D” Del Naja and Grant “Daddy G” Marshall, Massive Attack emerged from Bristol’s vibrant underground scene, known for its non-mainstream approach to music, graffiti art, subcultural crossover, and activism. While the band avoids being tied to specific labels, critics often credit them as the founders of trip-hop – a genre that offered an alternative to the pop and Britpop sounds of the 1990s. It is characterised by a unique combination of slow tempos, melancholic atmosphere, deep basslines, a fusion of hip-hop beats and soulful melodies, and innovative sampling techniques.
Their debut album, Blue Lines (1991), is considered the first-ever trip-hop album. As Patrik Garaj of Denník N noted in an article marking its 30th anniversary, Massive Attack "made history with it." Among its highlights is the beautiful trip-hop ballad, Unfinished Sympathy, featuring Shara Nelson’s vocals and string arrangements recorded at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. This iconic track became an unofficial anthem for a generation and was ranked by The Guardian as the 10th greatest song of all time.
TEARDROP WITH AN ANGELIC VOICE
Over their next four studio albums, Massive Attack not only evolved their sound but also collaborated with various artists. Their tracks feature contributions from Tracey Thorn of Everything But the Girl (“Protection”, 1994), Tricky (“Karmacoma”, 1995), Sinéad O’Connor (“What Your Soul Sings”, 2003), Tunde Adebimpe from TV on the Radio (“Pray for Rain”, 2010), and Martina Topley-Bird (“Babel”, 2010).
One of the most memorable voices tied to their work is Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins. Her ethereal soprano is the highlight of the iconic Teardrop from the album Mezzanine (1998). You can revisit the remarkable story of this song by listening to the podcast Hudobné po(d)klady by Baláž Hubinák from Rádio_FM.
The album Mezzanine, along with the debut Blue Lines, is recognised as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time, and has earned five Brit Awards nominations, including Best Album and Best Video for the song “Teardrop”.
BACK ON STAGE
Massive Attack returned to the stage this summer after a five-year break caused by the pandemic, health challenges within their extended group, and their commitments to political and environmental activism. Their summer concerts featured appearances by vocalist Elizabeth Fraser and Jamaican singer-songwriter Horace Andy.
In August, the band performed what could be described as the most sustainable concert ever, in their hometown of Bristol. Partnering with the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, they implemented a 17-page report outlining recommendations to drastically reduce carbon emissions. The concert featured renewable energy-powered sound and lighting, 100% plant-based food sourced locally, and green transport options for attendees.
If you want to make Massive Attack and the Pohoda team happy, head to the Trenčín airport in July by bike, shuttle bus, or even on foot—just don’t miss one of the highlights of the festival season!
“Pohoda loves making dreams come true… mine included. I believe Massive Attack’s performance will fulfil a dream for many people. A Thursday night filled with a nearly two-hour concert on the main stage – what more could we wish for? We’re looking forward to sharing this extraordinary celebration of music and freedom with all of you,” this is how Michal Kaščák, the director of Pohoda Festival, invites you to their exceptional concert.
"Our new live show marks the most transgressive leap in the collaboration between 3D x United Visual Artists since 2003. By reverse engineering algorithms to expose content anomalies & recursive feedback loops, we seek to provoke a dialogue on the broken dream of the confident, empowered individual 'self', in the context of the global collapse of liberal democracies," the band says about their upcoming show at Pohoda 2025.