Whatever happened to that great Bristol scene? Having produced Tricky, Portishead, and, of course, Massive Attack in one astonishing burst of sublime creative energy, its bands just do not command the same degree of attention anymore. It is still a great place to head over to for a gig. However, these days, the artists in question also tend to be visitors there. Now, while Tricky and Portishead have obviously both resurfaced in recent times with their first new material in ages, it seems to have taken 3D and Daddy G a little longer to get back into a recording studio together!
Last night, then, gave a capacity Dublin audience its first chance to hear some of this new material – quite a bit of which came at the start of the show. For the most part, the reaction was polite rather than excited to it, though, with the biggest cheers initially reserved for when the various guest vocalists strolled on stage for the first time that evening. Indeed, I would be inclined to agree with the audience on this one. Take away the LCD display and the bright lighting emanating from backstage and the songs are not ones to immediately grab hold of you. Ultimately, they may be growers – Psyche (sung last night by Martina Topley Bird) and Splitting the Atom have already been to some extent. However, that will be a story for another day if they do.
Indeed, this aforementioned LCD display has to be mentioned in some more detail. It has been a long time since I have seen such an overt political theme to a gig. From MPs expenses (with some Irish ones thrown in) to extraordinary renditions to government surveillance and extended police powers, all of the hot topics of the past decade flash past over the course of the show. In that respect, it could be said that the more downbeat nature of the band’s music does fit in with these high-minded concerns over diminishing civil liberties, human rights abuses, and a tendency on the part of citizens to be more interested in celebrities’ lives than the running of the State! However, how seriously the band is pushing certain messages here or how much they are simply tapping into a vibe-du-jour is not entirely clear. Certainly, they never make any reference to what these visuals are imparting to the audience.
Anyway, the crowd’s real excitement was always going to be reserved for the material from their standout albums Blue Lines and Mezzanine. In particular, Angel (sung as always by the inimitable Horace Andy), Safe from Harm and Unfinished Sympathy were all absolutely fantastic. The last two were performed by another stalwart associate of the band, Deborah Miller, who is such a powerful and engaging singer. Last night, her upbeat style really gave the second half of the show the lift that it needed. I do not know what she does in between Massive Attack tours, but she is well worth hearing more of.
On the whole, there were some really fine high points and plenty of good ones to last night’s show. The Bristol boys are well worth seeing, even if all of their kit, supporting musicians (eight all told, I think), and visual displays did make for a somewhat costly ticket relative to the overall impact of the performance…
Filed under: Gigs, Music | Tagged: Massive Attack
