Is Live Music too Dirty to Save? Massive Attack Doesn’t Think so
- Aurore Groult
- May 21
- 3 min read
What happens when an iconic band decides it’s no longer enough to sing about the world they want to protect? That’s the question Massive Attack put on the table with Act 1.5 - a framework for radical rethinking of how live music happens, built in collaboration with the climate scientists of the Tyndall Centre.
This wasn’t a vibe. This was data-backed disruption and it hit the 2025 GEI Conference stage we attended with the energy of a drop that questions why we even built the tent that way in the first place.
Act 1.5 is a climate action blueprint dressed as a tour rider
Instead of delivering business-as-usual with a “green” sticker slapped onto it, Act 1.5 asks:
What if live music was designed for the future, not just for the moment?
Their Bristol pilot laid it down:
No diesel → ✅ Battery-powered. → Power emissions cut by 98%
No meat →✅ Fully plant-based. → Catering emissions down 89%
No single-use plastic → ✅ Refill stations + BYO bottle
No "we'll offset it later" → ✅ Real-time reductions, baked into event design
Not symbolic. Structural.
Not promotional. Operational.
Not "maybe next year". Right now.
Relationship Status: The Scene vs. The System
Let’s be honest - music has a bit of a thing with Exceptionalism too.
“It’s just one show. Others do worse”“We offset it, we plant tress.”“We have recycling bins, that’s enough… right?”
Does this sound familiar?
Act 1.5 storms in to disrupt that story - not with guilt-inducing technics, no. Just with a better actionable plan. This is every innovator's, every leader's story - everyone will tell you something's impossible,... until you'll prove them wrong and actually do it.
So where do we come in?
At Bye Bye Plastic, we’ve always believed that the music industry is more than a mirror - it’s a megaphone.
That’s why our work from artist-led Eco-Riders to #PlasticFreeParty nightclubs with the Zero Plastic Club exists, to turn inspiration into systemic change.
And as we gear up to launch this summer’s #RamèneTaGourde campaign at festivals around France and Belgium such as We Love Green, Rock en Seine and Peacock Society amongst others, we’re riding that same wave of rethinking what’s “normal” in our industry. We are not only advocating for, but also facilitating:
No single-use plastic, at least in F&B, backstage & FOH
Access to free potable water for attendees
No more pretending an artist's riders are neutral
No more pretending like making events more resilient is an optional investment
Culture is a tool but are we using it enough?
Massive Attack reminded us that art can lead. Not merely by (p)reaching, but also by prototyping.
We don’t need better spin. We need a different system.
And yes, it is going to take artists, fans, promoters, cities, and sweaty festival nights to rally, but if a band can do it, and a city can back it, and a fan can carry a water bottle, then maybe the live music scene can be louder than the sum of its emissions... ?
→ Wanna join the wave? Head to our website or follow the dance on IG: @byebyeplasticlife or join our Happy Squad movement in France this summer here! You can also read more about the Act 1.5 from the GE17 highlights here.
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