tisdag 24 Nov 2009, 17:02
Jeu 19 nov. – Massive Attack, Martina Topley-Bird
The show is perfectly « pro ». The sound is great: both massively powerful and delicate, we can hear distinctly each voice, each instrument. It is high but it’s don’t hurt. Our 2 fellows 3D and Daddy G start their engine with a new track Heartcliff Star from the still awaited new album Heligoland. 16 Seeter introduce the fragile voice of Horace Andy in the middle of terrifies and tortured sounds. There is this contrast between a very dark ambiance and the wall of dazzling led lights behind. The light show is really innovative, both sober (no more than 2colors at once) and invasive (subliminal sentences, quotes, costs, local newspaper extracts in our own language). Musicians appear just as silhouettes. The exception is Marina Topley Bird under a spotlight in a very colored kimono and a blue mask on her face. 3D’s voice is bitter, incisive; Daddy G’s one ghostly and shadowy. Risingson is suddenly enlightened by the wave of the choir sequence Oooonnn! as a sigh of relief. The melancholic Future Proof begin with this insistent light bubbles of keyboard, join by a soft guitar and whispering voices, before an electric outburst, the thunder fade out and light bubbles are still there as a peaceful rain. Martina Topey Bird is now on her branch singing a very plain version of Teardrop. Angel is Horace Andy’s hymn and will be nothing without this mechanical bass and the terrible guitar riff. Safe for Harm and Unfinished Sympathy complete the artwork with another facet represented by Deborah Miller’s deep soul voice and unsettling sensuality. Exciting percussions on this song completed by Deborah’s dance with a tambourine. This is not the end: Marrakesk, one of the new tracks, a long 10mn piece, a highlight in this set, an heavy rock beat, a 80’s keyboard riff, an organ in the background, a distorted guitar full of effects. The lightshow begins with a dotted line globe zooming in and out before a flood of red flashes with multinational logos and flag growing with the intensity of the sound. Splitting the Atom seems very pale after that with Daddy G, 3D and Horace Andy clapping their hands. The last encore is a classic Karmakoma.
So what’s wrong? People says that the band seemed not very involved and cold. May be the end of a long tour? The audience was cold and without reactions too. Some ones think it was too electric, too much guitar, others criticized the playlist: too much well known songs. This is a very eclectic inspired music. Some people seemed lost on their side. The concert hall was just like a pit, with no less than 1,80m height people could see anything! Some ones seems to be there just to write an sms with their cell “I’m at a Massive Attack concert” (true anecdote). Yes I was too but… I enjoyed.
Musicians :
Robert del Naja
Grant Marshall
Horace Andy
Marina Topley Bird
Deborah Miller
Julien Brown : De
Damon Reece : Dc
John Baggot (Portishead) : K
Winston Blisset : B
Angelo Bruschini : G
Setlist :
Bulletproof Love
Heartcliff Star
Babel
16 Seeter
Risingson
Red Light
Future Proof
Teardrop
Psyche
Mezzanine
Angel
Safe from Harm
Inertia Creeps
Splitting the Atom
Unfinished Sympathy
Marakesh
Karmacoma