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For this post, I’m going to be offering up my own top 10 moments (with video evidence courtesy of YouTube!), of Massive Attack performing live from their birth as a live band in the mid-nineties, up until last year’s controversial Adam Curtis co-production.
I think if your on this site, reading this now, then Mr. Davidge doesn’t need much of an introduction – he’s been the man behind the curtain with regards to Massive Attack, for near enough two decades now, quietly getting things done in the studio co-writing and producing alongside D&G.
After nearly six months of waiting since its announcement, the event billed succinctly as “Massive Attack V Adam Curtis”, opened to an expectant crowd of roughly 2,000 at Manchester’s Mayfield Depot. The shroud of secrecy over this unusual pairing was finally lifted; so what would they have in store for us.
It’s cliche to say Massive Attack’s music has got somewhat of a cinematic edge to it. As if its the music to a film that has yet to be made. At least that’s what I keep reading in countless interviews with the band. And I guess the claim that there is a filmic quality to their music is given alot more credibility when you consider just how many times its been licensed for film and TV. So for this blog post I’m going to be listing some of my favourite uses of Massive Attack’s music in the movies.
They say imitation is the highest form of flattery.In music terms, that would apply quite aptly to the cover version. Massive Attack have certainly done a number of covers of other bands songs in their time, but as for this post I will be making a top 10 list of my favourite tunes other bands/artists have made out of Massive Attack tunes.
Bombin’ was directed by documentary filmmaker Dick Fontaine and was a sequel to his earlier 1984 documentary “Beat This!”, once again taking a look at how American hip-hop culture was making its way over the pond to the UK, this time using the lens of the graffiti and tagging subcultures. The documentary offers a fascinating look at 1980’s UK hip-hop and graffiti culture and for Massive Attack fans, there is of course the appearance of 3D (at the ripe old age of 21) tagging it up with Goldie in Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Here’s a very informative article from Uncut Magazine published in February 2010 about the genesis of that most seminal of Massive Attack tracks – Unfinished Sympathy. And yes, it’s my favourite Massive Attack track of all time (on most days anyway). At least that’s not as cliche as saying it’s Teardrop.
