Massive Attack land in Ferrara: futurist and retro, not nostalgia

Ferrara, 19 June 2025 – The rhythmic urgency of hip-hop, the spontaneous samples of the art of DJing, the soulful melodies and powerful, inebriating bass of dub-reggae. This is trip-hop, music that has been the legendary soundtrack of the Nineties and whose first cry was emitted in 1988 in Bristol by Massive Attack, who will be in concert tonight at the Ferrara Summer Festival , announcing themselves as one of the great live shows of a summer very rich in epic sounds from seasons past.

But Massive Attack, today a project carried forward by the two founders Robert Del Naja and Daddy G, is anything but nostalgia, because that sound is still living matter that fits perfectly into many contemporary DJ sets and perhaps goes even better with the world of art, of aesthetically advanced visuals, if you like, of more cutting edge catwalks. Is it because of its futuristic and retro mood at the same time that has always been and still is so loved? Or maybe because it has been nourished by many subcultures that do not die easily unlike the mainstream?

Of course, one of the reasons for the project’s longevity and relevance lies in its well-known member 3D-Del Naja – who turned 60 last January –: his political activism is well known, always challenging creative, social and political boundaries, both with his band members and with a collective of creatives he calls “Bristol independent artists”. Activism has always been important to Del Naja and his colleague Grant Marshall, aka Daddy G, and they have used their fame as a platform since the success of their 1991 debut album, Blue Lines . The band has long experimented with putting their fame to work for the causes they support, using their platform to raise funds and their stages and large audiences to raise awareness.

But what will the live show be like? A review of an English festival reveals it: “a journey of disturbing images, vivid colors and a strongly anti-war message, all accompanied by the velvety voice and deep bass of the group. A typical festival headliner could play it safe in such a role.

Massive Attack, definitely not”. We must also remember the collaborations of Del Naja, a Napoli fan, with Italy: in 2008 he composed the song Herculaneum as the soundtrack to the film Gomorra by Matteo Garrone; in 2020 he collaborated with the Neapolitan singer Liberato to compose three songs included in the album Ultras , the soundtrack of the film of the same name directed by the Neapolitan director Francesco Lettieri. And he composed the soundtrack of the film Comandante also playing the part of the English commander who encounters the Italian submarine on the surface.

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