MassivenineXXI:
Last year I was lucky enough to document the U.K tour of Massive Attack’s 21st anniversary reimagining of their classic album Mezzanine which both deconstructed the album, performing covers of tracks they sampled on the record, whilst succesfully rebooting it for the modern era. Accompanied by a powerhouse visual show, designed by Robert Del Naja and featuring work from ongoing collaborator Adam Curtis, it felt more relevant to today than even possibly the era it was born out of. And it mesmerised the crowd, transporting them both backwards and propelling them forwards, as the narrative of the show sought to highlight that the current course of the human race was maybe not the most positive trajectory.
It was truly the opposite of the usual by-the-numbers cash-in that many bands do when trotting back out on the road with a past glory. The show itself was incredibly powerful and thought provoking rather than a jolly nostalgic singalong making it a deeper and more resonant experience. The visuals were also stunning in their simplicity and felt very monochromatic which is why I could only really see it in black and white and this gallery very much embodies the concept behind this neon noir series. I think it is also a reminder of how impactful live shows can be and why we must do everything we can to preserve the live events industry for a post-covid era.
Ok, so that’s phase one of My Neon Noir Nights print series. More to come. If you can’t wait and want to see all the shots together from this week and next in one glorious gallery here link here:
And just to recap: each signed A3 print (420x297mm approx) in the ‘My Neon Noir Nights’ series is £100 (50% off normal price) and is in a limited edition of 10. £30 from each sale will go to https://thefelixproject.org/ who are sourcing food that would go to waste and delivering it to those who desperately need it – each 30 quid will generate a whopping 183 meals. Or you could just make a donation…
To order a print or for any more info please email info@babycakesromero.com
(offer ends 15th Dec)
p.s If you want to listen to a spotify playlist of Mezzanine XXI set list whilst you peruse the photographs (full gallery here if you want to see more) you can listen to it here: