British trip-hop band Massive Attack arrive in South Africa on Sunday. Charles Leonard did a telephonic interview with Robert `3-D’ Del Naja from his hotel room in Detroit
`We’re on a 17-date tour of North America. We’ve been here a couple of times before. They must like us because they’ve invited us back, but we concentrate on the coastal cities. I’m sure there are many people in the Midwest who haven’t heard of us.
“So we’re touring. It’s late morning and I’m recovering from last night. I wonder why there’s no room service when I need it …”
Well, he’ll read the papers to see what’s happening in the world. It’s mostly just paging through the paper. Not even news about Britain grabs him. With Labour in charge, things have sort of stabilised. “Maybe we’re becoming normal – I just hope they don’t mess too much with social services.
“I don’t have that much headspace for news at the moment. It’s all music. I’ve got a new machine, a QR70, which I’m trying to master. So that takes up a lot of my time.
“I don’t really read up about a place before I go there – I don’t have that much time. We’re obviously interested in South Africa, but I can’t tell you the names of all your politicians there.”
Massive Attack are a multi-racial band. During the 2-Tone agit pop era in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with bands like The Specials, Selector, The Beat and Elvis Costello and the Attractions, leftwing politics and the multi-racial composition of bands were major issues.
“Our mixed race status has never been an issue. We’re a product of our own environment. We don’t try to make a statement with it. Maybe that’s exactly the statement we’re making – that we can coexist normally. The only time it’s mentioned is when we make jokes about the very mixed nature of our band.”
After raising room service and trying to stay interested in an interview with journalists asking the same questions, it’s time to meet with the whole touring posse. Ex-Cocteau Twin, Elizabeth Fraser, who did stunning vocal work with them on Mezzanine, isn’t with them and won’t be coming to South Africa. She’s at home in England about to have a baby.
South African dub and reggae fans will be pleased to know that singer Horace Andy is part of the touring party.
Then it’s off to tonight’s venue for the soundcheck. When that’s over, it’s still five hours before the concert.
Five hours that kill.
Some food, some talking, some Playstation, some movies on TV, some messing about on the QR70.
“When I feel like listening to other music I put on my Walkman. The music I most listen to this tour is the new Spiritualised [Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Floating in Space] and the Blade Runner soundtrack.
“My own musical influences? Well they’re wide … they date back to the 1980s rap, like Eric B and Rakim. Also Public Image Limited, with their fusion of dub and punk… Yes, punk, reggae, dub and, of course, listening to my mom’s Beatles records.”
The band is known not only for its musical but also sartorial eloquence. Nothing laddish a la Oasis for them. It’s dark and classy.
“We all dress quite differently. I guess it’s because we have strong individual tastes in music, films and clothes.”
Massive Attack only started performing live after the release of their second album, Protection, in 1994.
“But I’m not really nervous before shows anymore. We have a few beers together to get into the mood.
“The funny thing with playing live is that you have to fight to keep being interested. With playing these songs over and over again, one tends to get bored. It helps to keep the crowd in mind – if they were bored with the songs they wouldn’t have bought tickets and wouldn’t have been there.”
Massive Attack’s music wanders across the dark aural landscape of trip hop. “You don’t have to be in a dark mood to play the music. This isn’t an acting job. When the song starts you just draw yourself into it – then you slip into a roll.”
It’s also not as if the band give you audio carbon copies of their albums. “We deconstruct our music. It differs greatly from what’s on the albums. And that’s for every tour. Karmacoma, for example, is totally reworked.”
So South Africa, it’s time to bring on the tripping horses!
They will be supported by South African band Trans Sky