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Massive Attack have addressed reports regarding facial recognition at their live shows, denying that the technology was in use. 

Last week, reports about the trip-hop icons using the technology at their shows began to circulate online, leading them to explain that the live effects at their shows – comprising a face-detection effect and a fictional, randomly assigned ‘database’ – are satirical. 

In a statement titled ‘It Isn’t What It Isn’t”, shared on social media this evening, they began: “Last week, a number of platforms including ‘Somewhere.Media’, ‘Hidden’ and others ran stories relating to our live show & the apparent use of live facial recognition technology.

“Via the brainless duplication chambers of Al-generated IG accounts, the ‘story’ snowballed, & between entertainment platforms and Al clonethink, nobody and nothing bothered to factcheck. Inaccuracies and outright lies proliferated in tandem with likes & shares. ‘Somewhere Media’ went nowhere near any basic reporting standard, stating that show material was ‘pulled from public databases.’”

They explained that “no Massive Attack live show has ever recorded or stored personal data,” adding, “Only government departments, relevant authorities & approved contractors can access public databases in the UK, & doing so in multiple cities/countries would be impossible.”

Massive Attack continued by highlighting the use of public facial recognition in the UK, writing that the government are “overreaching almost all other western democracies with their use of public facial recognition … while there is no specific legislation regulating police use of these systems.”

The slideshow with their statement included then finishes with an image of their live show’s fake facial recognition server.

Their announcement comes days after they introduced Kneecap to the stage for their huge show at the OVO Wembley Arena, describing them as a band “who refused to be silenced for their solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

Massive Attack have been consistent in their support for Palestine, among myriad progressive causes, recently vowing to boycott Spotify in response to reports that the platform’s CEO Daniel Ek has made significant investments “in a company producing military munition drones and AI technology integrated into fighter aircraft.”

And speaking to NME in December 2024 ahead of their headline set at the Act 1.5 “climate action accelerator” event in Liverpool, frontman Robert Del Naja, or 3D, said: “When I look at modern history, most of the solutions I love the most that’ve created social change come from science and the arts – seldom have come from centres of political power or civic bodies. It comes from people who slice things in a different way.”

He added: “We’ve got to find ways of unification through storytelling – leading by example and bringing that together through the creative industries. You’re looking at trying to find a standardisation within our own behaviour that we voluntarily accept. Otherwise, you’re looking at it all having to be regulated. Then it’s about control of power and sovereignty of the self. And then you’re dealing straight into the middle of the cultural battle about self-sovereignty and the role of The State and taxation – the whole fucking Elon Musk gig.

“I mean, it’s all a big joke for those guys. Fiscal anarchy is great for them because they’ve got so much money to move around the world, but the rest of us are fucked. That sovereign self bullshit is the thing I hate the most. Because really we have to work together. The human race doesn’t work as a species of individuals. Not many species on the planet do. Maybe a snow leopard does? Fucking great. But how many of those are out there?”

Also in the interview, he said they had plans to release new music in 2025. “We do have some new music which we’ve been sitting on for four years… dispute at the label – that’s a different article altogether,” he explained.

“I hate sitting on stuff for too long because I’m the first person to get bored of it. I deliberately don’t play it for months so that I can maintain some enthusiasm for it. It’s good – I’m looking forward to it!”