Massive Attack cancelled their performance at Mad Cool Festival due to the sound bleed of Franz Ferdinand playing at the same time.
In a statement released through the Mad Cool Twitter in the very early hours of this morning (July 14). The festival wrote that Massive Attack cancelled their show “claiming that the sound of the stage where Franz Ferdinand were playing at the time would bother them during the performance of their show”.
The festival wrote that they tried their best to “delay schedules of other bands” in order to find a time slot where the trip-hop trio could play comfortably but the band made a “unilateral” decision to cancel the show. Massive Attack have not released a statement following the cancelled show.
Read the full statement from Mad Cool below.
https://twitter.com/madcoolfestival/status/1017946923167252480
Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos responded to the news with a quote tweet of just a teary-eye emoji.
— Αλεξ Καπράνος (@alkapranos) July 14, 2018
Fans were incredibly upset by the cancellation with many travelling from the UK to Madrid to see Massive Attack specifically. Mad Cool reportedly failed to inform festival-goers of the cancellation for around two hours. See fan reactions of the cancellation below.
Never seen anything like this. Massive Attack 1 hr late to stage. People leaving. Such a shame. Never seen such a crowd for a smaller venue and then for the artist not to show up
— MD (@MarkDefeo) July 14, 2018
@MassiveAttackUK absolute joke,travelled all the way to Madrid to see you and you don’t turn up! Why? Also @madcoolfestival no announcement on massive attack, crowd waited for 2 hours no info absolute terrible festival so far
— James wright (@jimmyjimmyoh87) July 14, 2018
Oh and @MassiveAttack chose not to play because the tent wasn't good enough for them #divas
— Jenny Sharpe (@jennysharpey) July 14, 2018
Massive Attack sort your ego out. Deciding not to go on due to (minor) sound bleeds (dick move but if you must), keeping silent on socials, is not respectable musicianship. Not great of #MadCool to take 1.5 hours to break the news to fans either.
— ALICE MORTIMER (@alicelmortimer) July 14, 2018
Meanwhile, Slaves previewed their new album ‘Acts Of Fear And Love’ at Mad Cool. The Kent duo are set to release their third record on August 17. It follows 2015’s ‘Are You Satisfied?‘ and 2016’s ‘Take Control‘.
Read more: The story of Madrid’s sweltering Mad Cool Festival 2018 – in pictures
Slaves opened the first day of the Madrid festival earlier today (July 12), appearing on the Mad Cool Stage. Their setlist included three new songs – ‘Chokehold’, ‘The Lives They Wish They Had’ and ‘Photo Opportunity’.
Depeche Mode and Queens Of The Stone Age will headline today, the final day of the festival. Performances from Nine Inch Nails, Dua Lipa, Underworld, Glass Animals and Wolf Alice will also conclude the Madrid festival.