English journey hop collective Massive Attack shocked a current live performance viewers by displaying real-time facial recognition tech. As the group watched, their faces started drifting throughout the display behind the band, every one beneath a hard-to-read label.

Featured Video

Massive Attack typically makes use of their exhibits to deliver consideration to political points, together with mass surveillance. However, some followers didn’t respect the considered turning into part of one with out their consent.

“Did they give consent?”

Footage from the Massive Attack live performance unfold throughout social media as individuals mentioned the implications of utilizing facial recognition know-how like this. Seeing shocked faces from the viewers seem over the stage shocked of us into realizing that this software program could possibly be used wherever at any time to establish them.

That could effectively have been the purpose.

The footage seems to be from the LIDO pageant in Victoria Park in London, which happened on June 6, 2025. During “Girl I Love You,” faces from the group flickered onto the huge display behind the stage.

The labels over every are tough to learn, however seem to include nonsense job titles fairly than precise figuring out data.

Still, the message remained clear, and the presumably supposed shock and outrage acquired throughout. After movies began going viral on Sunday, commenters aired their discomfort with the concept of bands capturing their photographs and data.

“Did they give consent for that?” @anjelikaperry requested on behalf of the concert-goers.

“I love Massive Attack, and have been fortunate to see them live, so I get where they’re going with it, but I’m not looking to get doxed at a [expletive] concert,” wrote Threads consumer @justasimpledroid.

Others identified that this know-how has, actually, been round and amassing information for years. Massive Attack’s use of one thing prefer it, contemplating their historical past, was most likely meant to startle individuals into paying consideration.

“I find it funny that many are uncomfortable, but that’s the point,” mentioned TikToker @cjgrham. “Art is meant to be provocative at times. And it’s a clever warning for what’s to come.”

“How delusional people are about the times we live in,” wrote @nunasays. “There is no such thing as privacy.”

Massive Attack isn’t any fan of surveillance

Massive Attack has a powerful repute for getting political at their live shows. They typically deliver up points akin to warfare, environmentalism, and violence in opposition to protesters at these exhibits, together with their current vocal help of Palestine.

Their messaging, nevertheless, doesn’t all the time come throughout as supposed. Soon after the London live performance, the band put out a press release addressing fan criticism over their use of footage of Hamas chairman Yahya Sinwar. They rejected the concept they have been trying to “glorify” Sinwar by together with him within the present, mentioning that the visuals included a number of controversial figures.