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Massive Attack have teamed up with artist and designer Dr. Nelly Ben Hayoun-Stépanian for her new immersive art installation in London’s West End, Piccadilly Un:Plugged, and shared a new unreleased cover of “Everything is going according to plan” by the Russian punk band Grob.
The exhibit is inspired by the vibrant culture of the London district while also reflecting on astronomy, space environmentalism and our connection with outer space. It includes massive neon cats inspired by physics experiments, extraterrestrial rocks, high-quality telescopes, and a “a lunar-bounced soundscape” — meaning these tracks are being sent directly to the moon via “EME (Earth to Moon to Earth)” technology.
Massive Attack are just one act who have contributed to the installation sending songs to the moon, joining Pussy Riot, The Avalanches, Moses Boyd, Ayse Hassan (Savages), Mirrored Fatality, and EOBIONT (Láwû Makuriye’nt). Massive Attack’s entry, the cover of “Everything is going according to plan,” is an appropriately vast and dramatic soundscape, complete with militant snare drums rolls and brooding synths.
“‘Everything is going according to plan’ was written by Yegor Letov in the 1980’s and was a withering critique of the Russian state,” Massive Attack shared in a statement. “It was performed live in Russian language by Massive Attack in 2013 as part of a collaborative show with filmmaker Adam Curtis.” The unreleased track is now available to hear in the event’s promotional video on Instagram. Watch it below.
Professor Simon Garrington of the University of Manchester also broke down the use of “Earth-Moon-Earth” technology in the exhibit: “Using the Earth-Moon-Earth technology to transmit sounds to the moon and back is a fascinating fusion of science and art. To receive speech and music this way is a technical challenge and requires powerful radio telescopes, such as The University of Manchester’s giant Lovell Telescope. What we hear combines our human creativity with signals from the moon and the cosmos beyond in a truly unique way. The lunar landscape actually imprints itself in the sounds and signals we receive. Astronomers can exploit this to image the surface of planets and asteroids in a similar way to how bats perceive their environment.”
Piccadilly Un:Plugged is free to the public and goes down in Piccadilly Square on March 6th to 8th as a part of Art of London’s Art After Dark initiative. As for Massive Attack, the duo reformed last year for their their first show in five years. They were slated to come across the pond for their first US performances in half a decade, but they canceled the tour due to “unforeseen circumstances.” Goldenvoice even tried to book Massive Attack for Coachella 2025, but in an interview, the duo claimed they turned it down over concerns about the festival’s environmental impact.
English (US) · 