Faithless' Maxi Jazz and Sister Bliss (file)
Photo: Appio

Faithless are currently enjoying their first Stateside hit, with the funky anti-war single "Mass Destruction." It suggests a twist on the famous NRA line about guns: weapons of mass destruction don't kill people, people kill people — especially if they have weapons like misinformation, power and greed at their disposal.

"It's people who are dangerous," said the group's rapping frontman, Maxi Jazz (real name Maxwell Frazer). "The conflict that we appear to be in doesn't stop with soldiers going to somebody else's country and fighting. The front line is right here, in train stations, in shopping malls."

Faithless have long been able to fill arenas in the U.K., emerging in the mid-1990s when trip-hop was at its peak and gaining notoriety for spawning Dido, who continues to collaborate with the group on an occasional basis. Dido's brother, Rollo Armstrong, remained behind, as did Jazz and multi-instrumentalist Sister Bliss (real name Ayalah Bentovim).

But it wasn't until "Mass Destruction" that the U.S. really started paying attention. It's not Faithless' first philosophical number — "God Is a DJ" gets that honor — but their new album, No Roots, can be heard on two levels — an ambient dance record with pattering beats, and a political statement that urges you to think. And that's just how they wanted it.

"I didn't want it to be a tub-thumping anti-war tirade," Jazz said. "But I felt pained and grieved that so many people don't have a voice, so I figured it's about time we found our voice."

One of Faithless' chief concerns is that the U.K. (as well as the U.S.) is becoming less of a proper democracy, and more like an elected autocracy. Jazz compares showing support for your country to showing support for your football team, where a coach is making all the decisions "and we just turn up and pay the money." That, he says, is not how a democracy is supposed to run. He finds fault with what he calls using September 11 as a justification to go to war with Iraq, and with politicians linking al-Qaeda to Saddam Hussein — the weapon of "misinformation" cited in "Mass Destruction."

"This is what was really outlined by [Tony] Blair at the time," Jazz said. "I remember thinking, 'Wait a minute, is it not the case that [Hussein] was crushed militarily in 1991? Not a little slap around the face but properly put down?' His military machine was smashed, then 12 years of sanctions. Explain to me what kind of a magician could, after that, have weapons of mass destruction that could threaten my or Britain's interests. It just didn't make sense to me. And of course, nothing's been found. It completely confirms what I thought in the first place. This was an act that was going to be done anyway."

Faithless hoped to underscore their point with a video that suggested tortuous situations, to break down what happens when big nations crush little nations on a more human scale. Shot in February by directing team Dom & Nic (Dominic Hawley and Nicholas Goffey), two versions of the video were created — one that was more straight performance in a brick-walled room that looks like a prison, with the band playing assumed political prisoners, and another that includes children acting as the adults enduring and giving out brutality to others, shot to appear like a documentary.

"That's a very obvious analogy to not being heard, talking to a brick wall," Sister Bliss said. "So they're two very simple ideas, but horribly prescient, because of the atrocities in the Iraqi prison camps. But having said that, people treating each other with complete disrespect is nothing new."

"We might be accused of being preachy," Jazz said. "But at the end of the day, we want to touch people's hearts, and if we can do that, that's the point of carrying on, it seems to me."

• Faithless

System of a Down's Serj
Photo: Emma Mitchell

NUREMBERG, Germany — You know you're a long way from home when Groove Armada and Faithless play for wilder crowds than the godfather of heavy metal.

"I can't f---ing hear you!" is Ozzy Osbourne's standard concert rallying cry, but it took on a new urgency Friday night at the kickoff of the three-day Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg. As the 53-year-old showman peered out at the half-full Frankenstadion, his famous baffled expression — mouth agape, black-lined eyes open wide, arms extended as though desperately soliciting a hug — looked a bit more confounded than usual.

Of course the metal madman delivered, leading his band through such solo tunes as "Mr. Crowley," "Suicide Solution" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home" along with Black Sabbath classics like "War Pigs" and "Paranoid." But the crowd was apparently too burned out from all day in the sun to show him the love he's accustomed to.

Strange things are bound to happen when the headliners of Ozzfest spend the weekend with the likes of Santana, Neil Young, Lenny Kravitz, Macy Gray, Jewel and nearly a hundred other rock and electronica acts, as was the case at Rock Im Park and its sister festival, Rock Am Ring, held about 300 miles away in Nürburgring, Germany. The events, sponsored by MTV, collectively drew about 85,000 fans, mirroring each other by offering virtually the same lineups on different days.

Friday at Rock Im Park was mostly metal, featuring P.O.D., Bad Religion, System of a Down, Tool and Osbourne on the main stage. Saturday was more pop, with Jewel, Faithless, Counting Crows, Santana and Kravitz. Sunday was a bit harder to pin down, as Young topped a bill featuring Jamiroquai, Bush, Wyclef Jean, Natalie Merchant and Gomez.

But fans who ventured out of the stadium found a lot more noise to plug into. The 8,000-capacity Alternastage featured such performers as Macy Gray, Alien Ant Farm, Wilco, Groove Armada and Starsailor, while a smaller space showcased a host of indie rock and electronic acts, including Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Super Furry Animals.

Playing after Drowning Pool and Black Label Society, P.O.D. were the first to get a real rise out of the crowd. Concertgoers flooded toward the stage as though on a pilgrimage to a mecca of tattoos, dreads and rap-rock imbued with the Good Word. "If you don't know this one, act like you do," frontman Sonny Sandoval commanded as the band charged into "Southtown."

The hard stuff continued with Bad Religion and System of a Down. Tool rocked the sun down with their head-nodding grooves and percussive hammering. Wearing nothing but a Speedo-like garment and purple spray paint with orange dots, frontman Maynard James Keenan hovered in his now-standard position next to the drum set, his silhouette complementing, rather than a distraction from, the band's disturbing video show. "Sober" featured an image of an eyeball pinned open and being squirted with a liquid as footage flickered overtop showing two naked women spasming in fear as they were beaten with mechanical whips.

While Tool were tearing up the main stage, jazzy electronic outfit Groove Armada were getting asses shaking at the Alternastage with the party numbers "I See You Baby" and "Superstylin'."

Ass-shaking skills were tested once again when Gray took the stage, sporting a long pink wig and retro shades. "I wanna see some booties shakin'," she demanded as she headed into "Relating to a Psychopath." The hopeless flirt, who's been known to get a little raunchy, was downright demure during "Sweet Baby," jumping down from the stage to serenade fans and even slow dance with a security guard.

Saturday's menu for the Alternastage brought Alien Ant Farm, Aussie rockers Powderfinger and Germany's own Beatsteaks and H-Blockx, while highlights for Sunday included Wilco, Muse and Starsailor. Wilco bandleader Jeff Tweedy looked like he'd just crawled straight from his bus bunk to the stage with his bedhead and sleepy eyes. The band loosely traced the story of love gone through the wringer from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, starting at its beginning, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart," and eventually arriving at "Reservations."

Kravitz proved to be an ideal headliner on the main stage Saturday, as the crowd embraced him with an enthusiasm that felt like an hour-long standing ovation. The retro rocker hammed up every second but held off from playing any big hits until he was six songs into his set, which only seemed to heighten the effect when he finally sang "Let Love Rule."

Kravitz may have owed some thanks for his warm reception to Santana and Faithless, whose sets established a feel-good vibe for him to build on. Santana's performance drew the strongest response from the predominantly young crowd with Supernatural material, which featured touring vocalists subbing for the album's superstar guests.

Jewel was all smiles earlier Saturday afternoon, showing no sign of her recent equestrian mishap, save for a barely evident brace underneath her black vest (see "Collarbone, Not Spirit, Broken As Jewel Resumes Tour Early"). Jay Kay, who performed with his band Jamiroquai on Sunday night, also looked as though he'd recovered quickly from the scuffle he was involved in last week in London, which reportedly left him with facial injuries. Between such crowd-rousers as "Canned Heat" and "High Times," the flashy singer called on the ladies in the house to bare their breasts, saying, "Give us a wobble."

His request apparently had a delayed effect, because the monitors on either side of the stage featured a seemingly endless procession of topless girls during the 40-minute downtime before Young's headlining performance. Young, 56, put an end to the girlie show when he took the stage and knocked out some good ol' rock and roll, including such classics as "Cinnamon Girl" and new tunes like "Goin' Home," from the recently released Are You Passionate?

While Young played on, Kittie were sinking their claws into the Talent Forum, the smallest of the three venues and the place where music lasted the longest each night. A late-night dance party brewed up Saturday night with drum'n'bass trio Kosheen and continued when Lamb took over to bring the tempo down.

Concertgoers who wanted a break from the music had other options, including a venue showcasing comedians, vendors and other attractions like the brain chamber, where for three Euros they could chill out and watch trippy light patterns through special shades while listening to ambient music.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the world, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Groove Armada
• Faithless
• P.O.D.
• System of a Down

Dido
Photo: BMG/Arista

After giving her the chance to shine on their first two albums, trip-hop trio Faithless have again employed Dido's angelic vocals on their latest album, Outrospective, due July 10, according to the group's publicist.

However, unlike 1996's Reverence and 1998's Sunday 8pm, the 12-track Outrospective features the airy-voiced songstress singing guest vocals on only one song, "One Step Too Far." Perhaps that's because she's been busy lately. Dido, the sister of Faithless mastermind Rollo Armstrong, has sold nearly 3 million copies of her 1999 debut album — the Armstrong-produced No Angel — and her single "Thank You" is at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Faithless — Armstrong, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz — began working on Outrospective last summer, according to their label, which issued a statement saying the new album covers a broad range of emotion, "from melancholy to mad love, from glorious empowerment to bittersweet tales of love gone wrong." "We Come 1" will be the album's first single, expected to hit radio in August. A U.S. tour is in the works for October, the publicist said.

Outrospective's track list, according to Faithless' publicist:

• "Donny X"
• "Not Enuff Love"
• "We Come 1"
• "Crazy English Summer"
• "Muhammed Ali"
• "Machines R Us"
• "One Step Too Far"
• "Tarantula"
• "Giving Myself Away"
• "Code"
• "Evergreen"
• "Liontamer"

• Faithless
• Dido

Foo Fighters
Photo: Danny Clinch

Although many of the U.K.'s fabled summer music festivals have been daunted by the rash of foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks, V2001 is charging fearlessly ahead with a lineup that includes the Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

The recently finalized lineup also includes David Gray, Coldplay and Doves, a V2001 spokesperson said. The massive annual concert will take place at two English locations — Hylands Park, Chelmsford, and Weston Park, Stafforshire — over the weekend of August 18-19, and tickets go on sale Saturday.

The Chili Peppers will headline Saturday's Weston Park show and Sunday's show in Chelmsford. Meanwhile, Coldplay and Texas will co-headline the Saturday gig in Chelmsford before heading over to Weston Park for Sunday night wrap-up duties.

Other bands scheduled to play V2001 include the Charlatans U.K., Muse, Placebo, JJ72, Grandaddy, Toploader, Faithless, the Divine Comedy, Shed Seven and Stairsailor.

• Foo Fighters
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Coldplay
• David Gray
• Doves

After scoring a dance club hit last year with "Insomnia," the first stateside single from Faithless' debut album, "Reverence," the British electronic outfit has quickly emerged as one of the most popular acts on the techno scene.

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, for one, raved about the group and "Reverence" during the MTV Europe Music Awards last Thursday, where he cited Faithless as his current favorite band.

Shortly before Faithless attended the 1998 EMAs, the group was in New York City to perform at the 1998 CMJ MusicFest, and discussed the band's unique mix of trance-ish jazz and orchestrated beats, the sound of which is on display in Faithless' new video, "God Is a DJ."

"I think Faithless' sound is unique," keyboardist Sister Bliss said, she continued, "with Maxi's definitive hip-hop influence [pushing it] over the top, you get the Faithless sound, which I think is nothing like you've ever heard before." [28.8 RealVideo]

Faithless is presently in the middle of a European tour that will continue until the end of the year. No word yet on when the band might return to the U.S., but we'll keep you posted.

• Faithless

MTV.com Exclusive: Faithless Photos 07.21.2004

• Faithless