Thom Yorke, Massive Attack, Robert Smith and Brian Eno pressure Andy Burnham over controversial oil field plan

Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, members of Massive Attack, and Robert Smith of The Cure are among the 200 major artists calling on the UK government to block the proposed development of the controversial new Rosebank oil field in the North Sea. See the details first exclusively on NME below.

An open letter, written by Brian Eno and addressed to Andy Burnham – himself a huge and vocal music fan – calls on the recently installed UK Prime Minister to reject the fossil-fuel project, cautioning him: “While the impacts of the climate crisis are already hurting us all, this is what you will be remembered for.”

Other major artists backing the call include Paris Paloma, Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie, Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien and drummer Philip Selway, Jacob Collier, Anna Calvi, The XX‘s Romy Croft, Olly Alexander of Years & Years, and Imogen Heap.

Shared publicly on Monday 17 August, the letter was coordinated by campaign organisation Uplift and published by Earth/Percent, the climate change and music foundation co-founded by the iconic musician and producer Brian Eno.

It calls on Burnham and his government explicitly to “stop Rosebank”, adding: “Like you, we’ve seen the enormous harm the recent heatwaves have already had on people’s health, children’s education, businesses, and the whole economy — including music.

“The science is clear: the world already has far more oil and gas than can be safely burned to avert the worst impacts of climate change.”

Industry bodies have argued that the project would create local jobs and increase UK access to energy supplies disrupted by recent global conflicts.

The letter responds to these claims directly, stating: “The majority of Rosebank’s oil would be for export, meaning it would not lower bills or make any meaningful impact to UK energy security. Nor would it stem the decline in North Sea jobs, which have more than halved in the past decade, despite new field approvals.

“We ask you to act in the interests of the public, the majority of whom are anxious about our warming world and are asking for the government to act.”

The letter also reminds Burnham that he appeared alongside Massive Attack in 2025 and signed the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty on behalf of Greater Manchester, calling it a “lifeline”.

Commenting on the letter, signatory Brian Eno additionally said: “At this point, continuing to expand fossil fuel production isn’t pragmatism — it’s a failure to face reality. Let us hope he shows that same leadership now. The right decision is clear: reject Rosebank and invest in the clean, secure energy system we urgently need.

“So he has a choice to make. He can stand with the fossil fuel industry and approve Rosebank, or he can stand with the people who will live with the consequences of that decision.”

A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told NME: “The North Sea remains a vital national asset, supporting jobs, growth and the UK’s energy security. We are clear that oil and gas will continue to play an important role in our energy system for decades to come, alongside transitioning to clean power to protect jobs and tackle the climate crisis.”

NME has approached Andy Burnham’s office for further response.

The appeal comes at a critical juncture, with parts of the UK experiencing a succession of extreme heat events, drought conditions, and wildfires.

The Met Office has stated that summer 2026 is on track to be the hottest on record. Average temperatures globally continue to climb — with the 11 hottest years on record all occurring within the past 11 years.

Music culture – like all parts of society – is increasingly subject to these impacts.

Hundreds of thousands of music fans have endured severe disruption since May, as major festivals and outdoor gigs across Europe faced extreme heat and violent storms. Notable examples include Primavera Sound (Spain), Paradise City (Belgium), Garorock (France), and Defqon.1 festival in the Netherlands, which saw 50,000 fans evacuated due to dangerously high temperatures.

The burning of fossil fuels — such as oil, gas, and coal — continues to increase average temperatures on Earth. The result is a changing climate where extreme weather events like heatwaves and intense rainfall become more frequent and severe.

Rosebank — the UK’s largest undeveloped oil and gas field, situated 80 miles off the coast of Shetland, Scotland — has long been controversial, remaining the subject of commercial, political, and legal battles for more than two decades.

After years of wrangling, the project was granted approval by the UK government, then led by the Conservative Party, in 2023. The decision was met with fierce opposition from environmental groups.

In early 2025, a Scottish court ruled that the government’s approval of the Rosebank field was unlawful because of how its environmental impact had been assessed. The UK government subsequently agreed to restart the approval process under revised conditions.

A resubmission for approval is currently under consideration, and a decision on whether to greenlight the project expected soon.

The letter, along with the full list of signatories, has been published on the Earth/Percent website.

Meanwhile, figures from the music industry have spoken to NME about what Burnham’s government need to do now with regards to safeguarding culture – namely seeing through the ticket levy, stamping out secondary ticketing, tending to urgent AI concerns, and fixing the Brexit touring crisis.