Portishead
Encyclopedia
Portishead are an English musical group formed in 1991 in Bristol
. The band is named after the nearby town of the same name
, 13 km (8 mi) west of Bristol. Portishead consists of Geoff Barrow
, Beth Gibbons
, and Adrian Utley
, while sometimes citing a fourth member, Dave McDonald, an engineer on Dummy
and Portishead
.
was released in 1994. The credits of Dummy indicate that at this juncture, Portishead was a duo of Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons. Adrian Utley, who co-produced the album with Portishead (and who played on 9 of the tracks and co-wrote 8), became an official band member shortly after the album's release.
Despite the band's aversion to press coverage, the album was successful in both Europe and the United States (where it sold more than 150,000 copies even before the band toured there). Dummy spawned three singles: "Numb
", "Sour Times
", "Glory Box
", and won the Mercury Music Prize
in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 419 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
.
The album cover features a still from the band's own short film To Kill a Dead Man
.
, was released in 1997. The album's sound differed from Dummy, characterised as "grainy and harsher." Three singles, "All Mine
", "Over
" and "Only You
" were released, the first one achieving a Top 10 placing in the UK.
by the New York Philharmonic
orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom
in New York City. A live album
primarily featuring these new orchestral arrangements of the group's songs was released in 1998. There was also a long-form VHS video of the performance, and a DVD followed in 2002, with substantial extra material including many early music videos.
" with Tom Jones
for his album Reload
. For the next few years, the band members concentrated on solo and other pursuits. In February 2005, the band appeared live for the first time in seven years at the Tsunami Benefit Concert in Bristol. Around that time, Barrow revealed that the band was in the process of writing its third album. In August 2006, the band posted two new tracks on its MySpace page (called "Key Bored 299 03" and "Greek Jam"), described by Barrow as "doodles". Around the same time, Portishead covered Serge Gainsbourg
's "Un Jour Comme un Autre (Requiem for Anna)" on the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited
.
had been mixed
and was nearly complete, and was due for release in early April 2008. The release was later pushed to 28 April. On 8 and 9 December 2007, the band curated the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival in Minehead
, England. The festival featured their first full live sets in nearly 10 years. They premiered five tracks from the new album: "Silence", "Hunter", "The Rip", "We Carry On", and "Machine Gun". On 21 January 2008, a European tour to support the album was announced, together with a headline spot at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
on 26 April 2008, their only U.S. date on the tour.
Third was made available on Last.fm
the week before release, attracting 327,000 listeners in just under 24 hours. It was the first time Last.fm had made an album available before its official release date. The album was released on 29 April 2008 to coincide with the band's appearance at Coachella. On 29 May 2008, Portishead's Geoff Barrow realised a "boyhood fantasy" when Chuck D
of Public Enemy joined the band onstage at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival curated by Portishead in Asbury Park, NJ on October 2011. He contributed a freestyle rap over Portishead's single "Machine Gun".
UK. Additionally, on 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan reissued the albums Dummy and Portishead in limited edition on SHM-CD.
During Summer 2011, Portishead performed at a number of festivals in Europe. On 9 July 2011, Portishead performed at the main stage of Pohoda Festival, Trencin, Slovakia, in front of 20,000 fans. On 10 July 2011, Portishead performed at the main stage of Exit Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia, in front of more than 20,000 fans. Portishead were also scheduled to perform at the 2011 Benicàssim Festival
, Rock Werchter
in Belgium, Pohoda Festival
in Slovakia, Paleo Festival
in Switzerland, Roskilde Festival
in Denmark, the Hurricane/Southside Festivals in Germany, and the Super Bock Super Rock
music festival in Portugal.
In 2011 the band headlined and curated the line-up for two All Tomorrow's Parties
music festivals entitled I'll Be Your Mirror. The first took place in London at Alexandra Palace on 23 and 24 July and the second will take place in Asbury Park, New Jersey from 30 September – 2 October. The band also announced on 11 July 2011 their plans to headline their first full North American tour in over a decade. Though the tour is small, Portishead will be visiting New York, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Seattle, Vancouver, and Denver during October. On 15 October, they will be performing in Mexico's "Corona Capital Fest" alongside The Strokes and many other bands. Finally, in November 2011, the band will be returning to Australia to headline The Harvest Festival alongside The National
, The Flaming Lips
, and Bright Eyes. While there, they will also play in New Zealand, on 10 November, at Vector Arena.
In September 2011, Geoff Barrow stated in a Rolling Stone
interview that he would begin work on his portion of the album in January 2012, humorously pointing out "that could mean another fucking 10 years" before a new album is released.
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The band is named after the nearby town of the same name
Portishead, Somerset
Portishead is a coastal town on the Severn Estuary within the unitary authority of North Somerset, which falls within the ceremonial county of Somerset England. It has a population of 22,000, an increase of over 3,000 since the 2001 census, with a growth rate of 40 per cent, considerably in excess...
, 13 km (8 mi) west of Bristol. Portishead consists of Geoff Barrow
Geoff Barrow
Geoffrey Paul Barrow is the producer, disc jockey, and instrumentalist for Portishead.Portishead—formed in 1991—was named after the small town near Bristol where Barrow grew up...
, Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons
Beth Gibbons is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist for the iconic British band Portishead.-Early life:...
, and Adrian Utley
Adrian Utley
Adrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
, while sometimes citing a fourth member, Dave McDonald, an engineer on Dummy
Dummy (album)
Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the...
and Portishead
Portishead (album)
Portishead is the second album of the Bristol-based group Portishead, released in 1997. The album reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and #21 on the Billboard 200 chart....
.
Dummy (1994)
Portishead's first album DummyDummy (album)
Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the...
was released in 1994. The credits of Dummy indicate that at this juncture, Portishead was a duo of Geoff Barrow and Beth Gibbons. Adrian Utley, who co-produced the album with Portishead (and who played on 9 of the tracks and co-wrote 8), became an official band member shortly after the album's release.
Despite the band's aversion to press coverage, the album was successful in both Europe and the United States (where it sold more than 150,000 copies even before the band toured there). Dummy spawned three singles: "Numb
Numb (Portishead song)
"Numb" is a song from the album Dummy by the English band Portishead, and was released as a single in 1994. In 2005, the song was used in a series of promotional trailers for the television series Lost.-Track listing:#"Numb" – 3:57...
", "Sour Times
Sour Times
"Sour Times" is a song by English trip hop group Portishead, released as their second-ever single in August 1994. Written by all three members of the band, "Sour Times" features on Portishead's debut album Dummy...
", "Glory Box
Glory Box
"Glory Box" is a single by Portishead, released in 1995. The title song samples "Ike's Rap II" by Isaac Hayes. The music video features lead singer Beth Gibbons dressed as a man....
", and won the Mercury Music Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
in 1995. In 2003, the album was ranked number 419 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
The album cover features a still from the band's own short film To Kill a Dead Man
To Kill a Dead Man
To Kill a Dead Man is a short film made in 1994 by the trip hop group Portishead. The film is a spy movie which revolves around an assassination and what happens afterwards....
.
Portishead (1997)
After their initial success, Portishead withdrew from the spotlight for three years until their self-titled second album, PortisheadPortishead (album)
Portishead is the second album of the Bristol-based group Portishead, released in 1997. The album reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and #21 on the Billboard 200 chart....
, was released in 1997. The album's sound differed from Dummy, characterised as "grainy and harsher." Three singles, "All Mine
All Mine
"All Mine" is the second track and first single off Portishead's self-titled second album. It was released as a single, along with "Cowboys", "Only You" and "Over". The music video — based on an 1968 Italian music show and The Outer Limits — featured a little girl singing in front of an...
", "Over
Over (Portishead song)
"Over" is the second single of the album Portishead by the trip hop trio of the same name. It was #25 in the UK Charts at the time of its release...
" and "Only You
Only You (Portishead song)
"Only You" is a single by Portishead, released in 1998. It was later released in a promotional French language lyrics version.The video to "Only You" was directed by Chris Cunningham, who has also worked with Aphex Twin, Bjork, and Placebo. It involved Beth Gibbons floating in air, and a young boy...
" were released, the first one achieving a Top 10 placing in the UK.
Roseland NYC Live (1998)
In 1997, the band performed a one-off show with stringsString instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
by the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
in New York City. A live album
Roseland NYC Live
Roseland NYC Live is a live album by Portishead with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, mixed with Rik Simpson. It was released in 1998 by Go! Discs/London. A PAL format VHS video was released the same year, with a DVD version following four years later...
primarily featuring these new orchestral arrangements of the group's songs was released in 1998. There was also a long-form VHS video of the performance, and a DVD followed in 2002, with substantial extra material including many early music videos.
Hiatus (1999–2005)
In 1999, Portishead recorded the song "Motherless ChildSometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child
"Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is a traditional Negro spiritual.The song dates back to the era of slavery in the United States when it was common practice to sell children of slaves away from their parents. An early performance of the song dates back to the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee...
" with Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
for his album Reload
Reload (album)
Reload is the title of an album, released in 1999 by Welsh singer Tom Jones.After a lengthy career, and a notable absence from the music charts for several years, Jones resurrected his career with this album of 15 cover versions and 2 original tracks recorded as duets with current artists...
. For the next few years, the band members concentrated on solo and other pursuits. In February 2005, the band appeared live for the first time in seven years at the Tsunami Benefit Concert in Bristol. Around that time, Barrow revealed that the band was in the process of writing its third album. In August 2006, the band posted two new tracks on its MySpace page (called "Key Bored 299 03" and "Greek Jam"), described by Barrow as "doodles". Around the same time, Portishead covered Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg
Serge Gainsbourg, born Lucien Ginsburg was a French singer-songwriter, actor and director. Gainsbourg's extremely varied musical style and individuality make him difficult to categorize...
's "Un Jour Comme un Autre (Requiem for Anna)" on the tribute album Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited
Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited
Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited is a tribute album to the works of late French singer/songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. First released on Virgin Records in 2006, it consists of English language cover versions of Gainsbourg songs, performed by a diverse array of contemporary artists...
.
Third (2008)
On 2 October 2007, Portishead stated that the new album ThirdThird (Portishead album)
Third is the third studio album by English musical group Portishead, released on 27 April 2008, on Island Records in the United Kingdom, two days after on Mercury Records in the United States, and on 30 April 2008 on Universal Music Japan in Japan. It is their first release in 10 years, and their...
had been mixed
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
and was nearly complete, and was due for release in early April 2008. The release was later pushed to 28 April. On 8 and 9 December 2007, the band curated the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival in Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
, England. The festival featured their first full live sets in nearly 10 years. They premiered five tracks from the new album: "Silence", "Hunter", "The Rip", "We Carry On", and "Machine Gun". On 21 January 2008, a European tour to support the album was announced, together with a headline spot at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
on 26 April 2008, their only U.S. date on the tour.
Third was made available on Last.fm
Last.fm
Last.fm is a music website, founded in the United Kingdom in 2002. It has claimed 30 million active users in March 2009. On 30 May 2007, CBS Interactive acquired Last.fm for UK£140m ....
the week before release, attracting 327,000 listeners in just under 24 hours. It was the first time Last.fm had made an album available before its official release date. The album was released on 29 April 2008 to coincide with the band's appearance at Coachella. On 29 May 2008, Portishead's Geoff Barrow realised a "boyhood fantasy" when Chuck D
Chuck D
Carlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
of Public Enemy joined the band onstage at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festival curated by Portishead in Asbury Park, NJ on October 2011. He contributed a freestyle rap over Portishead's single "Machine Gun".
Post-Third (2008–)
On 18 May 2008, Barrow expressed Portishead's enthusiasm for recording new material on their official website's blog, stating that he "can't wait to write some new tunes". On 28 September 2009, Barrow announced "big plans" for a new project with a new angle, hinting that an album could arrive as soon as late 2010. Whilst the album is yet to materialise, on 9 December 2009, the band released the song "Chase the Tear" for Human Rights Day to raise money for Amnesty InternationalAmnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
UK. Additionally, on 3 December 2008, Universal Music Japan reissued the albums Dummy and Portishead in limited edition on SHM-CD.
During Summer 2011, Portishead performed at a number of festivals in Europe. On 9 July 2011, Portishead performed at the main stage of Pohoda Festival, Trencin, Slovakia, in front of 20,000 fans. On 10 July 2011, Portishead performed at the main stage of Exit Festival, Novi Sad, Serbia, in front of more than 20,000 fans. Portishead were also scheduled to perform at the 2011 Benicàssim Festival
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...
, Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter
Rock Werchter is a Belgian annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, since 1974. It is one of the five biggest annual rock music festivals in Europe...
in Belgium, Pohoda Festival
Pohoda (music festival)
Pohoda festival is an open-air summer music festival in Slovakia, first organized in 1997 in Trenčín. It is one of the biggest Slovak music events organized annually...
in Slovakia, Paleo Festival
Paléo Festival
The Paléo Festival de Nyon, usually just called Paléo, started in a small way in 1976 as the Nyon Folk Festival. It was differently located, near the Lake Geneva and had only two stages. But today it is the second biggest open-air music festival in mainland Europe, after the Sziget Festival. Today...
in Switzerland, Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in Denmark, the Hurricane/Southside Festivals in Germany, and the Super Bock Super Rock
Super Bock Super Rock
Super Bock Super Rock is a rock festival in Portugal, created in 1994.It has become one of the biggest festivals in the country, luring many rock and metal fans....
music festival in Portugal.
In 2011 the band headlined and curated the line-up for two All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
music festivals entitled I'll Be Your Mirror. The first took place in London at Alexandra Palace on 23 and 24 July and the second will take place in Asbury Park, New Jersey from 30 September – 2 October. The band also announced on 11 July 2011 their plans to headline their first full North American tour in over a decade. Though the tour is small, Portishead will be visiting New York, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Mexico City, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Seattle, Vancouver, and Denver during October. On 15 October, they will be performing in Mexico's "Corona Capital Fest" alongside The Strokes and many other bands. Finally, in November 2011, the band will be returning to Australia to headline The Harvest Festival alongside The National
The National (band)
The National is an indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1999 and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone...
, The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips are an American alternative rock band, formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1983.Melodically, their sound contains lush, multi-layered, psychedelic rock arrangements, but lyrically their compositions show elements of space rock, including unusual song and album titles—such as "What...
, and Bright Eyes. While there, they will also play in New Zealand, on 10 November, at Vector Arena.
In September 2011, Geoff Barrow stated in a Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
interview that he would begin work on his portion of the album in January 2012, humorously pointing out "that could mean another fucking 10 years" before a new album is released.
Discography
- DummyDummy (album)Dummy is the debut album of the Bristol-based group Portishead. Released in October 22, 1994 on Go! Discs, the album earned critical acclaim, winning the 1995 Mercury Music Prize. It is often credited with popularizing the trip-hop genre and is frequently cited in lists of the best albums of the...
(1994) - PortisheadPortishead (album)Portishead is the second album of the Bristol-based group Portishead, released in 1997. The album reached #2 on the UK Album Chart and #21 on the Billboard 200 chart....
(1997) - ThirdThird (Portishead album)Third is the third studio album by English musical group Portishead, released on 27 April 2008, on Island Records in the United Kingdom, two days after on Mercury Records in the United States, and on 30 April 2008 on Universal Music Japan in Japan. It is their first release in 10 years, and their...
(2008)
External links
- Official site
- Unofficial Portishead site
- Pitchfork interview: Portishead, 7 April 2008
- Interview with 3news.co.nz, 1 November 2011