Portishead - Slackers Supreme

[Rob McCow]

News from the NME website today:

Portishead are set to play their first official gig for nearly 10 years.
The band are set to curate and perform at All Tomorrow's Parties Nightmare Before Christmas event, which is sue to take place in Minehead between December 7-9.
Writing on their Myspace the band wrote: "We've chosen a diverse collection of artists to play with us and we're looking forward to it."

In February the band made an impromptu acoustic appearance at Bristol's Mr Wolf's venue where they previewed new material, but the Minehead performance will be their first official show.
The band are currently working on their first new album since 1997's 'Portishead' album.

Curate and perform? That doesn't sound like an actual Portishead Concert to me!

The third album has been a long time coming. On 20 June 2006, an article was posted on the NME saying:

Portishead have revealed details about their third studio album.
Founding member Geoff Barrow has revealed the band have completed their songs for their third album.
It will be the first new material since their second self-titled album from 1997. The bands last release was 'Roseland NYC Live' in 1998.

Posting on the band's Myspace page Barrow wrote: "We've had our meeting with the label it was really positive....which makes the whole thing so much easier to deal with nice people...The tracks are in a right mess but sounding like a album for the first time in years they (are) a bit weird though. Its great its nice to think us old gits have a few tunes in us without sounding like coffee table Zero 7 - Moby - chill out shit!"

Woah! Hold the horses. This band is going to BURN OUT, Man!

[Si Hunt]

I have to say I always hated them. Their dreary music was forever floating through darkened, suspiciously weedy-smelling bedrooms when I was at University. It was like a soundtrack of death.

Si.

[Lord President]

I have to say I always hated them. Their dreary music was forever floating through darkened, suspiciously weedy-smelling bedrooms when I was at University. It was like a soundtrack of death.

Si.

I am a huge Portishead fan. I saw them at Glastonbury many years ago and they were superb! If it wasn't for music like this, we'd all be listening to Cliff Richard & Bucks Fizz all day long!

[Perry Vale]

Portishead are set to play their first official gig for nearly 10 years.

Really?

Why don't their two Tsunami gigs from 2005 count?

That's a bit like the reporting in the Metro today, stating that cd singles were first in shops in 1982!

Anyways, I like Portishead, they're better than Massive Attack, but not as good as Tricky.

[Si Hunt]

If it wasn't for music like this, we'd all be listening to Cliff Richard & Bucks Fizz all day long!

Your point being?

Si.

[Carol Baynes]

I got into Portishead through their allegience to the great John Barry (an obvious influence on their cinematic, orchestrated sound). I still think "Dummy" is a classic, although "Portishead" not as much so ("All mine" was a brilliant single though). They always seemed to display pretentions above and beyond what the music probably deserved, but the music was always atmospheric and captivating to me. Moody and ambigious in meaning , but no soundtrack of death.

Great music to shag to an' all.

[Wayne]

I'm listening to 'Mysterons'.

[Anthony Williams]

I was 10 last time they released any new material!

Ant x

[Si Hunt]

I wasn't even born.

Si.

[Wayne]

I didn't 'discover' Portishead until about 5yrs or so back, but i've got both their studio albums, & their re-mix stuff, & the live album & dvd, & Beth Gibbons' 'solo' album. They're pretty dark & moody, but i really like 'em.