Portishead | |
---|---|
![]() Portishead performing in March 2013 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Bristol, England |
Genres | |
Years active | 1991–present |
Labels | |
Members | Beth Gibbons Geoff Barrow Adrian Utley |
Website | www |
Portishead (/ˌpɔːrtɪsˈhɛd/ PORT-iss-HED) are an English band formed in 1991 in Bristol. The band comprises Beth Gibbons (vocals), Geoff Barrow (multiple instruments, production), and Adrian Utley (guitar). Dave McDonald, an audio engineer who helped produce their first two albums, is sometimes regarded as the fourth member.[8][9]
Portishead's debut album, Dummy (1994), fused hip-hop production with an atmospheric style reminiscent of spy film soundtracks and yearning vocals from Gibbons. It was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, becoming a landmark album in the emerging trip-hop genre. However, the band disliked being associated with the term.[10] Their two other studio albums, Portishead (1997) and Third (2008), received similar acclaim. Portishead have also released the live album Roseland NYC Live (1998).
The trend will continue this year when two of Britain's most important '90s alternative bands-The Verve and Portishead-make their respective U.S. returns for the first time in nearly a decade.