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Portishead


Formed: 1991
Location: Bristol, England
Genre: Trip Hop
Years Active: 1991 - 1998; 2008
Meaning of the Name: Portishead is a town in Somerset where Geoff Barrow used to live.
Core Members: Beth Gibbons (vocals), Geoff Barrow (producer), Adrian Utley (guitar)
Way of Working: Collaborative
Style: Icy cool, original music with great production

Essential Releases

Dummy

Dummy (1994)

Debut album.

Album Title 2

Portishead (1997)

Darker. Jazzier. Hauntological.

Album Title 3

Third (2008)

The trip hop is replaced with industrial and krautrock.

Album Title 3

Lives Outgrown (2024)

Beth Gibbons solo effort. Mature, haunting, atmospheric.


When Geoff Barrow, who had produced tracks for Massive Attack and Neneh Cherry, met pub singer Beth Gibbons on a course for the unemployed they decided to collaborate. In another fateful encounter, Adrian Utley was drawn to the studio by an unconventional sound and joined the band, bringing with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of unconventional instruments including the theremin.

In the early nineties, Portishead helped to launch a new form of music, trip hop, which combined the production techniques of hip hop and the singing of lounge with live instruments.

The band employed new-fangled production techniques such as recording fresh audio and making it sound like it was sampled from old vinyl. They pressed their original compositions on to wax, threw them across the room and jumped up and down on them to create the crackly, worn sound associated with the medium. The traditional sampling that was used came primarily from old spy films and Geoff Barrow went on to score features such as Ex Machina (2014).


Skills

*This is a work in progress. Values are subjective.

Emotional Impact

i Does it connect with the heart? What does it make you feel and how much of it?
70

Mental Impact

i Does it connect with the head? Social issues, interesting observations, clever lyrics, similies etc.
70

Originality

i Are they unique? Did they break new ground, use new techniques or create new genres.
100

Artistry

i Using creativity and imagination to present themselves in a unique way. Example, Wu-Tang Clan as Shaolin and Marvel characters etc.
40

Authenticity

i Do they really mean what they say? Is it autobiographical, personal?
70

Live

i Stage presence, working the crowd, performance. Miming, forgetting lyrics reduce this.
60

Production

i Studio techniques. More important for electronic music including hip hop.
95

Musicianship

i Their ability to play individually and as a group. Technical skills. DJing. Freestyling for hip hop.
85

Singing

i Technical attributes.
85

Songwriting

i Storytelling. Cohesive themes. Is the song about something? Stan by Eminem is an example of excellent songwriting.
85

Danceability

i Does it make you move? Do you tap your foot, nod your head or move your whole body?
30

Fun

i Is listening to it a good time? Are the lyrics funny? Depressing themes lowers value.
40

Consistency

i Have they put out good music across their careers. Two good albums and 5 band ones will reduce this value.
75

Range

i Fast, slow, ballads, party jams. Do they go beyond their own genre?
80

Cool

i Laid-back, icy detachment, unflustered.
95

Charisma

i Factors include appearance, force of personality. Elvis making people faint etc.
35

Commercial & Critical Success

Awards >>>

  • Mercury Prize 1995 WINNER!: Dummy - Album of the Year
  • Brit Award Nomination 1995: Dummy - Best British Newcomer
  • Ivor Novello Award Winner 2016: Outstanding Contribution to British Music

Certifications >>>

  • Platinum Album: Dummy (1994) in Belgium, Canada, New Zealand [x2], UK [x3]
  • Gold Album: Dummy (1994)" in Italy, USA
  • Platinum Album: Portishead (1997) in New Zealand, UK
  • Gold Album: "Portishead (1997)" in Australia, Belgium, Canada
  • Gold Album: "Third" (2008)" in UK

Charts >>>

  • Album Charts: Dummy (1994) - #2 in UK
  • Album Charts: Portishead" (1997) - #1 in New Zealand; #2 in Australia, UK, #3 in France, Ireland
  • Album Charts: "Third" (2008)" - #2 in Denmark, UK, #3 in Canada, France

Critics >>>

  • Melody Maker: Dummy (1994) - Best Album of 1994
  • NME: Dummy" (1994) - 500 Best Albums of All Time #168
  • Rolling Stone: Dummy (1994) - 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020) #131

CONTROVERSY

  • Geoff Barrow once called Amy Winehouse "Whiney Shitehouse" in an interview with Electronic Beats. He also said she had a fake voice and had become a comic character of herself by the end.


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