Video: Portishead, “The Rip”
- story THE FADER
Are we blogging about Portishead regularly now? Apparently so. We totally weren’t planning on it, but then this video popped up and reminded us of when we took an eastern European animation class in college. We had to watch large blocks of earth-toned cartoons for like 4-5 hours at a time that were about the trials of living in a city and how the bus was terrible and everything was Too Crowded. Also, how did we never notice that this is basically a straight up folk song? We’re not mad.
Live: Portishead In Los Angeles
- story THE FADER
The last time we saw Portishead live was when we watched the Roseland New York DVD. The time before that was when watched the Roseland New York DVD for the first time. The time before that was never, so it was with great stokedness that we went to LA’s Mayan Theater to watch Portishead play in the US for the first time in years. YEARS! Taking the stage to Fairport Convention’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes,” they announced that this was a rehearsal performance to try out all their equipment before for their big show in the desert this weekend. Indeed the show had a “last run through before the dress rehearsal” vibe—there was no moody lighting, no projections or backdrops, Beth Gibbons wore flip-flops. Surprisingly, the set pulled heavily from their first two albums, which came out last decade. Yes it was great to hear the subaquatics of “All Mine,” the powerful simplicity of “Wandering Star,” and a take on “Sour Times” with a J.B.’s-style backbeat that made it sound like a actual dance track, but probably the biggest thrill was watching Geoff Barrow recreate the industrial thwack of “Machine Gun” on the drum pads. Of their new songs, the first single from the upcoming Third is most likely to inspire a genre unto itself and set the mood when another band takes the stage twenty years from now. We didn’t have a camera, but a lot of people were holding up theirs and recording video for the entire performance. The video up top has like ten minutes of the show.
Video: Portishead Playing New Songs Live In Some Place Called Portishead
- story THE FADER
Okay first of all there is a place called Portishead. With that out of the way, we’re super into Portishead’s potentially unintentional business model: release an absolute beast of an album a long time ago, not really do much after that except make some other albums that didn’t make much of an impact, and then come back and make more jams a billion years later and we’re all excited again. Also, something about maybe having the best beats of the year? We’re not saying that but we’re kind of saying that. What? Take from that what you will. Remember trip hop? Sasha Frere Jones does. Check the video after the jump.
