NME News

Portishead: 'We're divided about touring'

Portishead have revealed more about 'Third', their long-awaited new album, describing it as the "older brother" of its predecessors. Guitarist Adrian Utley has also described the album's sound as a departure in some areas. He told Billboard: “It sounds nothing like 'Dummy' or 'Portishead', but it’s definitely its older brother or sister. It’s the same mindset we’ve always had, only further down the road.”

Portishead have revealed more about 'Third', their long-awaited new album, describing it as the "older brother" of its predecessors. Guitarist Adrian Utley has also described the album's sound as a departure in some areas. He told Billboard: “It sounds nothing like 'Dummy' or 'Portishead', but it’s definitely its older brother or sister. It’s the same mindset we’ve always had, only further down the road.”

Band speak on eve of UK tour

Speaking just before heading out on a large European tour, Portishead have revealed their mixed feelings about the touring process.

Guitarist Adrian Utley explained that the band have an "unspectacular" lifestyle on the road.

Speaking to Billboard, he said: "We've been immensely looking forward to touring... but we're divided about it. "Beth [Gibbons, vocals] is really nervous about playing live, and Geoff [Barrow, multi-instrumentalist] absolutely hates playing live, and I love playing live."

Explaining their pre-gig preparations, Utley said: "We don't really do any ritual before a gig. It's very unspectacular. Beth does a warm-up with her tape. A few gins are drunk, and there's some strolling around nervously behind the stage. And that's it. We go on."

The guitarist also revealed that Portishead want their forthcoming new album, 'Third', to be seen as a whole body of work, rather than as a collection of songs.

"We're not really doing any singles," he said. "We see it as a whole album. 'Glory Box' was a single, and it did go in the charts. And I think 'Sour Times' did. But we've never seen ourselves as a particularly singles-oriented band. Especially now, it doesn't seem relevant.

Portishead play the following European and UK dates:

Milan Alcatraz (March 30)
Florence Sashall (31)
Munich Tonhalle (April 2)
Berlin Columbiahalle (3)
Copenhagen KB Halle (4)
Cologne Palladium (6)
Amsterdam HMH (7)
Manchester Apollo (9)
London Hammersmith Apollo (10)
Edinburgh Corn Exchange (12)
Wolverhampton Civic (13)
Coachella Festival (26)
Paris Zenith (May 5)
Brussels Forest National (8)
Barcelona Primavera Sound (29)


To check the availability of Portishead tickets and get all the latest listings, go to NME.COM/GIGS now, or call 0871 230 1094.

Add your comment

Please sign in

Forgot your password?

Register with MyNME

Every Tuesday

  • Breaking News stories
  • All you need to know about the week's NME magazine
  • Live, Album and Track reviews
  • Tip offs about the most important Gigs
  • All the latest NME.COM video exclusives

Every Friday

  • NME.COM's free mini-magazine
  • Gig listings for the weekend
  • All the most important Album and Track reviews
  • The week's biggest News stories
  • Competitions - with exclusive music prizes
  • plus loads more!

In The Magazine

This Week's Issue
  • Breaking music news and award-winning photography
  • Exclusive interviews with the world's most exciting bands
  • In depth reviews of the week's most important music releases and live events
  • The UK's biggest gig listings guide
  • Subscribe today and get 1/3rd off NME