A brilliant comeback

High Notes

It's been 10 years since the band released their last album, Portishead (1997). And while they may not be household names across the globe, their contribution to the UK's music scene in the 1990s has been significant. This is especially true in terms of the origin of the music genre trip-hop, of which they are considered to be pioneers alongside better-known Massive Attack.

Given their anti-rock star persona and a brooding musical style that has a tendency to relate well with anxiety and a general air of introversion, there has always been something about Portishead that generates a lot of curiosity. Maybe it is the siren-like vocal talent of Beth Gibbon that has a tendency to catch you unawares.

Or perhaps, it is the fact that this presents itself in a musical backdrop that can be described as powerful