When Portishead returned to the live touring circuit in 2007, fans who were expecting more of the noir-ish trip-hop that the band had become known for were blown away by their new industrial-machine sound. They introduced the new material at an All Tomorrow’s Parties festival they curated in their first live set in over ten years. Notoriously averse to performing live, Portishead set out on a European tour to promote their new album Third and played their only US date at a now legendary Coachella performance. While producing the new album, Portishead refused to use their trademark sound as a crutch and set out to redefine the band’s character. Since completing the 2008 tour, they composed and released another track, Chase the Tear, as a fundraiser for Amnesty International. The track stretched the boundaries even further, maintaining the repetitive, rhythmic elements of Third with Beth Gibbons’ melancholy voice holding things together at the center of a propulsive storm. In reinventing themselves, Portishead have washed away memories associated with the erotic jazz orchestra of their own groundbreaking Dummy and set their sights on a more turbulent, mechanistic future. The band is rumored to be working on the follow-up to Third and they are embarking on their first proper North American tour in over ten years. You can see Portishead live in concert in October.

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