Portishead?s Adrian Utley is the latest Bristol musician to launch an attack on the appalling state of UK music right now, alongside Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff from Way Out West and Massive Attack?s Robert Del Naja.

Speaking exclusively to bristolsound.co.uk Adrian said, ?I can?t believe that people are listening to stuff by bands like Westlife and Steps. It sounds like Radio Two music to me. It?s horrible and totally offensive and old granny music. I just don?t get it. What are we, a country full of middle aged teenagers??

geoff barrow in nme.com told that PORTISHEAD are about to commence work on their third album, and has spoken in support of a new website aiming to promote the Bristol music scene: www.bristolsound.co.uk. He revealed that the band are currently resting, but plan to go into the studio in the “early summer” to commence work on the follow-up to 1997’s eponymous second album.so the new portishead album is going to be released in December or January of 2000.the work will start in the coatch house studio.Adrian went on to say that the only decent release he rates from recent months is Polly Jean Harvey?s ?Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea? and blamed society and the music industry in general for the current lull in creativity. ?We don?t seem to have a society with any fight left,? he sighed. ?It?s like everybody?s fucking complacent or something. I?ve no idea what it is, but we haven?t got any kind of anger bursting out of people and the commercial side of the music industry seems to be utterly puerile and complacent at the moment.?

But, despite his disgust with the current charts, he does remain hopeful that things will improve. ?I think it?s a bad patch,? he said. ?And I don?t know how relevant charts are to my life anyway, but most of the boy bands and girl bands that are around at the moment are nauseating and I do find it utterly, utterly depressing.?

Way Out West?s slating comments came during a video interview with nme.com, where they accused the British club scene of being far too commercial. Nick Warren even said that he?d rather DJ, ?anywhere else in the world? apart from the UK.

And speaking via Massive Attack?s website Robert Del Naja said, ?I?m quite happy to be releasing nothing at the moment because music seems so dire. It?s really piss poor out there. I remember catching the Top 20 the other day and just being completely aghast at how bad it actually was. I?d hate to see Massive Attack sandwiched between that lot. It just disgusts me.?