9/02/2005 Web Awards 2005: VOTE PORTISHEAD

"> Yahoo in association with BT Openworld presents Digital Music Awards 2005. Pheadweb.com is participating in the category "People's Choice Award" where site visitors can vote the site and help it to be listed in the best 100 music websites worldwide.
The ceremony will be held at London's Hammersmith Palais on October 18th. Phead has reached its highest position in 2003 (#121).
The site has been created in July '98 and is maintained by Costas Nikolaou. There are about 12.000 Phead members and the site has won several music awards.
All these years after the dvd release of "PNYC" the band has stopped its discography activity and it was really hard to find news from the band. However, the updates were regular because my passion is the same as it was from the beginning when I started to create Phead.
As you already know, the good new is the upcoming Portishead release. Be sure to know that the site will have all the updates about the new album when it's ready or if there's anything else fans need to know.
If you believe that Phead is a site that deserves to be among the best music websites please vote.
Thanks for your interest.

2/11/2005 Portishead-Massive Attack Interview (Venue Magazine)

Massive Attack and Portishead have never shared the same stage before, but thats all about to change as both bands team up to play the Academy in aid of the tsunami appeal. Anna Britten rounded them up to find out how it all came together and what the lucky ticket-holders can expect on the night.
The policeman that drives past Venue's photo shoot gives a cheery wave in the direction of the thirtysomethings huddled against a wall off King Square. Either he thinks they are off-duty charity workers or, prior to signing up for the force, he was a Dug Out regular. For very few other Bristolians would be capable of such nonchalance (not to mention safe driving) at the unexpected and unique sight of both Massive Attack (Robert '3D' Del Naja and Grant 'Daddy G' Marshall) and Poitishead (Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley) braving the chilly January air for some united pop star mugging. "We stood like this in order to have the girl in the middle," chirrups Del Naja to Venue's photographer. " Sorry, 'woman' in the middle."
He then adopts his trademark pose - frowning with hands folded across his groin, like a footballer in the fullback position during a point-blank free kick. " 'Girl's better," cackles Beth Gibbons in response, and gives the camera the pinched, tormented look we've known and loved since 'Dummy'.
The reason for this high-profile shoulder-rub is - in case you've been abroad for the last month - February 19 & 20's fundraising concerts at the Academy in support of Oxfam's work in tsunami-ravaged Asia. Unbelievably, it marks the first time Massive Attack and Portishead have ever shared a stage - and is the latter's first gig since 1998. Tickets for 19 Feb sold out in under two hours, hundreds of thousands of pounds' worth of aid is expected to be generated, and all stops are being pulled out to raise further funds through a worldwide live webcast (details at end of page). It is, then, a huge event in every sense.
Massive Attack and Portishead have never shared the same stage before, but that's all about to change as both bands team up to play the Academy in aid of the tsunami appeal. Anna Britten rounded them up to find out how it all came together and what the lucky ticket-holders can expect on the night.

No one realises this more than Massive Attack and Portishead themselves. Sitting in a Stokes Croft cafe-bar, Robert Del Naja, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley (Beth Gibbons, being a 'recluse', disappears after the photo shoot, while Daddy G saunters away with a laid-back "D [Del Naja] can speak for me") lay down a ground rule:
they won't answer any questions about Portishead or Massive Attack. As Venue mentally sets fire to several notebooks, they explain they don't - understandably - want to be seen to be getting publicity for their bands on the back of the good cause they're promoting. " So we're not answering any questions about the new record," says Utliey. "So there is one?" Silence. Venue repeats the question. Barrow cups his ear: "Sorry? Can't hear you."Utley steps in again: "Of course there'll be another record. Why else would we still be together?" (Later he'll accuse Venue of being 'very sly' in enquiring as to whether the set lists will include oldies or new stuff.)
They also feel it would be 'bollocks' to discuss personal feelings with regard to the tsunami. Says Del Naja: "I think it's obvious why we're doing it because I think everyone was affected by it and I think the fact the gigs are going on and people are buying tickets speaks for itself without going into any more details."
That little matter cleared up, Barrow explains how the Academy event came about: "I was talking to Beth on the phone, and she just mentioned what had happened and we talked about it, then I got off the phone and thought 'We've got to do something'.
"It was just before New Year. I phoned Ade and then rang Beth back - so we were all on for it. We didn't have a venue or anything, it was just an idea. Phoned up D, because it was the obvious next place to go, and D called me back, and said he was interested in definitely doing it. I heard from a friend that John Stapleton [BlowPop promoter] had been offered the Academy to put together a fundraiser. I phoned him, he said 'whatever you want to do' and that was it, the start of it."
Clearly not just fellow wearers of the 'pioneers of trip hop' ankle tag, the two bands obviously enjoy a close friendship, constantly trading genial digs about everything from talent to whose turn it is to buy lunch. On hearing Massive Attack have already started rehearsals, Barrow deadpans " They need more than us" and threatens to meddle with their monitors. "We knew each other, over the years, as mates," continues Barrow. "Basically, we knew if we were going to do something in Bristol it'd be wicked to have them, it was obvious."
Utley picks up the story: "Geoff and I had just been producing The Coral's new album, so we thought of them straight away. We just decided to ring everyone we know and ask them to do it. Same with D, [to Del Naja] you've ' been bombarding mates..."
The resultant, wonderfully eclectic current line-up is Massive Attack, Portishead, The Coral, Robert Plant (who was in the process of planning his own fundraising gig in Bath when the call came) Fuzz Against Junk and various special guests. So did anyone ring Tricky to see if they could complete The Holy Trinity of Bristol music? They all look at each other.
"I think it's normally, mostly, best when talking about Tricky... ah, diplomacy," stumbles Del Naja.
Sorry? "Diplomacy is the best word to use when dealing with Tricky."
"No comment," adds Utley.
"I ain't spoke to Trix for years," shrugs Barrow. "I think he's living in the States and stuff. So I suppose it would be a bit difficult really."
And, presumably, eat into valuable profits somewhat. A far cry from Massive Attack and Portishead gigs of yore, which respectively have included several billion gigabytes of audio-visual jiggery pokery ("'Flashy?' They're information-based, actually," Del Naja protests) and full orchestras ("Have you seen the size of the stage down there?"), these shows promise to be stripped-down 'unplugged' affairs.
"We started off thinking we didn't want a massive, full production with loads of gear," explains Utley. "So the premise was we'd do it as acoustically as possible and add whatever electronics we need. It's not really 'unplugged' but very little is 'unplugged' now. It means 'not as we've done it before'. It'll be a stripped-down set-up, with shared equipment and shared musicians."
This is a particularly appealing prospect for a manifestly tour-weary Del Naja. " We've toured for the last two years non- stop," he says, "and this is an opportunity to do something completely different - no production, no fucking 'concept'. The idea is to rearrange tracks, play them in a completely different way with different people. It's exciting for us. We're using a completely different band from the people we've been touring with for the last eight years since the 'Mezzanine' tour in '97. It's gonna be me, Grant and Elizabeth [Fraser - ex Cocteau Twin and regular Massive Attack guest vocalist]. No others because it's such a short set. If we got Horace [Andy] back from Jamaica, someone's gotta pay his air ticket and his food bill and he eats a fair amount, Horace.
"It's gonna be a laugh in rehearsals. It'll be interesting for everyone on the . night because they won't have seen us that way and they won't have seen Portishead that way for a long time."
Indeed - the 'Head's last live gig was seven years ago, in Holland. Utley has just been sent a bootleg of it, in fact. Many bands would be apprehensive about treading the boards together after so long but, says Utley: "It's gonna be nice even just doing rehearsals. I think we're pretty quick to get back into our stuff because we're actually not going to adapt it so much as [gestures to Del Naja] you guys are gonna do. So I think we'll be on it pretty quick. We're only playing four or five tunes each, so it's a really quick changeover."
Can we expect some hits? "We haven't got any," says Barrow.
Venue tells him 'Glory Box' is on Classic FM TV. "I'll phone up our accountant then. Thirty pound a pop, innit?" he asks Utley.
"We don't want to give too much away because it takes away the fun of the night," says Del Naja.
"We're gonna play each other's tracks... and then..." says Barrow.
"....fuck those up," laughs Utley.
"We're gonna do 'Eye Of the Tiger'..."
"The main issue," Del Naja butts in seriously, "is I'm just a bit concerned that on the night the big Portishead 'P' doesn't float down from the top of the lighting rig during our set. So we've got a big flame that we're getting built that's gonna be hidden in the rafters which we're gonna drop halfway through their set."

So there you have it: Massive Attack and Portishead, at it again, together at last, and they want you to watch. Freed from interview duties, Barrow, Utley and Del Naja head off to collect the T-shirts they'll be customising for the online auction. " Make me sound intelligent," Barrow calls out as Venue waves goodbye.

2/07/2005 Portishead and Massive Attack live: second day announced

After the phenomenal demand for tickets for the first event, the artists have generously agreed to a second concert on the following evening. Sunday 20th Feb 2005
TICKETS on sale to personal applicants from 10AM Sat 5th Feb.
to purchase: www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

1/20/2005 The new Portishead album is almost finished

Geoff Barrow told BBC 6 Music that he's surprised that people thought the band has split up:

"We've just had our heads down really, we've never actually broken up, or parted, or whatever."

The band have nearly completed their third LP and he added:

"So for us it just seems, even though we haven't played for years, we still see each other and write,

we just haven't released a record for a long time."

The new a;bum is finally going to be released this year but the new material will not be performed

by Beth Gibbons in the Bristol Academy concert.

from the official site:

“We are playing live for the first time in 7 years

as part of a fund raising concert for the Tsunami

Crisis in Asia at the Bristol Academy on

February 19th - we'll also be sharing a stage

with Massive Attack for the first time. And more

artists will be added to the bill very soon.

We'll each play a short set, around 20 minutes

and we'll be performing songs you know - very

nearly unplugged. As so many of you are based

outside of the UK the whole event can be viewed

as a live web-cast and we'll be posting more

details of this here so keep checking the site.�

They will play for about 20 minutes unplugged and Beth will perform old songs and

not a part from the new material. More details soon.

19^th February 2005

tickets 30 £

booking: www.bristolticketshop.co.uk

more details about collaborating bands and webcast info will be posted shortly.

10/04/2004 Beth and Jane Birkin in concert later this year

Beth will be performing later on in the year with Jane Birkin following the success of "Rendezvous". This gig in Paris will include all the collaborators on Jane Birkin's album. (Fruit press release)

10/04/2004 Beth with Rodrigo Leao in concert

Beth with be performing with Rodrigo Leao on the 21st and 22nd November 2004 at the Lisbon Cultural Center, Belem.

07/21/2004 Beth's collaboration with Joss Stone

Teenage soul singer Joss Stone has released her follow-up album "Mind, body and soul" via S-Curve Records. The disc is a follow-up to her 2003 release, The Soul Sessions,. That EP has sold more than two million copies worldwide since it was released last year. The 14-track album includes 12 songs that were either written or co-written by Stone. Beth Gibbons collaborated with Joss Stone on the new disk among with Salaam Remi, Betty Wright and Lamont Dozier.

more info about the album: http://www.s-curverecords.com/joss

02/06/2004 Beth Gibbons to cover song in Jane Birkin's "Rendez-Vous"

Beth Gibbons with other stars like Mickey 3D, Brian Ferry and many more is participating in Jane's Birkin's new album "rendez-vous" released on 30 March 2004

(from JB official site): "Following the "Arabesque" adventure (Golden record with 100 000 copies sold in France alone and 200 concert dates in France as well as around the world), Jane Birkin will be back in 2004 with a very special record.
Gonzales et Renaud Letang have orchestrated a series of original and enticing "rendez-vous" with a whole host of stars: from Mickey 3D to Alain Souchon, passing by Miossec, Alain Chamfort, Brian Ferry, Beth Gibbons, Etienne Daho, Arno, Paolo Conte, Manu Chao, Caetano Veloso, Brian Molko ....
Original compositions in unexpected arrangements, "Rendez-Vous" will make us discover an irresistible and surprising Jane Birkin...."

11/20/2003 New Portishead interview to UK's GrandSlam Magazine (updated)

The magazine has an interview of Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley talking about their plans about the forthcoming Portishead release. Also, there is a live review of a Beth's concert and the background and history of Portishead.
The official site of the magazine is here Some exclusive quotes from the interview:

"Musically I don't give a shit what anybody says, and I'm sure Geoff
feels exactly the same about that, more than I do actually", Adrian
concludes. "The biggest thing is making the record right, and making the
music good, and something we're into. And if we're into it, then our
solidarity is enormous, and everybody else can just go fuck themselves.
Because you know it's going to be cool in the end, if you like it."

You can order the magazine at the official site here

11/5/2003 New photos / setlist at Tim Festival, Rio de Janeiro, 30-Oct-2003

Thanks to Joao Crespo Joao Crespo (brazilian, five times football champion & crazy about portishead & beth !) new and exclusive live photos!

10/7/2003 Today is the US release of "Out Of Season" album

The album "Out of season" released in 2002 by Universal is finally released in US by the label Sanctuary with a different tracklisting and cd-rom format. Also, there is the live version of Velvet Underground's "Candy Says" and "Mysteries" video. BUY IT HERE

[PRESS INFO] 

You'll know Beth from Portishead and Paul Webb from Talk Talk. They've
been friends since before Beth joined Portishead when Beth had auditioned
for Paul's post-Talk Talk band, O'rang. The pair kept in contact and at
the end of the last Portishead tour a break for Beth arose and a
conversation sparked the collaboration.
To hear music and learn all about Beth go to:
www.bethgibbons.com.

Beth Gibbons and Rustin' Man (Paul Weller) are touring America for the
first time in support of their debut Out of Season, due October 7 on
Sanctuary.
Oct.8 - Philadelphia - Theatre of Living Arts
Oct.10 - Brooklyn, NY - St.Ann1s Warehouse
Oct. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - St. Ann1s Warehouse
Oct. 13 - Boston - The Roxy
Oct 15 - Chicago - Metro
Oct 17 - St.Paul, MN - Fitzgerald Theater
Oct.19 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
Oct. 22 - Seattle - Experience Music Project Sky Church
Oct.24 - San Francisco - Warfield Theatre
Oct. 26 - Los Angeles - The Palace/ The Avalon

09/18/2003 Rolling Stone about Gibbons, Webb

(from rolling stone)

Gibbons, Webb Go In "Season"

Portishead singer, Talk Talk bassist bring buzzy album to U.S.

After garnering international acclaim over the past year, Out of Season -- a collaboration by Portishead vocalist Beth Gibbons and ex-Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb -- will finally be released in the U.S. on October 7th.

According to Webb, the long delay in getting the album released stateside is par for the course with Out of Season (recorded under the moniker "Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man"), which the pair spent four years crafting and even longer discussing.

In 1995, Gibbons sang on a track by O'Rang, a band featuring Webb and Talk Talk drummer Lee Harris. Webb says he and Gibbons hit it off so famously that Gibbons lived with him and his wife for a week. He adds, despite their strong friendship, "I knew her as a great singer, not a great songwriter. We never said, 'Oh, we're definitely going to do an album together.'"

When they finally did set down to begin work on the album that would eventually become Out of Season, he says they had one goal: "To make a record different from anything we'd done before."

Because both Gibbons and Webb live in what he describes as "isolated environments," the making of Out of Season was a solitary project for the duo, and he admits there were some nerves when the album came out. "It was a bit worrying, because if the reviews had been terrible, I would've felt like, 'What did I bother doing that for?' Obviously when the reviews came in there was a sense of relief, because we hadn't had any feedback from anybody."

With Gibbons still an active member of Portishead and Webb expecting to take a year off to be with his new baby, there are no definite future plans to continue their collaboration. Because of the strong response though, they have been playing sporadic dates for over the past year with a band that includes Portishead guitarist Adrian Utley and Harris on drums, as well as keyboardist Jason Hazeley Smith, bassist Simon Edwards and violinist Claire Mactaggart.

The group finally makes its way to America in October to wrap up the tour, and there is one silver lining for Americans who had to wait so long to experience Out of Season. "We've done like forty gigs," Webb says, "so now the band's really come together. It's a really hot band now."

Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man tour dates:

10/8: Philadelphia, Theater of Living Arts
10/10-11: Brooklyn, NY, St. Ann's Warehouse
10/13: Boston, The Roxy
10/15: Chicago, Metro
10/17: St.Paul, MN, Fitzgerald Theater
10/19: Denver, CO, Ogden Theater
10/22: Seattle, Experience Music Project Sky Church
10/24: San Francisco, Warfield Theatre
10/26: Los Angeles, The Palace

STEVE BALTIN
(September 17, 2003)

06/01/2003 Beth in the Glastonbury's acoustic stage 

The program of Glastonbury 2003 is now revealed. Headliners of this festival will be radiohead, sigur ros, doves and many more with 11 stages (some of them are new) . Beth Gibbons performs in the acoustic stage on Sunday. The program of that day is:

• Amy Wadge

• Drew

• Erin McKeown

• Roddy Frame

• Cerys Matthews

• Beth Gibbons

• Eric Bibb

• Richard Thompson

04/01/2003 New Phead service: PSA (Phead Sms Alert)

the new Phead service is now available. you can sign up by filling the form with your mobile number and subscribe to the PSA service. You'll receive sms alerts directly to your mobile about Portishead & Beth Gibbons news or other Phead updates.This service is absolutely *FREE* and you won't pay anything by receiving these messages. DO NOT FORGET to fill your moblile number with this form: +44******** ...more
The service is here: SMS.PHEAD.ORG

03/15/2003 Portishead denies "Alien"

Despite the fact that many press magazines mention "Alien" as the new album, Portishead finally updated their "breaking news" section and denied the name or the release of this new album. "Alien" was finally just one more rumour like "Pearl" was and now noone knows what Portishead will do or when they're going to release the new album.. Phead, Ubl, Amg, Pitchfork and Msn-entertainment seemed to be wrong about the new album release but the good news is that the webmaster of the official site *FINALLY* responed to this confusion called "Alien"!! Better than nothing! the official statement is: 

"We have noticed that there is some confusion on an album release called "Alien".

Please be aware that this is NOT a Portishead release. The band are in
the studio working on new material now but no release dates are scheduled as yet.

Keep an eye on the site as any release plans will of course be announced here first!"

As the webmaster of Phead I'd like to wish Portishead good luck to their new work and hope to have their new album soon and not in 6 years or so!

03/14/2003 New Beth's photos from Bush Empire and Grand Rex (Paris)

Thanks to Steve Asenjo and Helene, Phead offers to the fans new Beth's photos from London Shepherds Bush Empire and Grand Rex of Paris. Photos are also can be seen from "tour dates" section. if anyone has photos from any concert and want to support please let me know. photos taken from grand rex are here and from bush empire there

03/04/2003Check out photos from Beth's video clip "Tom The Model"

you can download 5 photos taken from Beth's new video clip at "photos section" here. the video is the track 4 of the new single "Tom the model", Director:Chris Bran / Producer: Rupert Style for Go Beat! Ltd. visit Phead shop or go directly here to purchase

02/23/2003 Is Portishead "over"?

There are four new tour dates by Beth in German and Portugal.

4th April Lisbon Coliseum (Portugal)
6th April Opporto Coliseum (Portugal)
20th June Hurricane Festival (Germany)
21st June Southside Festival (Germany)

There are serious doubts about the future of Portishead as it seems that Beth is going to continue and extend her European tour until this summer. The rumours about the forthcoming [P] album "Alien" are defective as Beth continues the promotion of her album Out Of Season. To avoid any disappointment of Portishead fans, Alien is still an unconfirmed album which is going to be released at the end of March although many sites and music databases include it to the forthcoming releases (like Phead does)..

02/18/2003 More details about "Tom the Model" single

The new single will be released on March 3rd including the following tracklisting:

02/18/2003 The Blank Theory release "Sour Times" remix

The Blank Theory in their album "Beyond the Calm of the Corridor" have released a hard rock cover of Dummy's Sour Times. The band released this album on September 24, 2002 and you can here a clip from Amazon  here. (taken from official board)

02/14/2003 Beth's Glasgow show has been cancelled - tickets sold out to many European towns

Beth has cancelled her show at Glasgow  (QMU) on February 27th. Stay tuned to Phead news to look out for an alternative Scottish date to be announced very soon. Also, all ticketholders will be contacted soon.

As Beth's European tour is continued, many concerts are sold out. Sold-out shows are: Grand Rex-PARIS (17 Feb) , UDK Theatre-BERLIN (21 Feb)

02/01/2003 "Tom the model" single to be released the next month - see the exclusive clip from the official site

This is the cover of the new signle which will be released on 03/03/2003 by Universal. The new single apart from the fantastic song will also feature the new video clip in cd-rom format and other tracks taken from Beth's concert at Olympia theater in Paris. Don't forget to visit Beth's official site to see exclusively the new video from February 1st. You can pre-order the new single from Phead's e-shop here

23/1/2003 PHEAD EXCLUSIVE: Beth's photos at Olympia (PARIS - 11 Novembre 2002- Festival des Inrocks - with David Lynch )

These three photos were taken from Sophie Hay (copyright photo) from Les Inrocks festival with Beth's debut solo show with David Lynch (thet alsi made a cover for a french magazine together). 

The new single "Tom the Model" will include live cuts from Beth's show at Olympia and the new video  of the track which will be available in Beth's official site .

Meanwhile, Portishead's 3rd album "Alien" is going to be released on March 25th by Universal /GoBeat Records-USA. stay tuned to Phead for more latest news Thanks to:John Bratsos

Sophie Hay was one of the official photographers in Beth's show. Her official site with her works is here.

click thumbnail to view

21/1/2003 "Tom the model" will be released on 3-3-2003 as the new Beth's single

This is the first single from the album "out of season" coming with a new video clip available from February! You can visit Beth' official site from 3rd February to see it. Stay tuned

9/1/2003 Two new tour dates of Beth Gibbons in Germany

there are two new and confirmed tour dates in Germany:

20 Feb Delphi Theatre, Hamburg, Germany
21 Feb UDK Theatre, Berlin, Germany

always check out phead:tour dates for the latest dates and venue info

2/1/2003 New DVD featuring live performance of "Glory Box"

There is a new DVD "10 years of LATER..." featuring 30 great live performances like The Verve, Bjork, David Gray, Paul Weller, Oasis, PJ Harvey, Coldplay, Robbie Williams, REM, Morrissey, Moby, Primal Scream, Radiohead and other. Portishead's "Glory Box" is included which was recorded on 12/11/94 at BBC studios. "Later with Jools Holland" has been the ultimate music lover's TV show in the UK with over 20 series and over 130 shows. This collection is a taster of just some of those great musical moments from across those years and there are some interviews with a selection of artists.