Haunting, intense and
dangerous.
Portishead absolutely
smashed the Vector last night, filling our ears with gold. It was the
percussive chaos of Silence that led the way with Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow
and Adrian Utley owning the stage staunch with passion.
We were standing about five
rows from the front; right in the centre so had a great view of the entire
band. Beth was front and center opposite us, visually sharing the stage with a
large video screen projection. A combination of live images, pre-recorded
digital artwork and illustrations morphed in and out, perfectly synced with the
band – it was magic. A special thanks to both John for the visuals and the sound
technicians - it was without a doubt the best sound I have ever heard at
the Vector.
The show really kicked in
with the space-age Mysterons, seamlessly followed by The Rip. Hearing ‘White
Horses’ howled through the microphone whilst grinning with my girlfriend almost
melted me to the floor. Another highlight of the night for me was the quiet,
and eerie performance of Wandering Star, performed seated by the band. It was
followed by a song I like to dance jerky to - Machine Gun from Third, with
Gibbons’ delicate vocals mashed into industrial beats to create a fierce little
number. Clive Deamer who recently featured on Radiohead's King of Limbs did an
excellent job of drumming in this song and actually, I was impressed by
Geoff and his drumming throughout their whole set.
With plenty of incredible
tracks to fill the spots between my favourite tunes, Portishead remained poised and powerful
to the end, closing the curtains with a favourite of Geoff Barrows and mine - a
terrifying version of Threads.
The crowd went crazy,
throwing all our appreciation into hands. Whistles and shouting followed with
people in the seats drumming their feet for an encore. About a minute later,
the talented Beth Gibbons and her entourage appeared onstage, notably
overwhelmed by their warm reception. Straight into Roads, a number the audience
had been waiting to hear, Portishead played out their encore with what they do
best, eerie intensity. It was so beautiful; the whole evening was like nothing
I’ve ever heard before.
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