History Music / Portishead

* NonAppearingTitle: A favorite trope of theirs (including their three most successful songs ''Glory Box'' (their breakthrough UK hit single), ''Sour Times'' (their big US rock radio hit) and ''All Mine''(their highest charting UK single)

* UncommonTime: A few songs on ''Third'' are in unusual time signatures. The song 'Small', for example, is partly in 11/4 time.

The other famous TripHop act from Bristol that helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] and popularize the genre alongside Music/MassiveAttack and Tricky, Portishead is an English band that has been rolling around the music scene since 1991, taking its name from a town eight miles west of Bristol. The band consists of the following members:

The other famous TripHop act from Bristol that helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] and popularize the genre alongside Music/MassiveAttack and Music/{{Tricky}}, Portishead is an English band that has been rolling around the music scene since 1991, and was named after a town eight miles west of Bristol. The band consists of the following members:

Dave [=McDonald=] is occasionally named their "fourth member", having served as engineer and producer and occasionally contributed instruments on all their albums.

Portishead's famous SignatureStyle is a combination of hip hop-inspired breakbeats, dense production (often using [[{{Sampling}} samples]]), Utley's distorted guitars, dark and melancholic atmospheres, influences from spy film soundtracks, and Gibbons' haunting vocals. Their music is only enhanced by their FilmNoir aesthetics and {{Surreal Music Video}}s.

These elements brought them critical and commercial success right out the gate with their debut ''Music/{{Dummy}}'', but their future releases pursued [[NewSoundAlbum harsher,]] {{darker|AndEdgier}} sounds. While 1997's ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Portishead]]'' explored a more bleak and aggressive variant of trip hop, 2008's ''Third'' -- the band's first studio release in 11 years following Barrow putting it on hiatus -- forwent the genre completely for a sound with influences as eclectic as {{krautrock}}, {{surf rock}}, {{doo wop}}, and Creator/JohnCarpenter soundtracks. Ever since then, although the band has mainly kept active through occasional touring and single releases, statements from Barrow have maintained that a fourth album is still on the table.

* AccentuateTheNegative: Their music is very gloomy. Taken UpToEleven on [[DarkerAndEdgier Third]].

* NonAppearingTitle: A favorite trope of theirs.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly: They're classified as "trip-hop", but they're more if Music/NineInchNails was a jazz band instead and if ''Trent Reznor'' was a middle-aged woman -- there's not much rapping going on, compared to Music/MassiveAttack.

These elements brought them critical and commercial success right out the gate with their debut ''Music/{{Dummy}}'', but their future releases pursued [[NewSoundAlbum harsher,]] {{darker|AndEdgier}} sounds. While 1997's ''[[SelfTitledAlbum Portishead]]'' explored a more bleak and aggressive variant of trip hop, 2008's ''Third'' -- the band's first studio release in 11 years following Barrow putting it on hiatus -- forwent the genre completely for influences as eclectic as {{krautrock}}, {{surf rock}}, {{doo wop}}, and Creator/JohnCarpenter soundtracks. Ever since then, although the band has mainly kept active through occasional touring and single releases, statements from Barrow have maintained that a fourth album is still on the table.

In 1994, the band members also wrote and acted in a short film titled ''To Kill a Dead Man''; while the whole thing is available in the bonus section of their ''Roseland NYC Live'' DVD, footage from the film was also converted into the music video for the song "Sour Times", and stills of it were used in the album art of ''Dummy''.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/portishead_altafide_300x193.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300: Making soundtracks for imaginary FilmNoir spy movie fever dreams since 1994.]]

The other famous TripHop band from Bristol that helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] and popularize the genre alongside Music/MassiveAttack and Music/{{Tricky}}. Portishead have been rolling around the music scene since 1991, and named themselves after a town eight miles west of Bristol. The band consists of the following members:

Portishead's famous SignatureStyle is a combination of hip hop-inspired breakbeats, dense productions, Utley's distorted guitars, influences from spy film soundtracks, samples, and Gibbons' haunting vocals. Their music is only enhanced by their FilmNoir-influenced aesthetics and {{Surreal Music Video}}s. These elements brought them critical and commercial success right out the gate with their debut ''Music/{{Dummy}}'', but ever since they've pursued a harsher, more dissonant DarkerAndEdgier sound marked by claustrophobia, heavy distortion, and industrial influences on their future albums, ''Portishead'' and ''Third''.

In 1994 they made a short film titled ''To Kill a Dead Man'', which they wrote and acted in. They're also infamous for taking a long time to make albums, a trait shared by their fellow Bristolians Massive Attack -- they were on a long hiatus between 1999-2005.

During their hiatuses, Barrow has worked solo, as a member of the trio Beak, and as a member of the hip-hop supergroup Quakers. Gibbons has released one album with ex-Music/TalkTalk bassist Paul Webb, credited as Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man. Utley has done session and soundtrack work and was a member of jazz group Stonephace.

Discography:

[[caption-width-right:300: Making soundtracks for imaginary FilmNoir spy movie fever dreams since 1994]]

The other famous TripHop band from Bristol that helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] and popularize the genre alongside Music/MassiveAttack. Portishead have been rolling around the music scene since 1991, and named themselves after a town eight miles west of Bristol. The band consists of the following members:

* ShoutOut: "Wandering Star"'s title and chorus contain one to the ''Literature/EpistleOfJude'' from the New Testament, specifically Jude 1:13 in the King James version:

* ShoutOut: "Wandering Star"'s title and chorus contain one to the ''Literature/EpistleOfJude'' from the Literature/NewTestament, specifically Jude 1:13 in the King James version:

* MoodWhiplash: "Deep Waters" in the middle of ''Third'', which is a Hawaiian tune about a girl choosing to face her fears.

* MoreDakka: "Machine Gun" uses percussion to audibly apply this effect, though the song itself has nothing to do with the trope.
** This was used to good effect in the VideoGame/MetroLastLight [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1djPuvDnw trailer]], with the beats syncing up to gunfire.

[[caption-width-right:300:Making soundtracks for imaginary {{Film Noir}} spy movie fever dreams since 1994]]

In 1994 they made a short film titled ''To Kill a Dead Man'', which they wrote and acted in. They're also infamous for taking a long time to make albums, a trait shared by their fellow Bristolians Music/MassiveAttack - they were on a long hiatus between 1999-2005.

!!Portishead contains instances of the following tropes:

--> "Esteja alerta para a regra dos três/Beware the Rule of Three"
* CreepyChild: The girl in the video for "All Mine."

* InTheStyleOf: "We Carry On" is a tribute to 60s' electronic pioneers Silver Apples, who returned the favour by covering it in their live sets.
* LastNoteNightmare - "Silence" ends in, well... silence.

* MoodWhiplash - "Deep Waters" in the middle of ''Third'', which is a Hawaiian tune about a girl choosing to face her fears.
** "Glory Box" is either a woman asking her husband to be a bit more caring and loving, or a cheating woman tired of cheating man asking the same question. Either way, the lyrics - and music, somewhat - aren't as sad as the rest of the songs on the album.

** This was used to good effect in the VideoGame/MetroLastLight [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Su1djPuvDnw trailer]], with the beats syncing up to gunfire.

* {{Theremin}}: Played by Utley on "Mysterons". "Humming" also has a Theremin-ish sound, but that's actually a Moog. Both get used if - and when - they do play live.

* NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly - They're classified as "trip-hop", but they're more if Music/NineInchNails was a jazz band instead and if TrentReznor was a middle-aged woman - there's not much rapping going on, compared to Music/MassiveAttack.

The other famous TripHop band from Bristol that helped [[TropeCodifier codify]] and popularize the genre alongside Music/MassiveAttack. Portishead have been rolling around the music scene since 1991. The band consists of the following members:

Portishead's famous SignatureStyle is a combination of hip hop-inspired breakbeats, dense productions, Utley's distorted guitars, influences from spy film soundtracks, samples, and Gibbons' haunting vocals. Their music is only enhanced by their FilmNoir-influenced aesthetics and {{Surreal Music Video}}s These elements brought them critical and commercial success right out the gate with their debut ''Music/{{Dummy}}'', but ever since they've pursued a harsher, more dissonant DarkerAndEdgier sound marked by claustrophobia, heavy distortion and industrial influences on ''Portishead'' and ''Third''.

!!Tropes: