Glastonbury

Portishead - Live Stream (2013x24)

Air date: Jun 28, 2013

It's hard to believe it's nearly 20 years since Portishead oozed in to the mainstream with seminal triphop album Dummy. Pioneers in the genre and proudly wearing their West Country roots on their sleeves, Beth Gibbons and her boys are still going strong. After Beth's collaboration with Rustin Man on 2002's Out of Season, 2008 saw the release of long-awaited album Third. According to The New York Times, guitarist Adrian Utley revealed that they'd set a rule not to rely on any instruments or sounds associated with previous work. Forcing such brave new ground yet still retaining their delicately tormented melodies led to singles such as The Rip, which slowly tantalises as it builds to an emphatic crescendo. With the sun setting, the flags fluttering in the breeze and the strains of Glory Box and Sour Times drifting across the fields, it's hard to imagine a more perfect Other Stage headliner.