So I went to see Portishead on Monday night with some people at the Sound Academy. I was looking forward to this show for a long time and it definitely did not disappoint. The Bristol based band has been together since 1991 and this was their first time in Toronto in 14 years. They fired up a great set track after track, and their selection from previous albums was really well-rounded. This was a great performance by some serious musicians.
Glory Box Live in Roseland, NY (1997)
Beth Gibbons is undeniably a magical creature, she exudes raw femininity and has an incredibly delicate, soft and potent voice. I was wishing that she would have lit up a cigarette on stage at some point as she does in the video above, maybe the sexiest thing ever. And though it didn't happen, she'll still always have a special place in my heart.
The only downer was that the concert was at Sound Academy, which in my opinion is the worst. It's too narrow and it butchers live sound, particularly vocalists - but thankfully the purity of Gibbons couldn't even be touched by the Sound Academy's shittiness. I also got sick from this concert, as the show was oversold and therefore ridiculously hot inside and too cold outside. But it was all worth it. A really cool element of the show as well were the projections on stage, there were some really cool animations as well as incredible live editing of some footage - kind of made up for the fact that no one could see the actual musicians.
