Portishead Playing First Concert In Seven Years To Benefit Ukraine
Portishead, British masters of sexy desolation, have not played a live show since they rocked Spain’s Benicàssim Festival back in 2015. (Portishead haven’t released any music in longer than that, but that’s a whole other story.) Next month, though, the group will return to the stage for a small benefit show in their Bristol hometown. Perversely enough, Portishead aren’t even headlining that show. IDLES will top the bill for the show, which is raising money for War Child’s efforts in Ukraine.
Portishead’s first show in seven years goes down 5/2 at the O2 Academy Bristol, a venue with a capacity of only 1200. Along with IDLES and “a special appearance by Portishead,” the bill also features Billy Nomates, Katy J Pearson, Heavy Lungs, Wïlderman, and Willie J Healy. Massive Attack member 3D created artwork and merch specifically for the show. In a statement, Portishead say, “We are really pleased to be able to support the people of Ukraine by performing a few songs at this event in collaboration with the amazing War Child charity.”
As Pitchfork reports, you can only get tickets to the show by raffle. By donating £10 at this website, you get three entries in that raffle. (You have to get in there before 7PM Eastern on 4/24.) You can also get a single raffle entry for free by writing a postcard with your name, address, and email address, in black or blue ink, to this address: War Child Bristol, Studio 320, Highgate Studios, 53-79 Highgate Road, London, NW5 1TL, United Kingdom. Everyone who enters the raffle will get access to the livestream of the show, whether or not you actually get into the show.
It would be cool to get some new Portishead music to go along with this Portishead live show, but we can’t expect miracles.