Portishead are an English musical group from Bristol. The band is named after the nearby town of the same name, 13 km (8 mi) west of Bristol.

The band was formed in Bristol in 1991, by Geoff Barrow, Beth Gibbons and Adrian Utley. Previously, Barrow had been working as a tape operator (including work with Massive Attack and Tricky), Gibbons was singing in pubs, and Utley had played jazz guitar for Big John Patton and The Jazz Messengers.

Portishead's first album, Dummy, was released in 1994 and the first single was "Numb." The album was successful in both Europe and the United States.

Their second album, Portishead, was released in 1997. The album's sound differed from Dummy, the main differences being that much of the music was composed and recorded by the band, then pressed to vinyl. This created a grainy, harsher sound. Three singles, "Cowboys", "Over" and "All Mine" were released, the latter achieving a Top 10 placing in the UK.

For the next few years, the band members concentrated on solo and other pursuits, until in February 2005, the band appeared live for the first time in seven years at the Tsunami Benefit Concert in Bristol.

Portishead's newest 11-track album "Third" went live on last.fm last week attracting 327.000 listeners in just under 24 hours. It was the first time Last.fm has made an album available before its official release date.

www.portishead.co.uk