Portishead have released their album, Third, their first studio work in 11 years. We talk to the group's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley about the long-awaited release.

By Andy Welch

Like hen's teeth, rocking horse droppings or phoenix tears, the existence of Portishead's third album had become something of a myth over the years.

Few music lovers thought they'd ever hear new music from the Bristol-based trio. The band's last release before the forthcoming Third - in shops on April 28 - was 1998's Roseland NYC Live, recorded from a New York concert a year previously.

There had been occasional rumours of new material in the music press for years, as well as reports from the band that they were writing and recording, although nothing surfaced.

Even after the band themselves confirmed they were working on a new album, some fans seemed unconvinced, until a live set at last year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival (which the band also curated) had the doubters eating their words.

"To be honest, we never thought we'd hear another album from us either," say the band's Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley almost in unison, before bursting into laughter.

The pair, sitting in the basement of an exclusive member's club for a series of interviews, look a little out of their comfort zone today, and give the impression they'd rather be anywhere but here, being offered herbal tea and talking about themselves.

Despite this, they are both extremely friendly and, especially in Geoff's case, very candid. They chat among themselves about their children - Geoff is currently concerned with a bout of chickenpox at home - but mainly they talk about music, and totally come to life when doing so.

"I think we always thought there would be another album," reflects Adrian, Portishead's guitarist and co-producer. "There was no sense that there wasn't ever going to be one, we just got on with doing other stuff for a while."

"Yeah, quite a while," chips in Geoff, referring to the 11-year gap between Third and the band's last studio album, Portishead. "Actually, it's all an elaborate hoax," he continues, smiling. "There's no album at all."

Of course, he's joking. There is an album, and stunning it is too - more stripped down than its two predecessors, more abrasive, and far less likely to be played at dinner parties or on TV shows, as much of Portishead's back catalogue has been - much to the band's annoyance.

Lead single from the album, Machine Gun, is about as unsettling a piece of music as you will hear, with just Beth Gibbons's trademark vocals sitting over a mechanical, terrifying beat that sounds like, well, a machine gun.

It's a stark contrast to their 1995 Mercury Prize-winning debut Dummy, which brimmed with lushly arranged slices of dub and jazzy electronica. As they burst onto the scene in the early 90s with fellow Bristolians Tricky and Massive Attack, Portishead earned the tag of 'trip hop' pioneers - but don't utter the phrase when the band are in earshot, they detest the label.

Dummy spawned a number of highly acclaimed singles, including the atmospheric and tense compositions Sour Times and Glory Box, while the follow-up, Portishead, which was released in 1997, featured much harsher sounds and darker themes. Nevertheless, it was a hit and again, contained a number of big singles, one of which, All Mine, made the Top 10 in the UK.

Despite all being well with Portishead's music at this time, the same couldn't be said for the members' private lives. Both Geoff and Adrian's marriages broke down due to their hectic touring schedules and commitments to the band. As a result, third time around, the pair are keen not to repeat the same mistakes.

"That just feels like another human being that did all that years ago," says Geoff. "I had a different brain then. I've got someone else's now. That was a really odd time. It wasn't particularly happy, or creative. Then we went and did a massive tour."

"We toured for two years, and by the end of it we were completely thrashed," adds Adrian. "It sounds really melodramatic, but the thought of making new music and touring again was a really dark place to come back to. That's partly why we're not touring massively this time, although part of that is to do with the fact we all have kids now - so they're the sunshine in our day."

"And I hate playing live," says Geoff, finally. "It's really hard to bring such studio-based albums to life and I think it's killing me really slowly every time we try. I get this gut-wrenching feeling that feels like it could cause an ulcer. I don't need it in my life really!"

But why was there so long between albums? The band never officially broke up - their time away was merely a temporary hiatus that went on too long - and the word 'comeback' is well and truly frowned upon when mentioned.

In 2001, Geoff and Adrian decamped to Australia to work on what they hoped would become a new Portishead album, although the sessions at their friend's recording studio never amounted to anything.

So, lacking the spark they needed, the pair abandoned what they'd done during a three-month stint Down Under and continued to pursue other projects to occupy their creative minds.

"We needed to hear something that was inspiring and the music we made in Oz hadn't moved on a great deal," admits Geoff. "When you make music and work hard but you're unenthused by it, you start to question whether you're any good at anything."

"A while afterwards, we went off to produce The Coral's album The Invisible Invasion," continues Adrian. "They're creatively brilliant, that band. Amazing. I think as Geoff and I were back in the studio together, there was a huge realisation for us. We remembered we were in a band as well.

"I don't know whether we'd lost that feeling, but straight after doing The Coral's album we got on with our own stuff, so they were the catalyst for the album in a way.

"I think it was 2004 when we got together and started working on some tracks that it all started coming together properly," he says.

"We were all always doing other things - films, producing albums, making solo albums or whatever, so it's not like we ever stood still. It sounds completely mad now when we're discussing it. How can 11 years go by so quickly?"

Names: Portishead - Geoff Barrow, Adrian Utley and Beth Gibbons

Ages: Geoff is 36, Adrian is 50 and Beth is 43

Career high: Releasing debut album Dummy, which sold more than two million copies in Europe alone

Career low: The band's virtual meltdown after releasing and touring second album Portishead

Famous for: Their atmospheric, filmic music.

Words of wisdom: Geoff on the Mercury Music Prize: "I didn't believe in the Mercury Prize when we won it. Music intellectuals judging music? Rubbish. That sounds ungrateful, but it's not meant to. You could have someone's life work in a country album, and then try to compare it to a techno record. Why can't we just celebrate 10 records and make it a TV show and just say everyone won it and have a good time?"

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