Portishead lead singer Beth Gibbons hits the high notes on the main stage Saturday night at Coachella.
By Katharine Gammon
INDIO, California — Portishead played to a rapt audience Saturday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Singer Beth Gibbons, visibly older than the last time the band was in the public eye, showed that Portishead has not lost relevance during the group’s decade-long absence from the indie music scene. She sat close to the microphone during most of the show, leaning in to croon her haunting vocals on "Wandering Star." Portishead took the main stage at 10:15 p.m. and played for about 45 minutes to warm up the crowd for the Coachella headliner, Prince.
Portishead‘s long-awaited third album, Third, is due April 28; the band released a single, "Machine Gun" for download April 14, and has been touring Europe since late 2007. The Coachella appearance marks the band’s return to the United States.
The annual Coachella art and music fest takes place at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio. More than 150,000 tickets were sold for the desert festival this year, with 125 bands slated to perform over the course of three days.
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<a href="http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/coachella-vs-al.html">Coachella vs. All Tomorrow’s Parties</a></li> <li><a href="http://blog.wired.com/music/2008/04/coachella-fin-1.html">Coachella: Art, Stages Get Finishing Touches</a></li> </ul>
