aaamusic | On 09, Dec 2014

Thursday 4th Decemeber, London

Portico’s latest press release states that their “new music is born of a desire to create newness out of the ideas of loss and change.” There has been a lot of “newness” and “change” since their excellent third album, Portico Quartet, was released in 2012…

First of all they’re no longer a quartet, having lost percussionist Keir Vine (oh, how I loved his Hang drum!), and they are now simply called Portico. Second of call, they are now signed to the ever-excellent Ninja Tune label. Thirdly, they have changed their sound, largely ditching their trademark instrumental post-jazz noodlings in favour of a new post-dubstep-meets-neo-soul direction. Lastly, the bulk of their new compositions are vocal led, with Joe Newman (from alt-j), Jamie Woon (where the hell have you been?) and Jono McCleery (the new touring member of Portico, fleshing the trio out to a…quartet) all featuring on their new album. This all sounds great, right? So what’s the problem? Well, fans tend to frown at words like “newness” and “change” (and “loss”, for that matter) when it involves their favourite band, and we were all pretty happy with the way Portico (Quartet) were before. What can these incredible jazz experimentalists offer the overcrowded, vocal-led post-dubstep arena? Well, an awful lot as it turns out.

Portico have, of course, always dabbled in electronic music, whether that be lacing their hypnotic avant-garde jazz with subtle electronics or releasing that mighty fine Live/Remix album, which featured remixes by DJ friends and peers. With a few lower level artists trying to recreate the unique Portico sound of yesteryear, it’s the right time for these guys to evolve. The real key to all this, though, is fellow Ninja Tunian Jono McCleery, who is not so much a ‘featured guest’ (of both album and tour), but an integral collaborator; a true component of this new Portico sound. His ethereal, gospel-tinted vocals evoke both James Blake and Sohn, at least in terms of their range and delivery, yet have an unusual depth to them, giving his voice warmth where Blake and Sohn can feel cold.

Gone are the double bass and Hang (sad face). Instead, there are lots of synths, programming equipment, pad-heavy kit drum kit and an electronic bass. The sound here in the exquisite Islington Assembly Hall – a grade II listed building that first opened in 1930 – is impressive, with the perfect level of bass – important, as much of the new music is bass-driven. Tonight’s set is all about the new album; no old material is aired. What we get is a synth-washed collection of post-dubstep tunes with little in the way of traditional jazz. Skittering beats propel the songs, driven by Duncan Bellamy’s drums, with McCleery’s vocals front and centre. This is brooding electronic pop music built around fantastic melodies. Occasionally, the trio drop in some sublime but short instrumental flourishes, especially during a few instrumental numbers, but it is clear that Portico have reined in all their exploratory musical tendencies to create relatively simple, retrained and accessible songs. These are melody-driven songs, not ambient pieces of music.

‘Bright Luck’, which I wasn’t sure about when I first heard it, sounds much fuller live, especially now that I’ve had time to acclimatise to this radical change in direction. Jono McCleery’s voice is captivating and the echoic, Burial-like drums hit much harder, especially the jittery but rhythmic percussive elements that come in for the close of the song. The dubsteppy ‘Living Fields’ features McCleery’s distorted vocals and some burrowing bass, building to a pulsating, hectic electro ending. Both these tracks feature McCleery on the album, but he also handles the songs by Joe Newman and Jamie Woon (which is shame as Woon was in the audience. Goddamn it Jamie, we miss you!). The rest of the music presented tonight sticks to this pattern, with various parts riffing off Darkstar, Moderat and, of course, Jamie Woon.

To sum up, Portico smash this album preview, which will be of no surprise. This new electronic RnB tinged post-dubstep sound suits them, oddly enough, because they can add inspired layers and nuances to this tired genre that pretty much no one else could. With that said, it’ll be interesting to see just what kind of reaction their new album, Living Fields, gets when it is released next March, especially considering the oversaturation that this whole vocal-led, post-dubstep genre fell prey to this year. They’ll certainly alienate their contemporary jazz fans, but I’m pretty sure they couldn’t care less. Why should Portico be defined by a bloody Hang drum anyway?

Clive Paris Rozario

The new Portico album, Living Fields, will be out March 23rd…