As part of Brian Eno’s Together for Palestine benefit at London’s Wembley Arena on Wednesday, Portishead reunited — on video. They did not perform live in person in Wembley but shot a special, new in-studio performance of their Dummy classic “Roads.” Beth Gibbons, Adrian Utley and Geoff Barrow were joined by a string section and, crucially, a keyboardist on Fender Rhodes (which inspired the song’s title). Shattering as always.
“We are incredibly honoured to stand in solidarity with Palestine and be part of this crucial event,” Portishead wrote in a statement. “The genocide must stop.”
The “Roads” video was shot with the concert’s wide LED screens in mind, and if you watch it on Portishead’s YouTube it an extremely wide aspect ratio that might make you think your browser is malfunctioning. (Embedded below it’s very narrow but fits on the screen.) Sadly, the YouTube livestream of the whole Together for Palestine benefit has been made private.
Portishead last got together in 2022 for a livestream performance during the pandemic that benefitted Warchild UK.
Watch below.