Portishead

Portishead formed in Bristol in 1991, Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley developing a sound that drew on film noir, spy movie soundtracks, soul, and hip-hop in ways that nobody had quite done before. They signed to Go! Beat Records and released their debut album 'Dummy' (1994) — one of the most important British albums of the decade.

'Dummy' was an immediate phenomenon. 'Sour Times', 'Glory Box', and 'Wandering Star' were all extraordinary — Gibbons's voice, fragile and devastating in equal measure, floating above Barrow's sample-based production. The album won the Mercury Prize and sold over two million copies in the UK alone. Trip-hop was suddenly the most talked-about genre in British music.

The self-titled second album (1997) was even darker and more experimental. 'Third' (2008) — released after an eleven-year gap — was their most radical departure: industrial, abrasive, and completely unexpected. It divided opinion but is now recognised as one of the most important British albums of its decade. Gibbons has also had a successful solo career.