Porcupine Tree News

The Richard Barbieri Interview

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:21:58 PST

There’s a great fun interview with Richard Barbieri. Find out about the first album he ever bought, Millwall FC, Richard’s ultimate fantasy band, favourite venues, favourite radio show and a whole lot more, by clicking here!

Prodigal on film

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:50:24 PST

Film of the band playing Prodigal live - an out-take from the Anesthetize film - is now up on the PT youtube channel.

Twitter update

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:24:22 PST

Hello folks - if you haven't already we advise you to follow the band's official twitter feed here. porcupinetree.com will be the place to get major updates as always, but the twitter feed will contain daily info and occasional messages from the band, links to reviews, forthcoming release updates, and links to photos and video footage from the road (a short clip of Gavin sound checking yesterday in Cleveland has just been posted.)

Gavin's new website

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:29:25 PST

Gavin has launched his new website here.

PT Twitter feed

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 13:29:54 PST

Finally there is an official Porcupine Tree twitter feed here. Go sign up!

SW Insurgentes DVD and screenings

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:43:40 PST

Burning Shed now have the double DVD of Lasse Hoile's film about SW "Insurgentes" up for pre-order. The first 2,000 copies from the store are going to come with a little extra free gift too! The 2 disc set comes in a hardback digibook with 64 page book, and includes a lot of bonus video and audio material. Also announced is that there will be pre-release screenings of the film, with question and answer sessions with SW and director Lasse Hoile, at Prince Charles Theatre in Leicester Square, London on 2nd September, and at the IFC Centre in New York City on 21st September. There are a small number of tickets available to the public for each of these screenings. NYC tickets are now available from the Burning Shed, with London tickets available directly from Prince Charles here Meanwhile, the fourth of Steven's columns in Electronic Music appears in the September issue, or can be viewed on line here.

When Even Less Means More!

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 06:08:18 PST

Fighting against their jetlag, PT nevertheless turned in a stonking performance at San Francisco’s Warfield according to this review of last night’s gig.

New date for PT

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:46:30 PST

Just added to the band’s itinerary: Aarhus, Denmark at Train on October 4th. Tickets go on sale on August 11th and will be available from here Elsewhere, there’s a bit of a blast from the past to be found in this video interview with SW and Gavin dating from 2007. Including some brief footage of the band soundchecking prior to a gig at Falls Church, VA, SW and GH talk about the virtues of surround sound.

Surrounded by SW

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:17:12 PST

SW has made a contribution to a new book called “Mixing, Recording, and Producing Techniques of the Pros: Insights on Recording Audio for Music, Video, Film, and Games” by Rick Clarke. OK, so it may not be the snappiest title in the world but it does exactly what it says on the tin. SW contributes a chapter on approaches to surround sound mixing. Check out the Amazon page for the book here. There are a few of the limited edition crystal reproductions of The Incident cover artwork still available. Check out the website for further details. Finally, in case you missed it first time around, you can listen to a SW interview over on the Gagliarchives talking about the release of The Incident and beyond. Catch it here .

Working out

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:31:25 PST

Although its been around since The Incident was released, this interview with Steven is a timely reminder as to what he gets to in between this summer’s gigs. No mention of ever sleeping though! SW's remixing of King Crimson's 1970's back catalogue with new Stereo and 5.1 mixes continues apace with In The Wake of Poseidon (1970) and Islands (1971). You can get full details here.

Brilliant Barbieri

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:40:16 PST

Richard Barbieri is singled out for praise by No-Man vocalist Tim Bowness in an interview marking the re-issue of Wild Opera. “Richard is a true original in his approach of music and sound. I think he is of the same importance as people like Brian Eno. Just listen to Japan’s Tin Drum. What Richard does on that album is of sheer brilliance. He also really likes more heavy music so his enthusiasm of playing with Porcupine Tree is genuine. His saves his love for more subtle music for his solo albums.” Read the rest of the interview with Tim here.

Gavin - “a modern-day rhythmic genius”

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:55:43 PST

Gavin Harrison’s book, Rhythmic Designs, has been awarded no less than five stars in the latest edition of Modern Drummer. Exploring and explaining the rhythmic ideas and concepts behind his albums with bassist / singer 05Ric, Drop and Circles, the reviewer notes “The package is very well thought out. Harrison meticulously explains, dissects, and performs examples from each track on the double-sided DVD, while the book helps you follow and learn the written notation of each complete drum track, painstakingly transcribed from the original CDs by Modern Drummer contributor Terry Branam. Harrison is articulate and entertaining as he recounts the construction of his advanced odd-meter and oddly grouped groove patterns. There are also MP3 play-alongs on the DVD. This is an affordable, educational journey into heavy concepts from the creative mind of a modern-day rhythmic genius.” Copies of the book are available from the store . The second album with 05Ric, Circles, is also being remixed for 5.1 surround sound and being reissued on K-Scope. Find out more details and pre-order, here.

Recordings now available

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:24:52 PST

The last major missing piece of the Porcupine Tree back catalogue is finally available again. "Recordings" was originally compiled in 2000 in order to help finance a tour, and although it is mainly a collection of leftover songs from Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun, the band and many fans consider it to be every bit as strong as these albums. It includes favourites such as Buying New Soul, Disappear, Ambulance Chasing, and the full 14 minute version of Even Less. Recordings will be reissued on 23rd August by KScope, faithful to the original edition, but in a digibook sleeve. It's available for pre-order at the PT Store now.

Anesthetize mesmerizing

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 06:13:49 PST

The Blu-ray edition of Anesthetize is reviewed over at Blogcritics. “Porcupine Tree have once again captured another mesmerizing concert performance on DVD. This one will be hard to knock off my best of 2010 list. Special thanks goes out to director/editor Lasse Hoile...His knowledge of the band's music also made for some perfectly timed camera cuts to capture those essential guitar licks, keyboard riffs, and drum fills the moment they occur.” There’s also praise for Gavin, whom the reviewer reckons “may be the best drummer on the planet right now, and Hoile positions cameras at every vantage point around his kit. If you are a Harrison fan, or a fan of great drumming in general, you'll be drooling over some of the shots you get to witness here.” Take a look at the whole review. Elsewhere, SW is talking about his IEM project, his influences and the way experimentation informs all his work. Check it out here.

Two More In October

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:40:32 PST

Porcupine Tree have added another two dates to their itinerary in October. Dublin Tripod 11th October 2010 Belfast Mandela Hall 12th October 2010. The tickets go on sale Friday 30th July. For Dublin click here or phone: 0818 719 300. For Belfast go here or phone: 0844 277 4455

Headphone Dust stock update

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 09:29:59 PST

New vinyl releases just added to Steven Wilson's Headphone Dust mail order page include the new 2LP vinyl edition of Porcupine Tree's In Absentia, and SW's Cover Versions 5 and 6 on 7 inch. Orders for the Cover Version singles will include a special post card of a reproduction of two pages from SW's personal note book, on which he noted any song it occurred to him might be good to record for the series. As with the released cover versions, the list of these unrecorded songs includes some very interesting and unexpected choices! This postcard is only available with the vinyl editions. Also still in stock at Headphone Dust, but down to the very last copies, are the limited Cover Versions CD box set, and the Complete I.E.M. 4 CD box set. These will not be repressed.

3 for Anesthetize

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 00:48:56 PST

3 for Anesthetize Anesthetize has been the subject of multiple reviews over at the Dutch Progressive Rock Pages website. Reviewer Ed Sanders notes “Dark Matter has an extended spooky intro by Barbieri on keys and Strip The Soul is merged with .3. Originally, as a demo, .3 used to be part of a 16 minute version of Strip The Soul, which would later return to the heavy chord section of that track. This 'medley' is the closest you'll get to hearing the band play the original version.” Hector Gomez observes “The performances are, of course, marvelous, with the perfect mix of sobriety and virtuosity only a band like this can manage. Again, hats off to the incredible drumming by Gavin Harrison, Colin Edwin’s subtle but infectious bass lines and, last but not least, the depth and richness of Richard Barbieri’s synths and soundscapes. Special mention to John Wesley on vocals and guitar; I wouldn’t mind if he becomes a regular member (but also I appreciate his independence).” Finally, Dave Baird is more than satisfied with the look of the DVD. “it's directed by Lasse Hoile who knows the music very well indeed and knows/feels when to jump around, when to pan, when to pause and who to focus on at any particular time. This satisfies visually with good movement and satisfies the musical nerds amongst us who are hoping the camera will jump to Gavin to show the upcoming tricky drum-roll, it does, how about those nice fat strings that Richard's about to play, the view switches there too, it's spot-on, I can't remember a point in the film where you feel you've missed anything.” You can read all three reviews over at the DPRP site as well as take part in a competition to win a copy of Anesthetize yourself . Elsewhere, SW’s latest column for EM ponders on compression.

PT & Co Sampled

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 12:18:09 PST

The July edition of Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine has a cover mount CD featuring a track from PT. The sampler for the K-Scope label, includes Way Out of Here from FOABP, as well as All Fall Down from Richard Barbieri’s solo album, Stranger Inside, Circles from Gavin Harrison and 05ric’s album of the same name, and No Twilight from SW’s album, Insurgentes. Other related tracks includes an edit of True North from No Man’s Schoolyard Ghosts, and Once by Blackfield. Anesthetize is given the 4-star treatment in the pages of August edition of Record Collector. Of the Blu-ray and DVD set, the magazine notes “It’s a consummately filmed and edited presentation that effectively draws in the visual backdrops and succeeds in rellaying back the feel and atmosphere of a band whose compelling conceit is their juxtaposition of geeky scientific constructs with a brooding rock swagger.”

Bonnie The Cat Global Premiere

Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:02:41 PST

There’s a brand new video for Bonnie The Cat to feast your eyes upon from today. You can see the video right here. Our thanks also to our partners who’ve helped make it happen at Revolver, Total Guitar, Music Radar, Classic Rock magazine, and Metal Hammer

Exciting Times

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:44:04 PST

Congratulations go to Gavin and his book, Rhythmic Designs , which took the Best in Show prize at the Summer NAMM show held in Nashville recently! PT’s upcoming gig in Israel is the subject of this feature and “For all the apocalyptic clamor about the death of the album, this is actually a very exciting time for recording artists”, says SW in his latest column for Electronic Musician. Check out SW’s thinking over at EM. Finally speaking of albums, mention of the 180g vinyl edition of In Absentia mentioned recently, reminds us that Lasse Hoile has a few prints left of the iconic cover over at his site.

PT Play Germany

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:18:35 PST

The band will be undertaking a series of German dates in October and tickets are on sale now. October 5th Steintor-Variete, Halle October 6th Admiralspalast, Berlin October 7th RurhCongress,Bochum October 8th Brahms-Saal, Karlsrhue

Facebook pages

Sun, 27 Jun 2010 18:32:27 PST

Gavin Harrison and Steven Wilson now both have their own official facebook pages, which they will be using for regular news updates - please go ahead and subscribe to these pages: here for Gavin and here for Steven.

In Absentia back on vinyl

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 05:15:25 PST

ToneFloat are now pre-selling a new 180gm double vinyl edition of PT's In Absentia album. It came out on vinyl originally through Warners in 2003, but that version sold out very quickly and has become quite a rarity these days. They are also pre-selling the last two Steven Wilson Cover Version 7 inch singles, which completes the vinyl series. There's no box for them all to go in as there is with the CD version, but orders will also include a post card of a reproduction of two pages from SW's personal note book on which he noted any song it occurred to him that might be good to record for the series. Both the PT vinyl and Cover Version singles are expected to ship on 12th July.

Anesthetize - taking you where other DVDs don’t go

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:12:33 PST

Anesthetize has been picking up some good reviews. Over on the Blogcritics site, the way in which the camera work takes you deep into the band’s working environment is clearly appreciated. “With many of the shots filmed from behind Harrison's kit, you see everything from the double-bass movements of his feet during "Halo" to the all of those little cymbals and bells he hits during the intricate drum parts on "Anesthetize." Harrison's status as a world-class skinsman is no secret to PT fans of course. But seeing it up close and personal is a revelation. Likewise, the contributions of keyboardist Richard Barbieri and bassist Colin Edwin come into much sharper focus here. On "Anesthetize," you hear Edwin playing bass parts you never even knew were there before, and the sweep of Barbieri's keyboards during songs like "Dark Matter" and "Sentimental" is so deep it nearly swallows you. On the latter, there is also a very cool shot near the song's end where the keys themselves are reflected in Barbieri's ever-present shades.” Read more here. Similarly, the reviewer at Bring The Noise webmag is impressed with the DVD’s direction overall. “It’s obvious why they repeatedly choose to collaborate with Danish born Hoile Having previously directed videos ‘Blackfield’ and ‘Time Flies’ as well as the ‘Blackfield Live in NY’ DVD they clearly share a vision, the images chosen, created and manipulated to appear on the large screens complement the bands unique sound perfectly. The manner in which the show has been put on, whilst being spectacular is by no means overindulgent or extravagant like many other concerts with a budget for stage enhancement. With this particular live experience as a viewer you feel more as though you are part of an art installation, just one that takes place in a rather grand gallery space!! For fans this is an absolute essential for the collection, and for Porcupine Tree virgins and Video Art fanatics alike I would similarly recommend a viewing. Whether you end up finding a new favourite band or not, you are at last sure to witness, via the screen of your TV or laptop, a band who are unfaltering in their ability to put on a flawless and inspiring show.” Check out the full review here . SW is the subject of an in-depth and insightful interview by the always-excellent Innerviewswebsite run by ace music writer, Anil Prasad.

US dates with Coheed and Cambria

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:14:50 PST

PT is happy to announce that the band will be joining Coheed and Cambria to coheadline 12 dates in the US in August. Tickets are on sale to the general public this Friday, June 25th The band will also be headlining their own show at The Warfield in San Francisco on August 11th. ROABP info to be posted shortly. 11th San Francisco, CA - The Warfield (PT only) 12th Hollywood, CA – Hollywood Palladium 13th Las Vegas, NV – The Joint 14th San Diego, CA – 4th and B (21+) 16th Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater 17th El Paso, TX – Club 101 18th San Antonio, TX - Sunset Station 20th Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall 21st Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium 22nd Nashville, TN – War Memorial Auditorium 23rd St Louis, MO - Pageant 25th Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room 26th Cleveland, OH – Nautica Pavilion

Atlanta Mick Karn benefit release

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:04:15 PST

"Atlanta", a complete 2 hour live performance from the Fear of a Blank Planet tour, is now available as a download from the PT Store. The show was recorded and mixed to the usual PT standards in order to provide material for a planned live album, but when the decision was taken to film much of the same repertoire in Holland for a major DVD release instead, the Atlanta recording ended up back in the vault. Now PT have now decided to make it available in complete form as a download only release to raise funds for Mick Karn's treatment for cancer. Although the repertoire is similar to that on the Anesthetize DVD, the performance has its own atmosphere, and also includes the first ever officially released live recording of "A Smart Kid". The mp3s are high quality 320kbps files, and there is a break between tracks 8 and 9 in case you want to burn your own 2 CD set, for which Carl Glover has also provided CD artwork. Please note that profits from the sale of the Atlanta download will go to Mick Karn and his family.

PT Chart Attack!

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:38:30 PST

Anesthetize continues to conquer the charts, popping up the following countries: Finland No.1 Germany No.2 UK No.6 Sweden No.6 Holland No.8 Italy No.13 Australia No.18 Meanwhile, there’s a new set of pix over at the The Incident tour blog. This time it’s the turn of Chicago’s Riviera to step into the spotlight.

PT sell out!

Sun, 13 Jun 2010 03:48:23 PST

The Anesthetize DVD + Blu-ray Edition is doing so well, Amazon can’t keep up with the demand. read all about it here. Meanwhile there’s an IMDB entry for Anesthetize where reviews of the set can be posted - it’d be great to see it trending on that site.

Celebrate the summer festivals in PT Style

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:34:43 PST

Unfortunately it is not practical to get PT merchandise to all the band's festivals appearances (not to mention the inflated prices that many of the festivals want to charge you guys for t-shirts!), so instead we have decided to make a Special Edition PORCUPINE TREE - THE FESTIVALS t-shirt available online to commemorate the 2010 Summer dates. The front features a crowd of Incident men and the back print has "PORCUPINE TREE - THE FESTIVALS" and the dates of all the outdoor Summer shows. Order it now and wear it to the festival! Also new to the store is the Anesthetize hooded sweatshirt featuring the Porcupine Tree logo on the front breast pocket area and a large print of the DVD cover artwork on the back. Extra stock of the incredibly popular Anesthetize t-shirts will also be ready to ship next week. Both The Festivals and Anesthetize shirts are also available in a girls fit t-shirt.

Auction for Mick Karn

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 09:17:47 PST

Some of you may already have heard the sad news that Mick Karn, one of the most talented bass players of his generation, has recently been diagnosed with the advanced stages of cancer. Mick was previously in the band Japan along with Richard Barbieri, and Steven and Gavin have also worked and toured with Mick. There is an appeal for funds to help pay for his medical and care expenses on the Mick Karn website, as well as for financial support for his family. Money raised by selling some Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson rarities on eBay is being donated to the fund, including two copies of the special edition red cover version of "Anesthetize" (with 120 page book, DVD, Blu-Ray and 2 audio CDs), which you can bid on here.