Portishead

Portishead are the Bristol, England trio of Beth Gibbons, Geoff Barrow and Adrian Utley, whose brooding, cinematic sound helped define trip hop alongside acts like Massive Attack. 'Over' is the second single from their acclaimed 1997 self-titled album, built on Gibbons' haunting vocal and the band's signature blend of hip-hop breaks, jazz chords and noir atmosphere. The band's body of work earned them an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music in 2016, and their debut Dummy had already won the 1995 Mercury Music Prize, cementing them as one of the most influential UK acts of the '90s. Portishead have never officially broken up; they played a 2022 benefit show in Bristol for War Child, and Beth Gibbons released a well-received solo album, Lives Outgrown, in 2024.

From the notes for Episode 06 · fact-checked Sep 23, 2026.