Beth Gibbons

Nearly 15 years after her band last performed in Australia, iconic  Portishead vocalist Beth Gibbons returns – her singular voice as intense ever –  for her very first solo performance as part of Vivid LIVE. 

Few voices are as instantly recognisable, as spooky and seductive, as that of Beth Gibbons. The English singer-songwriter rose to fame as the voice of trip-hop trio Portishead, a group whose slinky, sinister beats and jazz-infused vocals set them apart from the chill-out sounds of the 90s. Now, 14 years after the band last toured Australia, Gibbons returns for her first solo show, performing tracks from her critically acclaimed new album Lives Outgrown and a selection of classics from across her career. 

Following the era-defining sound of Portishead’s debut Dummy (1994) and their self-titled 1997 sequel, Gibbons spent the band’s extended hiatus recording 2002’s eerie chamber-folk album Out of Season, alongside Talk Talk’s Paul Webb, working with Annie Lennox, French icon Jane Birkin, and contributing to film soundtracks. Portishead reunited for the revered Third (2008), while Gibbons continued on collaborations with Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and – on 2022’s Grammy-nominated Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers – superstar rapper Kendrick Lamar, who tapped her unmistakable voice for Mother I Sober.

Last year, Gibbons released her rapturously received solo debut Lives Outgrown, and played a series of shows that found her astonishing vocals – and gripping stage presence – as powerful, and as haunting, as ever.

Presented by Sydney Opera House