Porcupine Tree

Porcupine Tree (in French: " The pig-épic" tree;) is a British group of progressive Rock formed with Hemel Hempstead in England in the Années 1980. Initially like an experimentation in solo of the guitarist, singer and type-setter Steven Wilson, the group is made today of four musicians. The album more sold per hour of today is Deadwing left in 2005.

Their music is a mixture of Rock psychedelic, Ambient, Pop-rock'n'roll and more recently of progressive Métal. Having strongly evolved/moved since its creation, it reflects the multiple influences of its creator.

Members

current Members

Former members

  • Chris Maitland: battery, percussion, songs (1993 - 2002)

Concert only

History of the group

1987 - 1993: Beginnings of the project of Steven Wilson

Porcupine Tree was born in 1987 from collaboration between Steven Wilson and its friend Malcom Stocks. Inspired by the large musicians who occupied the front of the scene during their youth, like the Pink Floyd, they decided to create an odd and imaginary group with this image, named Porcupine Tree. Wilson worked on many compositions in order to “prove” the existence of the group and to give him a musical past. Together, they worked out the delirious history of the group imagining the names of the members and the albums. They went until inventing the events in which the group like a great concert would have taken part in a festival of rock'n'roll of the Seventies as well as a chaotic past.

Although Porcupine Tree was created, in the beginning, like a joke and that Wilson was implied in his other project No-Man , in 1989 it started to regard certain musics as marketable. It then carried out a cassette 80 minutes entitled Tarquin' S Seaweed Farm , under the name of the group Porcupine Tree. Continuing in the spirit of its project, it includes there a booklet of 8 pages containing of information on the obscure last members of the group alias Sir Tarquin Underspoon and Timothy Tadpole-Jones.

Wilson sent his Maquette to several people likely to be interested by his work. The Magazine English underground Freakbeat was spirit to create its clean label when it accepted the cassette. Although the recording accepted a mitigated reception, one proposed with the group to contribute to a compilation of music Psychédélique with alternative groups going up. This production taken of time, approximately eighteen months. For this period, Porcupine Tree was familiarized with new material, and carried out a second album, The Nostalgia Factory , which made it possible to widen the number of their fans, while continuing the hoax of the legendary rock group of the Années 1970.

The label Delerium Records lately created agreed to republish the cassettes Tarquin' S Seaweed Farm and The Nostalgia Factory . Compilation has Psychedelic Psauna left including the track Linton Samuel Dawson Porcupine Tree. A little later Wilson was invited to collaborate with Delerium as a first artist of the label. Porcupine Tree was encouraged to publish a Double album of the two cassettes, but Wilson finally decided to record there only what he off regarded as the best of both in the album One the Sunday Life… , which left beginning 1992 - the new songs belonged later to the album with edition limited Yellow Hedgerow Dreamscape .

One the Sunday off Life… was published in very minor amount, only 1000 copies. A few days were enough to put the album in stock shortage. The complaints of the fans supported by the press succeeded in convincing, and the album was republished. Some songs of this album became today of traditional of the group and the song Radioactive Toys is the subject sometimes of recalls of the group at the end in its concerts. In 2000, One the Sunday off Life… is sold with nearly 20.000 copies.

Whereas the success of Porcupine Tree is growing, the principal project of Wilson, No-Man, receives excellent comments of the British press (individual of the week in the magazines Melody Maker and Sounds). This success gives to Wilson the means and opportunity of being released from its work and of giving itself time for the music.

Wilson engaged a transition then, wishing to give to the music of the group a more contemporary style and less connoted “seventies”. This new ambition concretized in the thirty minutes song Voyage 34 . Exit in 1992, the song mixes the music Ambient of groups such as The Orb and Future Sound off London while incorporating in it of the elements rock'n'rolls as well as solos of guitar. The individual met in scene various stages of a drug addict at the time of the catch of LSD. The duration of the title was too important to make of it a business success by the means of the radios, however it accepted good echoes on behalf of the music scene underground of the the Nineties, and reached Signal 20 of individual independent.

Voyage 34 was at the made up origin for another possible double album Up the Downstair . However, to the approach of its exit in 1993, the decision not to include the song there reduces it to simple CD. Up the Downstair was greeted by the press, Melody Maker describes it like “a showpiece of psychedelic… one of the albums of the year. ” . In this album, Wilson perseveres in fusion between the Dance and the Rock and called upon the two musicians Richard Barbieri - former member of the group Japan - and Colin Edwin, future permanent members of the group.

In November 1993, Voyage 34 was republished and in spite of the inexistence of the title to the radio, there remained six weeks in the charts Indie of the magazine NME.

1993 - 1997: Formation and take-off of the group

The group having acquired a certain notoriety for its albums studios, it was to now be able to be illustrated on scene with permanent members. This is why in December 1993, Porcupine Tree became a real group with the entry of Hake Edwin to the low guitar, Chris Maitland with the battery, and Richard Barbieri with the keyboard. These three artists had already collaborated in the past with Wilson: Barbieri and Edwin took part in the recording of Up the Downstair and Barbieri and Maitland made party of the group No-Man at the time of a round.

The Sky Moves Sideways , the third album studio of the group, left later two years in 1995. It is thus starting from this album that one regards Porcupine Tree a real group and either as a pseudonym of Steven Wilson. The transition having taken place during creation from the album, it was for half made up before the formation of the group. It is articulated around a song éponyme 35 minutes which owed at the origin being the single title of the production and which introduces and concludes the album. The album had a great success near the fans of progressive, and Porcupine Tree was regarded by some as the Pink Floyd of the the Nineties. Considerations what will somewhat regret the group which does not aim at being a pure and simple reincarnation of Pink Floyd. At all events, this album allowed the group to again extend its public thanks to a European round to the the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, in Italy and Greece.

Dissatisfied of turning half solo/half Co-writing of its preceding album, Porcupine Tree started the design of Signify as a group. The musicians took part in the writing of certain songs, in particular " Intermediate Jesus" born from a Jam session of the group. This album also marks arrived of the first individual reality of the group, Waiting , which entered the charts of independent Rock British.

The album left in September 1996 and incorporates many instrumental passages. Mix Pop-rock'n'roll and of progressive Rock, the atmospheric passages are done rarer than in the preceding albums. Let us compositons are also shorter, titrates it longest being instrumental “the Prayer Idiot” seven minutes.

The exit of the album was relayed by part of the European media, and the work of Porcupine Tree was all the more respected by it in the musical mediums. Signify is regarded by the group and many fans as one their best productions. The number of fans of the group continued to increase and it opened with public less informed, this grace of the passages more repeated in certain radios, in particular in Italy.

It is in addition with Rome that the group will occur in front of more than 5000 people over three nights in March 1997. These three concerts were recorded for the album live Coma Divine . This album is appeared as good-byes of the group with the Delerium label, which could not offir any more enough of resources to the group which aspires from now on to an international career.

Thus, at the end of 1997 a remasterized version of the first three albums studio of the group was published. The album Signify left to the the United States under the label Ark 21 Records Copeland Miles.

1998 - 2001: Time Pop-rock'n'roll

Steven, Richard, Hake and Chris spent one year to record Stupid Dream the fifth album of the group. An album which reflects a new steering collar of their compositions, from now on more directed towards the writing even of each song rather than towards the whole of the album. This direction brings to the multiplication of the voices reinforcing the aspect plus pop-rock'n'roll of the group. Wilson describes his approach at the time of the writing of the album:

The phase of finished writing, in 1998, the group does not have any contract of recording yet, it is only later in the year that they signed with the label Snapper Music. It is in March 1999 which the album Stupid Dream leaves. It was accompanied by a great international round in the United Kingdom, in Italy, Greece, in the Netherlands, in Belgium, Suisse, Germany, France, Poland and in the United States. Three the individual drawn ones from the album, Piano Let us injure , Stranger by the Minute and Pure Narcotic , reached a good exposure on the two sides of the Atlantique and appeared in the charts independent of the United Kingdom like in the playlists of many radios. Although the album carried a real revival of the style that certain fans of the first hour did not appreciate, the sales of the album were a real success and exceeded all the records of the group.

Time signed to seek a contract of recording was not wasted and only a few months after the exit of Stupid Dream , the group was already on the point of working on the following album. Recorded during the passage to new the Thousand-year-old then supplemented in February 2000, Lightbulb Sun remains in the line of its predecessor. With the arrangements of Dave Gregory of the group XTC, Porcupine Tree continuous on its impetus but an album plus melancholic person with a sadder environment offers. In the same way, the group carries out a few heavier pieces, sometimes in the line of the metal with in particular the title Russia one Ice . The album leaves in May 2000, shortly after individual the Four Chors That Made has Million, and a new international round is followed from there begin with a complete concert in Scala to London then by some dates in European festivals and ending in a round in first part of the group Dream Theater.

The group continued its round until in at the end of 2000, beginning 2001 and carried out its first major round in Germany. An special edition in double CD of the album Lightbuld Sun left in Israel and Germany, and in May, the album Recordings a collection of titles Maxi (extended play) or news of the two preceding albums left in limited series and marks the end of the contract between the group their Snapper label. In June 2001, the group carried out some dates in the United States which finished at the top by a concert in Bottom Line with New York City. A little later Porcupine Tree announced its partnership with the international label Lava Records/Atlantic Records.

2002 - present: Time metal

In February 2002, for the first time the constitution of Porcupine Tree will be modified with the departure of the beater Chris Maitland after eight years of collaboration with the group. The beater is replaced by Gavin Harrison, a knowledge of long time.

In March leaves a retrospective last work of the group joined together in the box set Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991-1997 . The group begins the recording of its first album under the directive of a great label, thanks to a panel of about thirty songs lately written by Wilson the two previous years. The sessions of recording took seat in New York City and London, with tested the Sound engineer Paul Northfield and Dave Gregory which had a central role in the genesis of the album. The mixing was completed with Los Angeles in May with Tim Palmer.

Very awaited new album, In Absentia , left in September 2002 - European exit January 2003. The album accepted many praises of share the whole world and become the news better sale of the group - sold with more than 100.000 copies in its first year of launching it reached many charts European. The group left a version in its surround 5.1 the album, mixed by the large producer Elliot Scheiner victorious of a Grammy Award. As Lightbulb Sun let it show through, this album marks the arrival of a sound plus metal as of the introduction of the album with good more distortions that before.

To promote the album, the group started four rounds in Europe and North America, including one with the popular group Swedish of death progressive Métal Opeth. During the round, the group was pressed on another musician, guitarist and singer, John Wesley. The visual aspect in the concerts taken a new dimension thanks to the participation of the Realizer and Photographe Wearies Hoile. Finally it finished the November 30th by a complete spectacle in London Astoria.

In 2003, Porcupine Tree set up its own label and its own online store. The first exit under their label Transmission was a session studio recorded for XM Radio with Washington, followed in 2004 by a recording for a Polish radio going back to 2001. The group envisaged to use this label in order to publish a live series of recordings and studio news. 2003 thus mark the arrival on the market of many republications, with the release of versions doubles CD of old albums - a remasterized version of Up the Downstair as well as a republication of Stupid Dream and Lightbuld Sun .

In at the beginning of 2004, the group began the recording of its new album Deadwing , their second under the Lava label/Atlantic. This album draws its inspiration from the Scénario writes by Wilson with his friend realizer Mike Bennion. The recording finished in November 2005 and the album left to the Printemps the same year in version stereo and 5.1 after individual the Shallow to the United States and Lazarus to Europe. This album was a business success grace in particular to the title Shallow often present on the waves but also thanks to more accessible parts which attracted many new fans. Moreover, Deadwing was the first album of the group to be left to the Japan. The round which accompanied the exit by the album started in the United Kingdom at the end of March and was spread out throughout the year.

The new material used during first half of the European round indicated a turning more " heavy" instruments with a sound of guitar more pronounced, indicating the desire of Porcupine Tree to advance in a direction more directed even towards metal.

In August 2006, Porcupine Tree announced its collaboration with a new European label: Roadrunner Records. Wilson was impatient to work with a label of this fame:

Very first DVD Live de Porcupine Tree Arriving Somewhere left in the month October 2006. It includes the concert with Park West, Chicago, in October 2005 like various services of the group.

On April 16th and 24th 2007 left the album Fear off has Blank Planet in Europe and North America. The first charts in Europe state already that the album is the largest success of the group per hour of today. Y took part two distinguished guests: Alex Lifeson the guitarist of the group Rush and Robert Fripp founder of King Crimson.

The round began in the United Kingdom in April 2007. The group envisages to play two twinned festivals Hurricane and Southside in Germany, but also to appear in Donington Download Festival the June 8th 2007.

Kind

The music of Porcupine Tree is in the line of the great progressive rock groups such as Pink Floyd, King Crimson or Marillion. It associates long very atmospheric movements with a melody composition aiming at touching the sensitivity of the listener. Their songs include long instrumental passages - in Voyage 34 in particular - and uses sometimes electronic elements which often take part in the creation of a certain environment melancholic person.

However, musical technicality and the rhythmic structure of their music do not reach the level of complexity of certain progressive rock groups - such as Dream Theater or Rush. This is why, a long time, Wilson refused this classification: The music of Porcupine Tree is very very simple. It does not have anything complex of the whole. Complexity is in the production. Complexity is in the way in which the albums are structured. And this is why I am not agreement with people who describe us as being a progressif. rock group

Today, Wilson is not as any more categorical and accepts this label naturally, considering as “the term is generic today than five years ago… ”.

It should be noted a strong evolution of the style of the group since the publication of the album In Absentia which approaches from now on progressive Métal with a sound more saturated and fronts of guitar plus hookers.

Discography

Albums studio

Albums live

  • 1997 - Coma Divine - live In Rome
  • 2004 - Warszawa
  • 2006 - Rockpalast

Compilations

  • 2000 - Voyage 34: The Supplements Trip
  • 2001 - Recordings (limited to 20.000 specimens)
  • 2002 - Stars Die: The Delerium Years 1991-1997

Limited editions

DVD Live

  • 2006 - Arriving Somewhere…

References

  • official Biography of Porcupine Tree
  • Dutch Progressive Rock'n'roll Aural Page
  • Innovations (Review/Interview)
  • official Biography of No-Man

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