IN THIS age of internet downloads, the music world is more accelerated than ever – bands can spring up from nowhere, release two albums, become global superstars, develop huge drug habits and then split up, all in the space of a few months.

Bristol trip-hoppers Portishead, however, seem immune to all this – indeed, they’re essentially the tortoises of the music world. Speedy productivity has never been their trademark – this month, they’re due to release only their third album in 15 years.

In the past decade, they’ve played a handful of gigs, while working rather leisurely on their latest album, which has reached mythical status due to its long and supposedly pained gestation.

Thankfully, there are many people who still care deeply about Portishead’s return. They may be slack on the productivity front, but they have proven themselves to be true musical innovators who will always command a venerated spot in British music history. With 1994’s debut Dummy and 1997’s self-titled album they came to define a genre called trip-hop, combining downtempo electronica, jazz and Beth Gibbons’ tremulous, despairing vocals.

It was bloody depressing and strangely beautiful, yet these sonic contrasts were key in opening the floodgates for the Bristol trip-hop movement, along with acts like Tricky and Massive Attack.

The general feeling surrounding their imminent third album and this week’s Manchester date – their first for over a decade – is a mix of cynically curious and borderline hysteria.

Nevertheless, Portishead fans had better make the most of it – it might be a long while until the next one.

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