Music: Portico Quartet

Published 12 Mar 2010 09:00 0 Comments

A BAND who formed thanks to a spontaneous purchase at WOMAD in 2004 are playing in Bracknell this week.

Portico Quartet's drummer Duncan Bellamy bought a hang, a tuned percussion instrument, at the festival at Rivermead.

The hang gives the band a sound that is instantly attractive, yet uncompromisingly individual, and it is this, combined with the cheerful eloquence of their performances, that has brought Portico Quartet a long way in a short time.

The 2008 Mercury Music Prize nominees describe their sound as 'world music from the future' and have created a sound so unique that it is unmistakable.

Their first album Knee Deep In The North Sea won Time Out's Jazz, Folk and World Album of the Year award, as well as its Mercury nomination and October 2009 saw the release of their second album, Isla.

The fateful hang was one of four left in stock at a pop up music stand at the festival. Bellamy said: "It had been my birthday, and I had some money in my account, and I borrowed the rest off friends because...why not?"

A few days later, friend Nick Mulvey ordered another in a sympathetic key, and the pair started to experiment.

Mulvey said: "The limitations have been really liberating. They've ushered me into making musical choices. I think it's made me a better musician, with a "less is more" approach - to do less and listen more."

At South Hill Park, Bracknell on Tuesday at 7.30pm.

Listen at www.myspace.com/porticoquartet

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 11 Mar 10

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