New Porcupine Tree track released, album and tour in 2022

Slowhands

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I know there are some PT / Steven Wilson fans here. Just saw that PT just put a new track up on Youtube / Spotify / Streaming service of your choice. It's called 'Harridan' and it's a sneak peak at a new album and tour coming next year. First track released in 12 years.

I've seen them twice, when they were supporting "In Absentia" and again when they toured for "Deadwing". Tremendous live act, and you never know, with them reuniting after 12 years maybe it's the last chance to see them together live. When you come to your town ... don't think, just go!
 
Some of the best news I've heard in a long time! Had no idea they were working together again.

Saw them on the Fear of Blank Planet tour and they were phenomenal.

Also, they are what turned me onto PRS guitars back in the early 00's.
 
Some of the best news I've heard in a long time! Had no idea they were working together again.

Saw them on the Fear of Blank Planet tour and they were phenomenal.

Also, they are what turned me onto PRS guitars back in the early 00's.
When they were touring for 'Fear of a Blank Planet' I was traveling to the West Coast for work all the time and missed their shows in Philly. Then one day when I was sitting in a hotel in San Diego I noticed that they'd be playing a show there the next night. It was like a gift from on high. However, devestatingly I had already made plans with my wife and had to take a redeye home that night so I missed them on that tour for a third and final time. And that was that, thought I'd never get another chance. I'll be at the show if they come to Philly, no question.

I recently saw an interview with Steven Wilson and he said he mostly plays an old made in mexico telecaster now. Hard to believe he'd switch out from PRS to a MIM tele. But there it is.
 
I am SO glad to see them getting back together! I enjoy a bunch of Steven Wilson's solo stuff, but Porcupine Tree is his best work in my opinion. I first discovered them in 2002 when they opened for Yes - didn't expect much from an opening band and they blew me away. It's the only time I've seen them live to date, but would very much like another chance :). Looking forward to the new album!
 
I've been seeing them live since they first set foot in America, I believe. One of my favourite acts, ever, especially the Pink Floyd fetish period (Sky Moves Sideways - Lightbulb Sun). Saw them at the infamous Radio City Music Hall show that rounded out the Incident tour.

Any thoughts on the new song? Someone mentioned they thought they heard a 7-string, but I think it's the baritone -- he still has that, right? Also, I didn't hear it (I'm just not that good at hearing different instruments). I have access to the stereo mix as well as something called "Harridan (360RA)" (because Tidal), and I still can't tell the difference. Might be spatially encoded or something.
 
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I've been seeing them live since they first set foot in America, I believe. One of my favourite acts, even, especially the Pink Floyd fetish period (Sky Moves Sideways - Lightbulb Sun). Saw them at the infamous Radio City Music Hall show that rounded out the Incident tour.

Any thoughts on the new song? Someone mentioned they thought they heard a 7-string, but I think it's the baritone -- he still has that, right? Also, I didn't hear it (I'm just not that good at hearing different instruments). I have access to the stereo mix as well as something called "Harridan (360RA)" (because Tidal), and I still can't tell the difference. Might be spatially encoded or something.
Hah, I have a thread on how I'm dealing with getting hearing aids for degenerating ears. Subtleties of the instrumentation though remain a little beyond my sad ears! I am interested to know who is playing bass because apparently the original bass player Colin Edwin is no rejoining them and the marketing material just shows three members now, as if there is no dedicated bass player now. Colin is really good and ever since Gavin Harrison joined PT on drums the rhythm section on PT has been stellar so whoever is playing bass needs to have some chops.

I really enjoy this track. It seems Wilson is waling back from the really harder stuff of the last couple of PT albums and leaning more into the In Absentia vibe (though I could see this track on Fear of a Blank Planet). Wilson's vocal approach is different and interesting. Good stuff.

During the pandemic I've been following Steven Wilson's youtube channel because he's been posting vids of himself alone in his home studio doing a bunch of different stuff from his career, some PT and some solo stuff. It's really good stuff and I recommend you check it out. It was making me really long for a proper return of the full PT lineup. And here we are. I wonder if his COVID imposed exile and revisiting some of these old tracks got him thinking it was time to get the band back together. Seems the band has been on his mind lately.
 
I recently saw an interview with Steven Wilson and he said he mostly plays an old made in mexico telecaster now. Hard to believe he'd switch out from PRS to a MIM tele. But there it is.

Yeah, I'd seen that too. Last I saw, he still was using his PRS guitars quite a bit but was bringing that old Telecaster in a lot more, that and that little Hughes & Kettner amplifier.
 
During the pandemic I've been following Steven Wilson's youtube channel because he's been posting vids of himself alone in his home studio doing a bunch of different stuff from his career, some PT and some solo stuff. It's really good stuff and I recommend you check it out. It was making me really long for a proper return of the full PT lineup. And here we are. I wonder if his COVID imposed exile and revisiting some of these old tracks got him thinking it was time to get the band back together. Seems the band has been on his mind lately.
Oh heck yeah, was watching every single one of those when they came out. Even inspired me to try to figure out the weird timing of the piano chords during the introduction to "Collapse the Light into Earth". Have you been listening to his The Album Years podcast with his partner in crime from No-Man, Tim Bowness? It's great fun, they talk about a bunch of albums from years picked at random throughout rock history. The reason I bring it up is that he discusses his own motivations in music-making occasionally, so there's some talk about the sorts of things he has planned (very) occasionally.

He completely didn't talk about the Porcupine Tree reunion, so I think he fully intended to surprise everyone with it. Either that or it was very sudden. He did mention in an interview when Future Bites came out that he had exhausted the guitar-oriented sound of Porcupine Tree, which is why Future Bites was so synthesizer oriented. But he's allowed to change his mind. That said, he doesn't seem to be interested in creating sequels so much as new chapters, so I still hold out hope that this will be new and interesting. That's what I crave in general. I will still always love the Pink Floyd fetish era the most, but I don't tend to only listen to my favourite music, so I hope I love this as much as anything else he's done.

I don't think he's doing this one just for himself, I really honestly think he's doing this because he wants to work with Barbieri again. And Gavin. He was definitely steering this one into more of an ensemble effort as they grew, so I see no reason he wouldn't encourage that all the more this time as well

WRT the bassist -- yes, I think they wanted a completely different style for this iteration. Colin had more of a Precision Bass, classic tone, and whoever's playing on the new track has a much more modern, spankier Jazz Bass end-of-the-spectrum tone. That said, Colin is also stuck in Australia, so perhaps couldn't.
 
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For those interested, US Tour Dates are out (not sure when they were first announced but just saw it today).

I first time I saw them way back in 2005 on the small inside stage at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ, small bar venue made famous as the place where Bruce Springsteen cut his teeth. There are no bad seats inside at the Stone Pony (well, there are no seats, actually) and the band is just right in front of you. Best show I've been to, loved every second of it. The last time they toured the US way back in 2010 I could have gone to a show while I was temporarily working in San Diego but it wasn't my home base and I didn't have anyone to go with so I decided I'd wait for the next time they came around instead. And finally 12 years later...

This time I didn't wait. Secured my tix for Philly in September at the old Metropolitan Opera House, never been there but by appearances very high falutin' venue for rock 'n roll (even prog rock) but in actuality they host plenty of name act rock shows so I guess I won't have to wear a tux to attend.
 
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