Beth Gibbons’ Lives Outgrown, her first proper solo album, was one of 2024’s many musical high-points. A somber and haunting meditation on life and mortality, Lives Outgrown reaffirmed the former Portishead frontwoman’s status as one of alternative music’s greatest voices. Her performance at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane, as part of Open Season, is just one amongst a string of Australian festival shows that includes stops in Sydney for Vivid, Melbourne for Rising and Hobart for Dark Mofo. Joining her on support —in Brisbane only— is Northern NSW indie-folk musician, Kyle Lionhart.

Lionhart’s gentle, relaxed music could quite easily soundtrack a leisurely afternoon at a beachside bar. He sang and played well, treating the audience to songs about fatherhood and other tug at the heartstrings kind of subjects. Ultimately inoffensive, but uninspired, he was an unusual choice to support Gibbons, who is an artist almost without peer. Mixed bills are not a bad thing, but the lack of a common unifying thread between headliner and support appeared to leave more than a few attendees scratching their heads.

Taking the stage a little after 8:30pm, Gibbons and her band were enveloped in a heavy fog —courtesy of several smoke machines— that reduced them to little more than silhouettes. The stage lighting added to the shadowy atmosphere, alternately bathing the performers in soft shades of green, purple, blue, red and yellow. Prior to commencement, a voice over the PA advised the audience to refrain from filming, a simple act which encouraged crowd to experience the reality of the show, as opposed to viewing it through it a digital screen.

Before discussing the show itself, space (and time) needs to be given to the supporting musicians. Gibbons has assembled a crack team of players that serve the songs immaculately; often improving on the recorded versions by adding additional weight and depth. She is joined by Eoin Rooney on guitar, Tom Herbert on bass, Jason Hazeley on keyboards, Howard Jacobs on more instruments than space allows me to name —contrabass clarinet, vibraphone and hammered guitar to name but three— Richard Jones on guitar and viola and James Ford on drums. What struck me most was their deep understanding of how to complement the songs, knowing when and where to play, but, most importantly, when to show restraint.

Gibbons’ performance itself is also worthy of note. Gloriously understated, the low lighting and ambient fog allowed for minimal distraction from the music, ensuring the focus remained on the power of her incredible —if idiosyncratic— voice. Opening with Tell Me Who You Are Today, throughout the night Lives Outgrown was performed in its entirety, though not in order. Alongside the new songs were two tracks, Mysteries and Tom The Model, from Gibbons’ collaboration with Rustin Man, plus Glory Box and Roads, two stone-cold Portishead classics.

Noteworthy among the newer songs were the performances of Rewind, Beyond and Reaching Out. Each of these tracks felt bigger, fuller, stronger and more urgent than on record, amplifying their shifting dynamics and taking them to places only hinted at on the album. Comparisons to PJ Harvey’s recent tour would not be misguided, for despite the obvious differences between the music of Gibbons and Harvey, their professionalism and perfectionism —and that of their supporting musicians— has few parallels in modern music.

Given the relative shortness of the set —Reaching Out concluded at approximately 9:45pm— nothing in tonight’s performance felt rushed or lacking. It was impossible not to get swept up in the performances: in Gibbons’ voice, in the playing of her supporting cast and in the overall ambiance and atmosphere. Lives Outgrown is an incredibly beautiful, if solemn, record and tonight’s performance made sure to honour its source material by treating the crowd to a night of music that few will soon forget.

Word by Nick Stephan

Photo courtesy of The Guardian