THE PORTRAITS ON FACEBOOK
May 2011, West London: the phone is answered by Lorraine Millington, half of singer-song writing duo The Portraits. With a fan base that had seen a ten-fold increase since the start of 2010 and a hugely successful string of promotional dates and festival appearances in the UK, France and Ireland throughout the preceding 18 months, perhaps an invitation to the duo to play Glastonbury Festival last summer should have been less of a surprise. However, after screaming, panicking, opening champagne and shouting it from the rooftops, there was the small matter of finding the perfect players to turn The Portraits’ duo into a 5-piece band suitable for the stage that awaited them in Pilton.
Enter stage left three talented musicians who quickly signed themselves up as fully fledged Portraits. There followed six weeks of frantic rehearsal, camaraderie and dress rehearsal concerts to ensure the Glastonbury appearance appeared to come from a band who’d worked closely together since 1976. It was tight. It was muddy. It was hilarious. It was a chance at long last for the Portraits to sing their hearts out about things they care so deeply about: injustice, the forgotten, the heart-broken, and somehow with it, to entertain and amuse. They pulled it off. It was awesome, and where Glastonbury represents the pinnacle of success for the average band, for The Portraits, it was their launch pad.
The Portraits create music based around voices and imagery: poetic lyrics about the world, rich harmonies, ghostly piano and beautiful orchestral sounds. Their 2010 album, The Blushing Of A World In White, was released in June 2010 to rave press reviews and a long waiting list of fans. Now the band are showcasing songs from their next album, with a release planned for June 2012, whose even more impassioned lyrics married to vibrant orchestral textures and choir-like vocal arrangements are a musical exclamation mark following the inequalities our lives are all bearing witness to both in far flung places that can seem so many moons away and much closer to home.
2011 ended with the group receiving the Best International Artist award from Radio Crystal Blue.
From their roots playing as an acoustic duo (piano, guitar, 2 voices) the band have exploded into an energetic, sparkling full band, adding to the above violin, cello, bodhran and third vocalist, whose live performances leave audiences moved to laughter and tears in equal measure.
***BEST INTERNATIONAL ARTIST 2011***
RADIO CRYSTAL BLUE
“An utterly entrancing live act… a sound that is gloriously uplifting and truly magical”
ANDY ROPEK, BLACKHEATH HALLS, LONDON
“Beautiful – I feel coloured”
SUE MARCHANT, BBC
“The Portraits are Grammy worthy.”
IAE MAGAZINE
“One of the most unique and haunting acts who write pop songs that are intelligent, multi-faceted and inordinately above the pop throng.”
WILDY’S WORLD
- Friday, May 18
8:00 pm
- House Concert, Southend
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Private Function, Southend, Essex:
Southend-on-Sea, LO
(MAP)
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- Saturday, May 19
7:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Drawing Room
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The Drawing Room:
Francis Yard - Chesham - Buckinghamshire -, Chesham, LO
(MAP)
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- Wednesday, May 23
8:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Nambucca
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Nambucca:
596 Holloway road, Upper Holloway, London, LO
(MAP)
- £7 / £5 early bird (contact us via our website)
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- Wednesday, May 30
6:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Les Mercredis de la Jarne
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Salle Mélusine:
17220 La Jarne, La Jarne, P-C
(MAP)
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- Sunday, June 3
5:00 pm
- Hullabaloo Festival
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Hullabaloo Festival:
Hurley Fields Lake, Cheltenham, SW
(MAP)
- £25-£70
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- Sunday, June 17
11:00 am
- Bedford Park Festival
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Bedford Park:
Acton Green Common, London, LO
(MAP)
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- Thursday, June 21
8:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Fiddlers Elbow
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Fiddlers Elbow:
1 Malden Rd, Camden, London, LO
(MAP)
- £8/£6
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- Friday, June 22
8:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Blackheath Halls
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Blackheath Halls:
23 Lee Road, London, LO
(MAP)
- £8
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- Friday, July 6
8:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Le Cottage
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Le Cottage:
2, rue de la Citadelle, Arces-sur-Gironde, P-C
(MAP)
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- Thursday, July 12
10:00 am
- Festival de Meschers
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Meschers:
31, rue Paul Massy, Meschers-sur-Gironde, P-C
(MAP)
- 0
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- Thursday, July 12
10:00 am
- Festival de Meschers
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Festival de Meschers:
Meschers-sur-Gironde, P-C
(MAP)
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- Saturday, July 14
12:00 pm
- Rhythms Of The World
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Hitchin:
Hitchin Priory, Tilehouse Street, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, Hitchin, No State
(MAP)
- 35.00
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- Saturday, July 14
12:30 pm
- Rhythms Of The World
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Hitchin Priory:
Hitchin, Hitchin, LO
(MAP)
- £10 / £5 / under 5s free
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- Thursday, August 16
10:00 am
- Festival de Meschers
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Meschers:
31, rue Paul Massy, Meschers-sur-Gironde, P-C
(MAP)
- 0
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- Saturday, August 25
5:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Purbeck Folk Festival
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Wilkswood Farm:
WILKSWOOD FARM Langton Matravers near Swanage, Swanage, S
(MAP)
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- Thursday, September 27
8:00 pm
- The Portraits ALBUM LAUNCH @ The Forge
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The Forge:
3-7 Delancey Street, London, NW1 7NL, London, LO
(MAP)
- £8
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- Monday, December 31
8:00 pm
- The Portraits @ Tinners New Year festival
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Tinners Hill:
Polzeath, SW
(MAP)
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Bonjour Nous avons reçu quelques messages de nos amis sur la liste de diffusion des Portraits qui nous demandent ce qui est arrivé de la série des « Friday Songs », où nous nous sommes mis au défi de sortir une toute nouvelle chanson tous les vendredis soirs pendant 2012 sur notre page Facebook, avec toutes les chansons basées sur des idées qui nous sont envoyées par vous - les paroles, la poésie, des histoires, des images, des rêves .... quoi que ce soit que vous voulez nous envoyer comme inspiration !En fait, les « Friday Songs » continuent… nous venons de publier la chanson n ° 11, Validation. Nous n'avons pas voulu remplir votre boîte e-mail avec des messages tous les vendredis soirs pour vous annoncer la sortie de la dernière chanson. Néanmoins, tous les vendredis à 20 heures, heure française, nous avons publié sur notre facebook une petite vidéo qui va avec la chanson de la semaine : www.facebook.com/theportraitsmusic N’hésitez pas à cliquer sur ce lien maintenant pour nous laisser des commentaires…En plus vous pouvez télécharger toutes les chansons gratuitement à partir de http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/fridaysong.cfm où vous avez également la possibilité de faire un petit don au Burma Campaign basé en Grande Bretagne, qui soutient les droits de l'homme en Birmanie.Merci pour toutes vos idées – on va faire le maximum pour utiliser la plupart comme inspiration avant la fin de l’année !
Merci encore si vous étiez à la Salle Kanapé II hier soir à Lagord – on a passé un super moment avec vous !Take care, see you soonLorraine, Jeremy, Shemi et Vincent
THE PORTRAITS
www.theportraitsmusic.com www.facebook.com/theportraitsmusic
THE PORTRAITS LIVE Friday | 23 March 2012 | Hall of Sound, Pangbourne | Tuesday | 03 April 2012 | Bowery, London | Sunday | 08 April 2012 | Bude Folk Club | Monday | 09 April 2012 | St Petrocs, Concert for Sea Cadets | Saturday | 05 May 2012 | Stables Milton Keynes | Saturday | 19 May 2012 | Drawing Room, Chesham | Wednesday | 30 May 2012 | Mercredis de la Jarne, La Jarne, France | Saturday | 02 June 2012 | Hullabaloo Festival, Gloucestershire | Thursday | 12 July 2012 | Festival de Meschers | Saturday | 14 July 2012 | Rhythms of the World Festival | | TBC May | CD launch party, private | | TBC June | Public CD launch concert | Thursday | 16 August 2012 | Festival de Meschers | Saturday | 25 August 2012 | Purbeck Folk Festival |
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Hello there We’ve received a few messages from our friends on The Portraits’ mailing list asking whatever happened to the “Friday Song” series, where we set ourselves the challenge of releasing a brand new track each and every Friday throughout 2012 on our Facebook, and based on ideas sent in by you – lyrics, poetry, stories, pictures, dreams…. anything at all you’d like to inspire us with! The answer is that the Friday Song is alive and well, and we have just published song no 11, Validation. It’s just that we haven’t wanted to clog up your email inbox with a message each and every Friday telling you that the latest song is now out. Each Friday at 7pm UK time, we’ve posted on our facebook a little video to go with that week’s song. Do get over to our Facebook wall and leave a comment or two: www.facebook.com/theportraitsmusic Alternatively, you can download all the songs for free from http://www.theportraitsmusic.com/fridaysong.cfm where you also have the option to make a small donation to the Burma Campaign which supports human rights in Burma. We intended to keep the Friday Songs entirely separate from the songs on our new album due in June. But we must confess we’ve cheated slightly as we were so pleased with a couple of the Friday Songs, they will appear on the album in a re-recorded version. Thanks as ever for all of your support, and keep the ideas flooding in – we’ll get around to as many as we possibly can. Take care Lorraine, Jeremy, Shemi and Vincent THE PORTRAITS www.theportraitsmusic.com www.facebook.com/theportraitsmusic
THE PORTRAITS LIVE Friday | 23 March 2012 | Hall of Sound, Pangbourne | Tuesday | 03 April 2012 | Bowery, London | Sunday | 08 April 2012 | Bude Folk Club | Monday | 09 April 2012 | St Petrocs, Concert for Sea Cadets | Saturday | 05 May 2012 | Stables Milton Keynes | Saturday | 19 May 2012 | Drawing Room, Chesham | Wednesday | 30 May 2012 | Mercredis de la Jarne, La Jarne, France | Saturday | 02 June 2012 | Hullabaloo Festival, Gloucestershire | Thursday | 12 July 2012 | Festival de Meschers | Saturday | 14 July 2012 | Rhythms of the World Festival | | TBC May | CD launch party, private | | TBC June | Public CD launch concert | Thursday | 16 August 2012 | Festival de Meschers | Saturday | 25 August 2012 | Purbeck Folk Festival |
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We’ve just heard about the below offer due to slow ticket sales for the Bournemouth Folk Festival – grab them now….it is an excellent event. FESTIVAL TICKETS NEWSFLASH!!
With only five days to go to Bournemouth Folk Festival at the BIC, we are disappointed with ticket sales. We have sold only 200 tickets so it is pretty certain that we’ll lose money. We are not in it for the money so there was no way we were ever going to cancel. So … We have a special two-for-one offer!If you already have bought tickets, we invite you to bring a friend for each ticket purchased. If you want to buy tickets for the festival, we invite you to buy two for the price of one.
No need to buy in advance – purchase or pick up the special offer tickets at the Reception when you arrive in the Purbeck Foyer.
Friday night tickets £15 – (for two)
Saturday all day £40 – (for two).
Saturday night £20 – (for two). Two-day tickets £50 - (for two).
Now that is amazing value! Just look at the line-up.
Friday night: URBAN FOLK QUARTET, Korasong Radio, Fearne, Alex Roberts.
Saturday afternoon: MARTYN JOSEPH, MARTHA TILSTON, Emily Barker, Catherine Burke.
Saturday night: GRUPO LOKITO, Cut-A-Shine (hoedown), Moulettes, Megan Henwood.
Come and enjoy the Bournemouth Folk Festival! If not all of it, come for part of the festival.
We need your support. Best wishes, Paul
www.bournemouthfolkfestival.co.uk
The second Bournemouth Folk Festival takes place on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 March 2012 at the BIC (Bournemouth International Centre).
Bournemouth Folk Festival uses the festival suite on the seafront.
TICKETS from the BIC: 0844-5763000 or www.bic.co.uk; (NO TICKET SERVICE CHARGES).
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Hello
Nous voulions vous rappeler que ce soir, samedi 17 mars à 22h30, nous jouons à la Salle Kanapé II à Lagord. Nous sommes ravis d'être de retour chez nous dans la région charentaise. Nous revenons avec notre groupe permanent que nous avons créé à Londres, et vous jouerons pour la toute première fois des chansons de notre nouvel album avec une sortie prévue en juin 2012.
Nous espérons de vous y voir !Jeremy, Lorraine, Vincent et Shemi THE PORTRAITS www.theportraitsmusic.com www.facebook.com/theportraitsmusic
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