Portico

Mixing hallucinatory sonics, field recordings, and songs that touch upon indie pop, Portico was born in 2014 when members Duncan Bellamy, Milo Fitzpatrick, and Jack Wyllie dissolved their previous group, the Mercury Prize-nominated Portico Quartet. The London-based band became a trio after the departure of Keir Vine, who played the distinct Hang drum and had replaced original member Nick Mulvey. They signed with the Ninja Tune label in 2014, and in 2015, made their debut with the full-length Living Fields. The album marked a new sound for the group with more rock and ambient influences than jazz, and featured guests like Jono McCleery, Jamie Woon, and alt-J’s Joe Newman. ~ David Jeffries