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3 weeks ago
"TRILBY MAN" The Portraits Friday Songs Series, edition 5, 3rd February 2012
Andy Ropek was a legendary London music promoter who truly cared for musicians, was passionate about sound, and who gave a stage to those who would...
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1 month ago
"SONG FOR A NEW SOUL" The Portraits Friday Songs Series, edition 4, 27th January 2012
With the Portraits' commitment to release a new song each and every week during 2012, there were bound to be unexpected hitches -- and this week wa...
89 views
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1 month ago
SHIELD, RECORDING @ COWSHED STUDIO, GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL 2011
A video by Steve Kennedy of the recording of Shield by The Portraits at the Cowshed Studio built of raw and eco materials slap bang in the middle o...
72 views
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1 month ago
"GLASTONBURY SONG" The Portraits Friday Songs Series, edition 3, 20th January 2012
The third in The Portraits' weekly "Friday Song" series has just been released on their Facebook www.facebook.com/theportraitsm
usic A brand new s...
55 views
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1 month ago
The Portraits
The Portraits, Half Moon, Putney, 16 Jan 2012
jrixon11 • 39 views
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1 month ago
The Portraits, "Little Flame" live @ Half Moon Putney 16th Jan 2012
This was the first public airing of a brand new song by The Portraits, from the forthcoming album due June 2012.
LITTLE FLAME (LYRICS)
Quick chor...
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1 month ago
"DAYBREAK" The Portraits Friday Songs Series, edition 2, 13th January 2012
"The Friday Song" is a series of weekly song releases throughout 2012 -- the songs are created week by week by The Portraits but inspired by you, t...
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1 month ago
"FINAL ACT" The Portraits Friday Songs Series, edition 1, 6th January 2012
"The Friday Song" is a series of weekly song releases throughout 2012 -- the songs are created week by week by The Portraits but inspired by you, t...
51 views
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3 months ago
"WWII SONG" IN REHEARSAL, London, 23rd Nov 2011
A sneaky behind-the-scenes video snapshot of The Portraits working on a new track from their forthcoming CD, London, 23rd November 2011.
49 views
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5 months ago
BACK YARD live at Conservatoire de la Musique, La Rochelle, France, 26 august 2011
BACK YARD live at Conservatoire de la Musique, La Rochelle, France, 26 august 2011
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5 months ago
SHIELD, La Rochelle, France August 2011
A live performance of Shield with strings
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1 year ago
CLICK CLICK CLICK 16 JULY 2010 MASQ LIVE
A video of a live performance by The Portraits at Masq, La Rochelle, of the song CLICK CLICK CLICK from the new album The Blushing Of A World In White
336 views
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1 year ago
THE PORTRAITS: I AM MADE QUEEN 16 JULY 2010 MASQ LIVE
A video of a live performance by The Portraits at Masq, La Rochelle, of the song I AM MADE QUEEN from the new album The Blushing Of A World In White.
367 views
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1 year ago
STRONG CIEN SECRETOS without Belen
A video taken by a fan on camcorder of the second song on The Portraits' new album The Blushing Of A World In White, played live on 21st June 2010 ...
134 views
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1 year ago
ONLY OUR FRIENDS WE CHOOSE, by THE PORTRAITS live 21/06/2010 FDLM La Rochelle, France
A video taken by a fan on camcorder of the fourth song on The Portraits' new album The Blushing Of A World In White, played live on 21st June 2010 ...
168 views
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2 years ago
THE PORTRAITS on MATIVI 30/07/2009 ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE AND INTERVIEW IN FRENCH
An appearance by Lorraine and Jeremy, THE PORTRAITS, on mativi.fr, local web Tv channel for La Rochelle. They perform a live version of Poppy Song ...
192 views
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4 years ago
BURMA: THE RIGHTS
A personal appeal to please help the poor Burmese people at their greatest hour of need. We mustn't forget them and just get on with our lives. Bur...
1,708 views
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About THE PORTRAITS YOUTUBE
Created by
sensorypulseLatest Activity
Feb 3, 2012Date Joined
Oct 14, 2007About this user
THE PORTRAITS: THE BAND THAT GLASTONBURY BUILTMay 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, and to do so with a turnaround of about 3 days.
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