Three years since the release of the band’s last album, Portugal. The Man is making a comeback, slowly rolling out singles from its upcoming project “Woodstock” and coming to perform at the 9:30 Club on April 1 and 2.
After the band Anatomy of a Ghost broke up around 2001, vocalist John Gourley and guitarist Zach Carothers decided to keep working together to pursue musical success. Bringing on Wesley Hubbard, Nick Klein and Harvey Tumbleson, Portugal. The Man came together initially in Wasilla, Alaska in 2005 and produced six full-length albums in six consecutive years.
However, after a lull and creative rut since their 2013 release of “Evil Friends”, the group finally found inspiration for their next project from two different sources, according to their website: Some tough love and challenging from Gourley’s father, and the uncovering of his dad’s 1969 Woodstock music festival ticket stub.
Upholding the trend of past Woodstock-era bands, Gourley determined that the next step for Portugal. The Man was to take a more direct stance on the current social and political climate, inspiring a sense of unity and desire for action among its listeners. In the two singles that have been released thus far, this theme is extremely apparent, both in the lyrics and accompanying visuals.
In the first leaked single “Noise Pollution,” a psychedelic music video coupled with lyrics such as “Liveleak the revolution, go stream it now on demand,” resurrects Woodstock-like movements, calling on audiences to channel their frustrations with current social injustices into political action.
Following this, the catchy chorus of the latest single “Feel it Still” directly addresses the idea of rebellion and how it continues to live on today: “I’m a rebel just for kicks now. I been feeling it since 1966 now. Might be over now, but I feel it still.”
While it’s uncertain how prominent these “Woodstock” singles will be in the tour’s upcoming shows, fans can rest assured that the band has other solid pieces to fall back on ranging from recent hits on “Evil Friends” to more classic songs from “The Satanic Satanist.”
Portugal. The Man will perform at the 9:30 Club on April 1 (sold out) and April 2. Tickets for April 2 are still available here.
