Vienna-based Psych-Rock Art-Rock vintage band. We are loud.
Vienna-based band Portobello Express are like a time portal into the golden age of the Psychedelic Heavy Blues Rock , exploring a sound that has its roots in the 60s and 70s and harnessing that era’s unique, raw energy whilst paying homage to their multicultural roots. “Portobello” is both a reference to London’s famed Portobello Road, the psychedelic mushrooms of the same name and singer Betty’s Italian heritage, whereas “Express” is a neat reference to “espresso” - an Italian staple - and trains and their sheer power. The band, which started off as a Sixties Cover band at a birthday party, has evolved to become a force that reminds us what it was like when Blues and Rock were in their heyday, with a powerful stage presence that unites the room.
They initially formed the band in 2010 and their broad influences have seeped into their music, giving them a sound that is both retro and fresh. Patrick has been heavily influenced by the British music scene, having played R’n’B for 30 years with his other Viennese band, The Jaybirds. Betty cites West Coast Psych Rock in the U.S. as a formative influence and they are both big fans of Black Sabbath and Rainbow.
July 2021 saw the release of a new EP, 'You Cry' (on CD and vinyl), which the band performed at various festivals around Austria in 2022. In fall 2021, they followed that EP with 'Unique', a lush prog-rock song based on Tchaikovsky's piano piece 'June: Barcarolle", which served as a foretaste of the current album.
The brand new album B.P.M. is a continuation of the band's successful retro-mix of rock, blues and psych and will be released on Abra Fun Music on the 10th of May 2023.
They released their first single ‘Be Blues/ The Devil is Dead’ in 2017 and have since released an EP ‘2-3-4!’ (2018), a single on vinyl, ‘The Sea Rises/ Sigh’ (2019) and an ‘Unplugged’ EP (2020).
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/portobelloexpress