Portobello Express – Sorrow & Pain (2024)
Like time travellers, Austria-based rock group Portobello Express pull the thread of good music across (or from) different eras, decades, space, distance and generations. Dipping into vintage psychedelic and heavy rock sounds, Portobello Express has its roots in the late 60s and early 70s but is inspired to ignite passion for this style among contemporary audiences. Bound by their fierce love for music, Betty Nagl (vocals), Patrick Slowhand (bass), Andy Abraham (guitar) and Berti Baumgartner (drums) are making waves across the globe with their intriguing music.
Known for their inspired melodies and electric live shows, Portobello Express have an insatiable and infectious energy tipping across their hands into listeners’ heads. Following the well-received track ‘Rebels on the run’, ‘Sorrow & Pain’ is Portobello Express’ second release in 2024. Drawing on Nagl’s love for classical piano, ‘Sorrow & Pain’ is inspired by Franz Schubert’s ‘Sonata for Piano No. 20 in A major, D. 959’ and, thus, is quite the shift from ‘Rebels on the run’. Yet, while the new single is inspired by a classical masterpiece, Nagl’s original arrangement adds an alternative rock swing to the piece.
Recorded at Abraham’s studio in Vienna, ‘Sorrow & Pain’ tackles the intense intimacy of Schubert’s sonata expressed through a rock music reincarnation. Slow and steady, the bold bass drives ‘Sorrow & Pain’ with underlying drums beating along – a foundation to incense a deep melancholy in the melody. The crescendo to Abraham’s classic blues-rock guitar pours forth a heavier, harder, more “this is rock” flair prompting a fiery blast of intricate emotion. For me, however, it is Nagl’s obscure vocals that drape ‘Sorrow & Pain’ with painful heartache. Interestingly, while darkness oozes from ‘Sorrow & Pain’, an empowered sense of sincerity and understanding slices through.
“This track was inspired by Betty’s inability to be a comfort to friends who have had the loss of a loved one. Betty is introverted and finds that music helps her to express how she really feels. Probably not many people will understand the intimacy of this piece. Perhaps the answers hidden in the words will only be found by those who have suffered much…” – Portobello Express on ‘Sorrow & Pain’
‘Sorrow & Pain’ will be available to stream on May 10th, 2024.
Find out more about Portobello Express on their official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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