Bunch Of Fives: PØRTERS

North‑East rock outfit PØRTERS drop their new single Timewaster ahead of their BBC Introducing show at The Glasshouse in Gateshead on 18th March. With crunchy, rhythmic riffs and a gritty roadhouse twang, the track lurches forward on jittery beats, setting the stage for a nonchalantly soulful vocal that erupts into a country‑rock chorus with real bite. A sudden synth solo slingshots the whole thing from the deep South into deep space, before the change crashes back in with a bar‑fight flurry of riffs and rhythms and one last chorus that brings everything to a fierce, climactic close.

Here, the band give us five of their favourite albums to listen to that will not be a waste of your time…

In Absentia – Porcupine Tree
In Absentia starts with the awesome double-whammy of Blackest Eyes and Trains, songs that feature a brilliant blend of heavy rock guitars with quieter, melodic sections that allow for the acoustic guitar to have a more prominent role in the mix. The highlight of this album however is the 7/4 time signatured ‘The Sound of Muzak’. We can guarantee that once you’ve heard this album and specifically that song and someone asks the question ‘who’s on your list of top 5 drummers of all time?’, Gavin Harrison will have snuck his way in.

Falling in Between – Toto
We know what you might be thinking – Toto? As in ‘Africa’ and ‘Rosanna’ Toto? Cornerstones of Yacht Rock Toto? Why are a rock band telling me to listen to one of their albums? That is because Falling in Between features some of the best rock guitar riffs of the 2000s. Steve Lukather is allowed to fully let rip on this album with superb efforts on the title track and ‘Taint Your World’ accompanied by some huge drumming from Judas Priest touring alumni Simon Phillips and the screaming vocals of Bobby Kimball. It is clear listening to this album where some of our inspiration has come from with soaring synth and piano lines that all blend together to create one of our favourite albums.

The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden
Okay, this one might be a bit less of a surprise. The Number of the Beast is one of those rare albums that doesn’t have a skippable song. It flies straight out of the gate with ‘Invaders’ featuring some of Steve Harris’ best work on the bass and then continues at that trajectory for the rest of the album. The album features some of Maidens most commercial and well received songs – ‘The Number of the Beast’, ‘Run to the Hills’ and ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’ – so it is no surprise that this is one of their and rocks most revered albums, let alone ours.

Dreamboat Annie – Heart
As far as debut albums go, Dreamboat Annie will sit amongst the very best. Heart, led by the supremely talented sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, announce themselves onto the music scene with an exceptional blend of rock, blues and pop. ‘Crazy On You’ is a real highlight, including maybe the best acoustic guitar intro on any rock song – sorry Jimmy Page and Steve Howe – and serves as the perfect jumping off point to explore the rest of Heart’s discography.

The Clearing – Wolf Alice
Finally, our most modern choice. ‘The Clearing’ by Wolf Alice is their fourth and latest album and sounds like that. That is meaning to say that it features all of the things that they have now perfected as a band – gorgeous melodic lines (‘The Sofa’ and ‘Thorns’), assertive rhythms that bounce out of the speakers (‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ and ‘Passenger Seat’) and superb modern-rock anthems that show off their tight harmonies and expert musicianship as a group (‘Bloom Baby Bloom’ and ‘White Horses’). Not only do we love this album, but we recommend catching them live whenever you can – Exhibition Park this summer anyone?

Here is a playlist of our favourites from each album to get you started!