Portobello

Portobello is an indie rock group from Tours, France, active from 1991 to 2001. It is led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Markus Burri, with Christian Bucher on drums and Roger Huerlimann on bass. The band develops a guitar-led sound and is associated with indie rock, with references in the input also linking the name to other genres and acts of the same name.

Recorded output

Portobello releases its debut album Face the Music in 2004 on Helvetic Production and 11 p.m. records. The album receives positive reviews in magazines and newspapers. The band later records its second album, My head is my pillow is my head is on the way, over about a year and a half at Metronom-Studio in Basel with Philippe Laffer, for Taktvoll-Musik. This album contains 11 multi-faceted indie-rock songs, all written by Markus Burri. It is produced by Philippe Laffer and co-produced by Burri.

Live work and releases

To support Face the Music, Portobello performs in venues including Schuur in Lucerne with Nada Surf, Albani in Winterthur, Grabenhalle in St. Gallen, Abart in Zürich with Matt Costa, and the Suedbahnhof in Chemnitz. Banana Pirates Records in Mannheim includes the track She's Like Night on the compilation Audio Surf, where Portobello is the only Swiss band represented. The group then plays seven shows across Germany, from Frankfurt to Berlin.

The song Playing Dead gains airplay on Suisse National Radio DRS3 as mx3-Song of the week, and its video rotates on stations in Switzerland and Germany. The second album is issued through Condor Records, and the band is also working on a third studio album.