Beth Gibbons' debut solo album 'Lives Outgrown' nominated for Mercury Music Prize
Debut solo album Lives Outgrown nominated for Mercury Music Prize
“Lost Changes” Live at Manchester Albert Hall launched
We are delighted to announce that Beth Gibbons’ debut solo album Lives Outgrown has been shortlisted for the 2024 Mercury Music Prize. Beth is no stranger to the Mercury Music Prize, having won it with Portishead’s Dummy in 1995. Beth’s response to the news is as follows:
“Really great surprise to be part of the 12 Mercury albums of the year, something I never expected. Big thanks to all who have supported the album, it means so much.”
Today, we are also launching a stunning new live film of one of many album highlights, “Lost Changes”. The new live film, captured at Manchester's legendary Albert Hall, is directed by long-time Portishead and Beth Gibbons' visual collaborator John Minton, presenting Gibbons and her accompanying band at peak form on the tail-end of the Lives Outgrown UK tour in June.
Watch “Lost Changes” HERE.
Listen to Lives Outgrown HERE.
Lives Outgrown is, by some measure, Beth’s most personal work to date, the result of a period of sustained reflection and change — “lots of goodbyes,” in Beth’s words. Farewells to family, to friends, even to her former self. These are songs from the mid-course of life, when looking ahead no longer yields what it used to, and looking back has a sudden, sharper focus.
“I realised what life was like with no hope,” says Beth. “And that was a sadness I’d never felt. Before, I had the ability to change my future, but when you’re up against your body, you can’t make it do something it doesn’t want to do.”
Songs also touch on motherhood, anxiety and the menopause (which Beth describes variously as “a massive audit” and “a massive comedown” which “cuts you at the knees”) as well as, inevitably, mortality.
“People started dying,” says Beth. “When you’re young, you never know the endings, you don’t know how it’s going to pan out. You think: we’re going to get beyond this. It’s going to get better. Some endings are hard to digest.”
But emerging from this decade of change and realignment has left Beth with what feels like a renewed purpose. “Now I’ve come out of the other end, I just think, you’ve got to be brave,” she says.
Featuring 10 beautiful new tracks recorded over a period of 10 years, Lives Outgrown, released on Friday the 17th of May 2024, was produced by James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Depeche Mode, The Last Dinner Party) and Beth Gibbons with additional production by Lee Harris (Talk Talk).
“Gibbons’ careworn voice threads through Lives Outgrown: intimate, in-your-face and utterly distinctive as ever……occasionally challenging, frequently beautiful and invariably gripping.” Guardian 5*
“It’s a joy to hear the Portishead star’s sublime voice threaded through a beautiful, unpredictable folk song after a decade away.” Observer
“The record might have taken years to create, but it still feels intimate, natural, sometimes threateningly unpredictable, sounds rising and falling against Gibbons’ vocals like a tide.” MOJO 4*
“One suspects that Gibbons agonised over every word and note on Lives Outgrown, but the result is an album to fall deeply in love with. If you allow them to, these songs will envelope your soul.” Record Collector 4*
“This least glib of vocalists doesn’t break her silence without good reason. Lives Outgrown provides it.” Financial Times 4*
“Fabulous.” NME 4*
Beth Gibbons is currently in Japan, where she will be performing at Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata on Saturday 27th July.
