Inspired by a childhood soundtracked by Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree was formed in England in 1987 in the mind of Steve Wilson, who dreamed of fronting a 70s-style prog-rock group. In 1989 Wilson created a demo tape, Tarquin’s Seaweed Farm, which found a small underground following, and this was followed by a second tape The Nostalgia Factory. Tracks from both found their way onto On the Sunday of Life (1991).
Voyage 34 (1992) and Up the Downstair (1993) were the next releases, and a tour was undertaken with Wilson on lead vocals, Colin Edwin on bass guitar, Chris Maitland on drums and Richard Barbieri on keyboards.
Sky Moves Sideways (1995) is considered to be Porcupine Tree’s seminal album, but the sound continued to evolve with Signify (1996), Stupid Dream (1999) and Lightbulb Sun (2000), becoming progressively rockier, a musical direction confirmed by the release of In Absentia (2002) and Deadwing (2005). Wilson had, by this time, worked with Opeth on their album Blackwater Park, and the metal influences had crossed over somewhat into his own work. In a change to the band’s line-up, Chris Maitland was replaced in 2002 by Gavin Harrison.
Fear of a Blank Planet was released in 2007 and charted in many countries, including No.59 on the US album charts. It featured guest performances by Alex Lifeson (Rush) and Robert Fripp (King Crimson).
