Steven Wilson on Porcupine Tree’s reunion album: ‘I think it probably is the last record we’ll make’

Author Jad - 13.3.2022

Porcupine Tree will see their first new record since 2009’s “Closure/Continuation” on June 24, and will hit the road this September. The record sees three-fourths of the band reuniting for the first time in over a decade – vocalist and guitarist Steven Wilson, keyboardist Richard Barbieri, and drummer Gavin Harrison. Though Wilson said in an interview with The Guardian that “Closure/Continuation” could very well be more closure and less continuation.

We didn’t have to make this record. It’s not as if we’ve come back because we’ve been offered [$10 million] to tour America. We’ve not come back because our solo careers have failed. We thought it’d be fun and we had some good material. I think that’s partly reflected in the title of the album: I genuinely don’t know whether this is closure or the start of another continuing strand of the band’s career.

If it is closure, I think it’s a really nice way to do it. Or we might call each other up a year from now and say: ‘Hey, that was fun. Should we do it again?’ My guess is probably the former. I think it probably is the last record we’ll make and probably the last tour we’ll do.

Steve Wilson, frontman of Porcupine Tree

Keyboardist Richard Barbieri later added that if this truly is the real end of Porcupine Tree, it wouldn’t be so bad.

I know Steven will go into solo mode once this is over. And it depends where that takes him. Porcupine Tree can only really come from Steven wanting to be part of it. I’m quite happy if it is closure. I’m quite comfortable with that. Because we’ve made a good album. And I think we’re going to end on a good vibe between the three of us. There’s not going to be any kind of negative feelings.

Keyboardist Richard Barbieri