Brian Eno joins The Gift on stage for a rare live performance (full video)!

Brian Eno and The Gift perform "Love Without Violins" live, for the very first time! Brian Eno joined The Gift onstage in London last week and we have the video to prove it! ALTAR was released worldwide May 5th. ‘It's not very often that you'll encounter a group like The Gift. With…intense, idiosyncratic songwriting, the future pop outfit are already the toast of their native Portugal’ – Clash Magazine ‘their unashamed love of theatrical chamber pop tinged with an array of sounds from ambient interludes to discordant electronica make them a must-see’ - Drowned In Sound "ambitious indie-electronic art-pop compositions that recalls the best work of David Bowie, Depeche Mode and Talking Heads." - 4/5 Ghettoblaster Magazine "Extraordinary and addictive piece of music" - Gigwise "'I Loved It All' is a symphonic anthem" – Impose Magazine   “a fantastic collection of songs that pull the listener into this vibrant, colourful world of different moods and interesting quirks; theatrical pop that brings in discordant synths and an intense, joyous expression of creative talent.” The Independent   "Each track feels epically layered, yet oddly open, and the entirety of Altar seems jigsaw puzzle-piece fit and interlocking. Impressive." - 8/10 Magnet Magazine   "'Big Fish' pushes the band’s sound into something that’s even more playful and more dynamic than what we heard on Explode, layering synth hooks on top of reverb breakdowns and just the right amount of funk guitar in the background to keep things moving.” – PopMatters   "Altar's emotion and melody has something for everyone and contains enough tasty morsels to provide many a late-night snack or make an excellent musical smorgasbord for your summer pool-party." - 7/10 Under The Radar   “An inspired collection of sonically inventive, discreetly theatrical pop” - 8/10 Uncut.

Forward-thinking alt-pop quartet The Gift released their eagerly awaited album, Altar, May 5th on their own La Folie Records. The band's sixth album was produced and co-written by music maverick Brian Eno and mixed by sonic master Flood.  The ten timeless songs, from the thrilling ‘Love Without Violins’ – which sees Eno sharing vocals with singer Sónia Tavares’ – to the synth-pop explosion of ‘Clinic Hope’, the funk-flavoured ‘Malifest’, and on to the desperately moving ‘Vitral’, are the perfect representation of a band in constant evolution and artistic growth. While the upcoming third single ‘Big Fish’, after a back and forth oscillation between the two poles which characterizes the album, perfectly bridges the gap between alt-pop and electronic sounds.  “Altar is the life story we can record and trace in all of us,” explains the band talking about the concept behind the album. The title well represents their respect for the writing and recording process or ‘ceremony’ – as they like to call it – with Eno. The one with the producer is a collaboration they dreamed over twenty years, and which involved six recording sessions; four in Galizia, one London and one in their home studio in Alcobaça, the small city an hour north of Lisbon where the childhood friends formed The Gift in 1994. Doubts, fears, insecurities, victories and excitement filled the room, before the producer they always admired would walk in every morning helping them to create what is their most compelling album yet. The producer’s unconventional approach, included tapes rolled all day long, and often they began shaping songs with extended jam sessions in which Eno would also take part, as well as a couple of his famous ‘Oblique Strategies’ and a whiteboard where “He’d write things on the board,” Sonía remembers, “and had this pointer, like a real classroom.” Eno took them on expeditions, too, packing a car with keyboards so they could record by a nearby river, and collaborated on the lyrics, helping develop ideas by literally drawing them. Altar represents the crowning glory of The Gift’s career to date. A masterful culmination of the last few years of The Gift musical development, drawing together the strength of their unique live performances and expertly crafted production in what is one of the most captivating releases of the year.