Porcupine Tree is an English rock band formed by musician Steven Wilson in 1987. The band began essentially as a solo project for Wilson, who created all of the band’s music. However, by 1993, Wilson desired to work in a band environment, and so brought on frequent collaborators Richard Barbieri on keyboards, Colin Edwin on bass and Chris Maitland on drums as permanent band members. With Wilson still in charge of guitar and lead vocals, this would remain the lineup until 2001, when the band recruited Gavin Harrison to replace Maitland on drums.

Porcupine Tree’s early sound evoked a style of psychedelic rock comparable to that of progressive rock band Pink Floyd. Upon signing with the Snapper Music record label in the late 1990s, the band approached a more mainstream alternative rock sound. By the early 2000s, the band signed to Kscope and shifted their sound again, this time in a progressive metal direction.

After the release and tour in support of their tenth studio album, The Incident, the band became inactive as Wilson committed himself to his solo work, and other members began working on their own separate projects. During the “inactive” period, the band did have some pre-recorded releases, including Anesthetize (Live) and Octane Twisted, alongside remasters and some re-recordings.

During 2020, the band released multiple live albums from their archive onto Bandcamp, including the previously released XM and XM2 live sessions.

Having been working in secret on a new project for a decade, the band reformed in 2021 with a new album, CLOSURE / CONTINUATION, which released in 2022. The album was accompanied by a tour, which led to a new live album, CLOSURE / CONTINUATION. LIVE. AMSTERDAM 07/11/22.