Evolution of Blackfield

The Evolution of Blackfield

Blackfield began not in a studio but on a tour bus. When Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree visited Israel in 2000 — invited by a fan named Aviv Geffen — the two songwriters struck up an immediate friendship. Geffen contributed backing vocals to two tracks on Porcupine Tree's In Absentia, then persuaded Wilson to launch a shared project. What was initially sketched as a 2001 EP grew into something far more ambitious.

Album by Album

1. 2004–05Self-titled debut released in Europe and Israel (2004), then the US (2005); band makes its live television debut in Israel
2. 2007Blackfield II released — Wilson co-wrote and sang lead on nearly every track; live DVD/CD Live in New York City follows
3. 2011Welcome to My DNA released 28 March; supported by tours across North America and Europe
4. 2013Blackfield IV released 26 August; Wilson confirms a reduced role going forward
5. 2017Blackfield V released 10 February, co-produced with Alan Parsons; Wilson and Geffen reunite creatively

A Shifting Partnership

After Welcome to My DNA, Wilson began stepping back — mixing and contributing rather than co-writing — while Geffen assumed greater creative ownership. The arrival of producer Alan Parsons for Blackfield V gave the project a fresh collaborator without erasing its DNA. Through every line-up adjustment, the project's emotional core — the contrast between Wilson's atmospheric cool and Geffen's melodic warmth — has remained intact.

More from the archive

Featured figures