After being involved in many local rock bands, playing drums and DJing in hip-hop groups, Barrow got his first job at the Coach House Studios as a tape operator soon after it opened in 1989.

[2] In 1991, while he was assisting on Massive Attack's breakthrough album Blue Lines, the band allowed him spare studio time to get his own ideas on tape.

They formed the band Portishead, later adding third member Adrian Utley, releasing their debut album Dummy in 1994 to critical acclaim.

The group performed for the first time in seven years on 2 May 2022, as part of a War Child concert benefitting refugees and children affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

[4] In 2001, Barrow formed the Australian record label Invada, whose artist roster includes acts such as RuC.L and ARIA-award-winning group Koolism), together with Katalyst's Ashley Anderson.

Bands who released work through Invada included Gonga, Team Brick, Atavist, Joe Volk, malakai and Crippled Black Phoenix.

At the dawn of the '90s, Barrow was making a name for himself as a remixer, working with such artists as Primal Scream, Paul Weller, Gabrielle and Depeche Mode.

Beak performed the soundtrack for Tom Geens' 2015 film Couple in a Hole, drawing largely on the band's earlier material.