INTERVIEW WITH ROSALIE CUNNINGHAM – PURSON

Purson rolled into Glasgow as their recent UK tour neared its end and we were on hand to have a chat with Purson singer/songwriter/guitarist and kazoo player Rosalie Cunningham.

Cliched question to begin with but as the tour draws to a conclusion how has it been ?

“It’s been really, really good. Turnouts have been extremely good, much better than last time.We didn’t really know how much of a step up it would be as we last toured the UK about 18 months ago and it’s been good to notice the difference.Some sold out shows which is brilliant”

The new album Desire’s Magic Theatre is due out April 29th..

“Yeah after the tour has finished,It’s bad timing isn’t it !…it was meant to be out in March but ended up getting put back”.

Was it put back as you were out with Ghost on their recent American Tour ?

“No it was put back for several reasons, things like that did play a part though”

With social media and youtube these days, people have been online and maybe caught up with some of the new material already.

“Yeah that is quite annoying really because it’s not the way that they are intended to be heard ­ through a camera phone, but there is only so much that you can do about that really.”

You must be really anxious to get the album out there for everyone to hear ?

“Yes ! it’s been a very long time coming, it’s been three years since our debut and this one was completed about a year ago, in fact I’ve almost finished writing the third album now.So it feels like it’s really out now to me.”

Not only does the album sound incredible but it also looks incredible too,stunning cover artwork and I love the vertigo spiral which reminds me of the first Black Sabbath album as the LP had that on the label,how involved were you with the concept ?

“That was entirely myself and Sam (Samuel Robinson, Purson keyboard player), It was Sam’s concept for the cover and we kind of put it together, I did the gatefold and the label will be the spiral that you mentioned,we’re also going to do a picture disc and the border from the cover art will be printed onto a clear sleeve.” Sounds amazing ! and I’m a massive fan of physical product, downloads and streams have their places but when someone produces such a work of art like this then it really needs to be admired. “Well that was a big drive for us because it’s important to us too and we wanted to create something like Sgt Pepper’s where you want to pick it up and can’t stop looking at it and you find something new every two minutes.For some age groups it’s completely alien to them and that’s why we find it really interesting.” The album begins with some audience noise,clapping etc,was this a nod to Sgt Pepper’s ? “In a way yes, not specifically Sgt Pepper’s but the idea of it being a variety show. You enter and you sit and watch the whole thing unfold , it could be several different acts and then you leave.” One of the things that I felt about the album is that it’s best enjoyed from start to finish and also that my favourite tracks constantly changed, for instance it’s now “The Bitter Suite” but that might change upon the next listen.Do you have a favourite track yet ? “Bitter Suite ! mine too ! , no ­one else has said that yet so you’re the first, I think it’s a bit too much for people to swallow ! (laughs).” What are you playing live off the album ? “I’d love to do ‘Bitter Suite’ but we will wait until the album’s out as it is a bit much for people to digest , so we’re doing the title track along with ‘Electric Landlady’,’The Window Cleaner’,’The Sky Parade’ which is going down really well considering that no­one has really heard it before,’Mr Howard’ and ‘Dead Dodo Down’.” You mentioned ‘Electric Landlady’ which is the current video on youtube etc. That’s a song with great variation,heavy guitars but with a very pop vocal throughout.
“In a sense that song sums up what the album is all about , there is some heavy riffing in it but it’s also very pop. There are some quite complex pop parts so I thought that if people like this then they’ll like the album.” Singer/Songwriter/Multi Instrumentalist,written & directed the video for ‘Electric Landlady’…involved full on with the cover art , the pressure on you must have been intense ? “At the time it was,I have forgotten it even happened now as it’s like it was all a dream but at the time it almost killed me ! (laughs),it was very,very intensive and I don’t think that I would do that again,for the next album definitely not but in the future who knows.I played the bass, the keyboards,George did some of the guitar parts but I did most and Raph did the drums, it was too much for me.” You have just returned from a few months out in America with Ghost , did that come about as you now share the same label Spinefarm ? “We had known Ghost for some time, even before we signed to Spinefarm and they had been pestering us for a while to support them as they are fans of the band.When they asked us before we weren’t in a position to do it but when we signed to Spinefarm then they could help us.” The vast majority of comments on any of your videos on Youtube seem to be from people that caught you on the Ghost tour and it seems to have turned a lot of fans onto Purson. “That worked really well for us, we were playing to around 2,000 fans every night and the reaction was incredible,so much so that we will be concentrating quite a bit on America with this album.” That’s one of the positive aspects of social media and Youtube but it can also be negative in the sense that people will always have their phones out throughout the whole show, does this irritate you as much as it does me ? “I find it really off­putting, when you’re playing venues like we are on this run and someone has a phone right in your face, I find it offensive, I would never do it but maybe that is because that I’ve been on the other side but I just don’t get it .I would never have a go at someone from onstage but to me it’s like, well you’re not paying attention if you’re watching it through your phone and also it’s a bit of an invasion of privacy.I don’t mind someone taking a quick snap but someone will film the entire show from a foot in front of you.You just have to block it out but that’s quite hard sometimes!”

I know that you are a fellow fan of one of Britain’s best loved and most underrated bands ­ Slade, so I was curious whether or not you have managed to catch the TV show Vinyl and especially the scene where Slade are slagged off ?!

“I have caught the first few episodes,I don’t want to be too hard, I think it has a load of good bits but it fails hard at the moment , the bit that you are talking about with Slade made me laugh actually, even then they had a bad reputation as they were seen as a bit of a teenybopper band but in fact they were a very good Hard Rock band.Even when they had the skinhead look they were writing some really psychedelic material. I just think that their management kept on giving them different looks to try and market them.”

There is a beautiful picture on Purson’s facebook page of yourself meeting the late Sir George Martin , I believe that came about through your Father ?

“Yes, my Dad was going to his house to interview him and I heard about this so I had to go along, I was very thinly veiling my absolute awe at being in George Martin’s house, I was only 15 years old at the time but he was so sweet with me, making conversation and putting me at ease , I really freak out when I’m meeting my heroes, I completely cannot speak basically, I met Paul McCartney through my Dad again and I couldn’t remember my name so my Dad had to tell him !.”

Amazing !, thanks for your time Rosalie and good luck with ‘Desire’s Magic Theatre’ Our live review of the Purson gig at Audio Glasgow can be found here

Interview Dave Stott

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