After misfortune first struck for British Psychedelic Rock outlet PURSON, forcing them to cancel all continental dates on the tour with ASTRA earlier this year, now things are finally looking up again: The swinging quartette announced to be joining in on SPIRITUAL BEGGARS’ “Earth Blues Tour 2013” and thus finally be heading over from the United Kingdom. A more appropriate package almost seems out of the question, as both bands are hard to label. PURSON with their deal at Lee Dorrian’s very own Rise ABove record, on the one hand might be having a hard to time, fully pleasing expectations of the rather (Stoner) Rock and (Doom) Metal oriented group of costumers that do not disapprove the price and publication policy of the former NAPALM DEATH vokiller and CATHEDRAL mastermind. SPIRITUAL BEGGARS on the other hand have been into all of what has become a mere hype within the past few years, with names such as ORCHID, GRAVEYARD, KADAVAR and others being overwhelmingly praised for a particular direction, while the Swedes have been sounding like this, ever since they first got started in 1993! Twenty years later they are still far away from being signed by a major label – but be it as it may…
Organist Samuel Shove & Frontlady Rosalie Cunningham outshining it all
My main reason to take on what turned out to be a three and a half hour ride throughout major parts of the southern part of Germany I live in, is to watch PURSON play live – first and foremost. For sure catching up with former CARCASS member Michael Amott got its charms on me, but let’s just not get lost on this. To state the obvious again, female musicians do attract me in very intense way and one Rosalie Cunningham being in her early twenties and stunningly beautiful get attributes combined that never failed to amaze me. Besides their unique blend of colorful 60s vibe, Psychedelic infused Rock and an almost scary sense of coolness, hard to got on many a Metalhead. Strictly on time at 9pm, the current lineup featuring new members Jack Hobbs (drums) and Justin Smith (bass) along with leading lady Rosalie, George Hudson (guitars&backing vocals) and Samuel Shove (Organ, Mellotron, Wurlitzer) enter the stage of Café Central, Weinheim. The audience, hardly to my surprise, acts quite reserved and rather confused by those young Brits diving in the scanty used light, which underlines and displays their qualities even more so.
PURSON: When sound & sight become alike
The approximately 45 minutes setlist contains well-known songs from PURSONs debut record “Circle And The Blue Door” such as ‘The Contract’, ‘Spiderwood Farm’, ‘Tragic Catastrophe’ and ‘Leaning On A Bear’ – as seen in the live video above. Additionally the band fears not the present some new material like ‘I Will Be Good’. A track that gets to me right away, almost as if I heard it before. An acoustic way of coming home, if you may. And my celebratory “Wooohooo” popping out with the announcement of the new song, even puts a soft smile on Rosalie’s face. All too soon this lovely trip to a much more swining’n’grooving sphere of time and space is over again. The scarcely used interaction with the audience clearly does not stand in the way of enchanting a few newly won fans tonight and to put it this way: Great art might be well explained but the true magic each and all of us have to find within our selves through pure conception, understanding and love. Speaking for myself: I can’t wait for them to return, if I won’t catch up with them in their native England that is!
Furthermore, just two days after seeing PURSON, the nightmare continues for them, as stated as follows: “It is with great regret that we have been forced to drop off the rest of the tour with Spiritual Beggars. After our van broke down yesterday in Belgium, we found ourselves in some very awkward circumstances, being taken to a dodgy garage where they tried to force us to spend €5,000 on a whole new engine. After we refused they locked us in the compound with no food or water. 11 hours later we were rescued by the AA and made it safely back to England this morning. We would like to apologise to our fans in Holland, France and Belgium for not now being able to play for you! We really are gutted. We would also like to thank Spiritual Beggars and their crew for an awesome run of shows, and all those other new friends we have made along the way. And especially thanks to our driver Dave, for getting us safely out of a very nasty situation. Again, we are so gutted we can’t finish the tour.”
Pictures Courtesy of P. Lienert
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Cunningham adds: “Chocolate Money is a snapshot of the ostentatious decadence of the 70s. The mythical rock star character with his double-entendre and self-centred hedonism. The industry has become a very different world since then, which is something I will expand on lyrically with my next album. It has inspired my desire to go back to basics and remember what music is supposed to be about.”
