Purson

Purson
Background information
Origin	London, England Southend-on-Sea, England
Genres	Psychedelic Rock, Neo-Folk, Progressive Rock, Occult Rock
Years active	2011 - 2016
Labels	Rise Above Records, Spinefarm Records
Associated acts	Ipso Facto
Website	Purson Facebook

Purson was a psychedelic rock band originating from London, England, active between 2011 and 2016. Described by bandleader Rosalie Cunningham as "vaudeville carny psych" the band utilizes a wide range of sounds including psychedelic rock, folk, acid rock, occult rock, prog and a general inspiration on 60s and 70s rock. Purson gained significant buzz with only a handful of songs on Soundcloud before signing to Rise Above Records and being named the band of the week by one Fenriz of Darkthrone early on.

The band name has its origins in demonology, in which Purson is one of the Kings of Hell. Cunningham wanted to name the band after a god. After not finding any god-like names that they liked, they searched in the names of demons or devils.

Purson managed to release two studio albums in their short tenure along with touring throughout Europe and The United States, following building their name up as a rising act in the UK rock scene.

History

Purson was formed in 2011 by Rosalie Cunningham following the disbandment of her previous band Ipso Facto (A neo-psych/post-punk band active between 2007 and 2009.), along with George Hudson, Samuel Shove, Ed Turner and Raphael Mura. The band's earliest known live performance would be held on 25 August 2011 at The Shacklewell Arms. Following a string of shows supporting Blood Ceremony, Horisont and Pentagram the band gained a buzz, eventually signing to Rise Above Records. On 1 March 2012 the band's debut single Rocking Horse saw release, later in April as a digital EP. Following a gig supporting Electric Wizard the band would make an appearance at the 2012 edition of Roadburn Festival. Work would then begin on a debut record.

Two singles (and subsequent music videos) would be released to promote the forthcoming album. "Leaning on a Bear" would see release on 5 March 2013 while "The Contract" saw release roughly a month later. Finally on 29 April 2013 The Circle and The Blue Door would see release via Rise Above Records. The album itself was inspired by an ex-boyfriend of Cunningham who had a mental breakdown, speaking of "The Circle and The Blue Door" before said breakdown had happened. The Circle and The Blue Door attained significant critical acclaim, with Purson being voted for Best New Band and Best Debut Album of 2013 in Terrorizer magazine's yearly readers poll as well as ranking The Circle And The Blue Door 11th in their critics choice of the best albums of 2013. The Circle And The Blue Door ranked number 15 on Metal Hammer magazine's best 50 Albums 2013.

In support of The Circle and The Blue Door the band would tour the UK and Europe throughout 2013, sharing the stage with the likes of Spiritual Beggars, Astra, Uncle Acid and the deadbeats, Damo Suzuki and The Sword among others. The band notably closed out the year as a part of Rise Above Records' 25th anniversary celebration. The next year participating in various festivals such as Doom For The Doomed, HRH Prog 2, Depressive Fest, Duna Jam, Desertfest Belgium and the KISS Kruise among touring and other gigs. An EP would also see release on 12 October 2014 entitled In The Meantime, featuring four new songs.

2015 would see Purson supporting Electric Wizard and appearing at festivals such as Download, Rockavaria and Rock im Revier before embarking on their first North American tour as a support act for the Swedish rock band Ghost. Work would also begin on a second album as new singles would be unveiled in "Electric Landlady" (November 2015) and "The Window Cleaner" (Early 2016). Now signed to Spinefarm, Purson's second studio album Desire's Magic Theatre would see worldwide release on 29 April 2016 to positive reception. Purson would tour extensively through Europe and the United States through the first half of the year in support of the album, with many gigs selling out.

However following a string of cancelled gigs in the Fall it would be announced that their Christmas party show at The Lexington on 15 December 2016 would be their last show "for the foreseeable future". In April 2017 it would be announced officially that Purson had disbanded, with bandleader Rosalie Cunningham citing that the band "has gone as far as it could go". The band signed off with one final single in "Chocolate Money", released that same month. Rosalie Cunningham would go on to performing solo, eventually releasing a debut album in 2019 and working in Purson songs alongside solo originals.

Purson - Leaning On A Bear (Official Video)

Purson - The Contract (Official Video)

Purson - Death's Kiss (Official Video)

Purson - The Window Cleaner

Purson - Electric Landlady

Purson full set at Dunajam 2014

Discography

Studio Albums

• The Circle and The Blue Door (2013, Rise Above Records)
• Desire's Magic Theatre (2016, Spinefarm Records)

Other Releases

• Rocking Horse (2012, Rise Above Records)
• The Contract (2013, Rise Above Records)
• Leaning on a Bear (2013, Rise Above Records)
• Mavericks & Mystics (Abbey Road Remaster) (2013, Rise Above Records)
• In The Meantime (2014, Machine Elf)
• Death's Kiss (2014, Machine Elf)
• Electric Landlady (2015, Spinefarm)
• The Window Cleaner (2016, Spinefarm)
• Desire's Magic Theatre (2016, Spinefarm)
• Chocolate Money (2016, Spinefarm)

Members

• Rosalie Cunningham - Guitar, Lead Vocals (2011 - 2016)
• George Hudson - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals (2011 - 2016)
• Samuel Shove - Keyboards (2011 - 2016)
• Justin Smith - Bass (2013? - 2016)
• Raphael Mura - Drums (2011 - 2016)
• Ed Turner - Bass, Guitar, Percussion (2011 - 2014?)
• Barnaby Maddick - Bass (Unknown Time Period)
• Jack Hobbs - Drums (Unknown Time Period)
• James Last - Drums (2014?)

Tours

• Astra + Purson UK Tour (With Astra) (2013)
• Fall 2013 European Tour (With Spiritual Beggars) (2013)
• December 2013 UK Tour (2013)
• Purson 2014 UK Tour (2014)
• Black To The Future North America 2015 (With Ghost) (2015)
• Desire's Magic Theatre European Tour (2016)
• Desire's Magic Theatre North American Tour (Select dates with Ghost, The Sword) (2016)
• Desire's Magic Theatre Fall Tour (2016)