Purson (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Rosalie Cunningham |
| Defunct | 2017 |
| Headquarters | London , England |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Purson was a London-based English psychedelic rock group, established by Rosalie Cunningham following the dissolution of her former band Ipso Facto. The band was signed to Spinefarm Records, and Cunningham characterized their musical style as "vaudeville carny psych."
Career
The band's name is derived from demonology, where Purson is known as a king of Hell; Cunningham selected this name after being unable to find an appropriate godlike moniker.
Their debut single, "Rocking Horse," came out on 1 March 2012. Purson's first full-length album, The Circle and the Blue Door, was released on 29 April 2013 and received favorable reviews. The album’s title was inspired by an ex-boyfriend of Cunningham who experienced a mental breakdown. Spin described it as "an audacious entry into retro-pop headbanger fare," while Virgin labeled it "thoroughly addictive listening."
Prior to releasing their initial single, Purson performed live on BBC Radio 6 Music for Marc Riley in January 2012 and made subsequent appearances in March and December 2013, during which they discussed plans for a follow-up album. This effort later evolved into the EP titled "In The Meantime."
In April 2016, Purson unveiled their second full-length album, Desire's Magic Theatre. Cunningham played nearly all instruments on the record except for drums, while the complete band supported the album through live performances.
Purson took part in the 2012 Roadburn Festival, opened for Kiss during their 2014 KISS Kruise, and shared stages with labelmates such as Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats, Electric Wizard, Blood Ceremony, Comus, and Pentagram, alongside neo-psychedelic bands like Toy and Temples.
They embarked on an extensive US tour in 2015 alongside Ghost during the Black to the Future tour.
On 21 April 2017, Purson released their final single, "Chocolate Money," coinciding with the announcement of their disbandment.
Awards and accolades
Purson earned the titles of Best New Band and Best Debut Album of 2013 in Terrorizer magazine’s readers' poll. Their album The Circle And The Blue Door also ranked 11th in the magazine’s critics' top albums for that year. Additionally, it secured the 15th position on Metal Hammer magazine’s list of top 50 albums in 2013. The band received a nomination for Best New Band at Classic Rock's 2014 Rock Roll Of Honour event held in Los Angeles. In 2015, they were awarded the Vanguard prize at the Progressive Music Awards in London, which honors artists deserving broader recognition.
Discography
Singles
- "Rocking Horse" / "Twos and Ones" (Rise Above), March 2012
- "Leaning on a Bear" / "Let Bloom" (Rise Above), February 2013
- "The Contract" / "Blueprints of the Dream" (Rise Above), September 2013
- "Electric Landlady" (Spinefarm), September 2015
- "Chocolate Money" (Spinefarm), April 2017
EPs
- Rocking Horse - EP (Rise Above), April 2012
- In the Meantime... (Machine Elf), November 2014
Albums
- The Circle and the Blue Door (Rise Above/Metal Blade), April 2013
- Desire's Magic Theatre (Spinefarm Records), April 2016