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Farryl Purkiss plays hard to get
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November 27, 2009
By Jason Curtis
FOR the past three years Farryl Purkiss has been making work of showcasing his acoustic-anchored aptitude to the Australians, Japanese, Brits, Europeans and West Coast Americans, and next Wednesday he's bringing his music home to Mercury Live in Cape Town.
At the tail end of 2009 he's back and he's brandishing 12 new tracks encapsulated within Fruitbats & Crows, work fans have been yearning for since this bright, unassuming Durbanite dropped his debut album First Chapter, only to have an immediate fan base rise up amongst the disc's many radio active singles.
Better Days, Ducking And Diving, La Di Da, as well as a wonderful rendition of New Order's Blue Monday, introduced this especially gifted guitarist and lyricist to the world. Not surprisingly the planet then reciprocated with invitations that kept him on the road and touring for the better part of 36 months.
"There just wasn't any time to record," he defends when challenged as to why we had to wait so very long for a follow-up album.
Cape Town has been home to Purkiss from the time his debut first started garnering attention. Between flitting around the globe, the Mother City quickly became a place that gave him some distance from the demands of the road and is where he formulated the songs written while touring to some of the most exotic of places.
"The new album is entirely affected by the wealth of experience I've been privy to since Chapter One started to travel," Purkiss explains. "My entire three-year road trip was an eye-opener on a hundred different levels. I was fortunate enough to share stages with some of my biggest music heroes and have played to people from Kommetjie to Bondi and back again. People and places have always informed my song-writing, so the new album is heaving with world experience."
The Waterfront's Green Dolphin was one of the first venues to play host to Purkiss's intoxicating mix of acoustic guitar and vocals. The small crowd left gobsmacked at what they heard, a night he recalls with fond memories.
"I had no idea what to expect or what people would think," he says. "After all, it was my first attempt at song-writing, never mind recording, so I was painfully aware that the night could have gone either way."
As the year comes to a close, fans who head out to Mercury Live on Wednesday will be privy to a show headed up by a young man who was modest at the outset of his career, and who is now even more humble despite the many accolades and acknowledgements he's received from audiences everywhere.
"I'm from a small town," Purkiss jests. "My circle is tight and it keeps my feet firmly anchored on solid ground. I've worked hard to get here and, interestingly for me, I'm in a neutral space right now, which is exciting for me."
Working with a band and producer, Fruitbats & Crows' recording process was a radical departure from Purkiss's first. "I was working with a band who I shared no history with up until walking into the studio," he recalls.
"Having Brian O' Shea produce was also another highlight. He's produced some of this country's finest bands and artists from Watershed, Sugardrive, Fetish and Arno Carstens, so having him on board was a wonderful experience. He's so unassuming, yet the second he got stuck in, he was like a breath of fresh air.
"Ross Campbell (Urban Creep, Simon Van Gent) played drums and effectively helped co-produce the album too. Guy Buttery and Jon Ellis from Tree 63 are also in there, so there's loads of personality besides my own."
On closer inspection of the new album's sleeve notes, Purkiss dedicates his latest chapter of songs to the legendary singer, songwriter and master guitarist Nibs van der Spuy. "I dedicated my first album to my mom and this one goes to Nibs," he says proudly. "He's played a pivotal role in my career and this is my small way of acknowledging his contribution."
With so much now changed since Purkiss first arrived, he's back and ready to turn his home audience on with a bigger sound that's, thankfully, still entrenched in the intoxicating chemistry he first brewed up on Album One.
This time, however, he comes armed with a band of equally talented players who know just how to breathe life into a set that's sure to be filled with a good balance of new and well-used tunes. Add Laurie Levin and Australia's Lior, who both promise a welcoming warm-up for the Mercury crowd before the contents of Fruitbats & Crows is let loose, and this show looks set to impress. Get in early as, besides selling out fast, the evening may just be one of the rare opportunities to experience Purkiss live in concert before he jets off again.
To book, phone Mercury Live at 021 465 2106, or see www.mercuryl.co.za
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