It’s a bit of a bet to interview a band that has not even released a full-lenght yet. But Mancunians Purple Heart Parade have been on people’s mouths for a while now, and finally seeing them live just confirmed they’re a winning bet. Through an incessant but careful live schedule they managed to gather a faithful fanbase. But there’s more. This band’s got a 360° view of what they’re doing, and they know how to do it. Songs come first, they focus on writing very good mesmerising songs with dreaming vibes and more colours than rainbows. But also their visuals, videos, merchandising…every piece conjures to drive a crowd into their wonderland.
Here’s our chat with Peter Cowap (singer and frontman) and Ste Woods (bass player).
Do not expect them to be naive about it, they know they’re heading for the Big Time! Did you already forget they’re from Manchester? Big mouths strike again and again, and we’re already mad fer it!
Q – Many fans became aware of Purple Heart Parade thanks to the many gigs you played as support for bands like Toy, Night Beats, The Lucid Dream, The Cult of Dom Keller, The Telescopes, just to name a few. Was this an obvious choice to reach a larger audience? Do you feel you’re now ready for more headline slots?
Peter – We’ve all been in bands previously and had to experience a load of shit over the years and became aware of who and what to avoid. We are very picky with who we play with and only play with bands we dig. It might come across as arrogant? But I honestly believe that we are an amazing band destined for fucking massive things! People may think I’m a prick for saying that? But it’s what I feel in my bones.
We play a very rare home town headline show on the 26th June for Astral Elevator at Gullivers. We’re looking forward to this as we’ve only played once in 6 months in Manchester, at Cosmosis Festival. We seem more popular in London having played there a majority of the time.
Ste – We like to play with certain bands who create great music, we’ve grafted hard to get shows that get us in front of more people. As for headlining, London loves us at the minute and we’re doing well down there. I’d love to see us live though.
Q – The North West is the real center for the psych scene in the UK at the moment. I’m thinking of bands like The Underground Youth, Mugstar, Clinic, The Blackrays, The Lucid Dream…but also about established gatherings taking place in the area, like Liverpool and Manchester Psych Festivals. Do you feel to be part of a scene, being friendly and collaborative with each others? There are more bands in the area you would advice to listen to?
Peter – The North West does seem to have a bit of a buzz at the moment, though to be honest I think the scene in London is thriving too. I think Liverpool Psych Fest was responsible for spawning the scene, I’ve been to every Liverpool Psych Fest so far and to open last years Fest was a dream. We do know a few of the bands, though I wouldn’t say we were part of a scene as such as we pretty much do our own thing. I’ve always felt like an outsider who occasionally gets invited into the party ha. The Lucid Dream have been brilliant to us from day one, they’ve given us advice etc.. To which we’re grateful, I’d love to do a track with Mark one day as we’re on the same wavelength. As for other northern based bands? I’d say The Black Delta Movement from Hull are worth a listen, they supported JAMC recently which is cool as milk.
Ste – There’s a lot of decent bands about but that are top people too – bands like The Lucid Dream have been great in giving us advice as well. I hate the thought of there being “scenes” as they bring “scenesters”. Scenes also mean there’s a lot of shite around too trying to jump on a bandwagon that doesn’t really exist.
Q – How much the visual side of a concert is important for you to create the right ‘vibes’?
Peter – A majority of our tracks have been written in a dark room lit up by fairy lights, it’s a beautiful sight and creates a magical vibe. So to have some cool visuals while we play onstage is tops and gets me especially into a zone.
Ste – Massively important. I’d say the visuals and vibes are as important to this band as the music. I never really thought of us as a trippy psychedelic hippy 60’s power flower shite you see draped over most bands – I see us as a bit darker, moodier, and I think our visuals reflect in our music too.
Q – Your presence on stage – expecially Peter – reminds a lot of The Verve. Are they a key influence for you? Do you feel you got a ‘northern soul’?
Peter – Ha, thank you! It makes a change from a young Bobby Gillespie (which I think is also cool!). I just get lost in a world of my own up onstage. I’d be lying if I was to say we weren’t influenced by them as I think “A Storm In Heaven” is the greatest record of all time but there’s more to our sound. We listen to and are influenced by all sorts ranging from Aphex Twin, Beach Boys, Funkadelic, Talk Talk, Stooges, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Sonic Youth, Hollies etc..
Have we got Northern Soul? Dead Fucking Right!!! Ha, I was brought up on Motown and Northern Soul music so I’m absolutely riddled! We’re very proud of our roots, our city is mint and like no other in the entire world. I love its gloomy romantic cloudy skyline, always good to come home to after gigging away.
Q – We live in a DIY age where most bands do their own promotion and book their own gig. PHP instead have had from the start a proper manager looking after them, and a real and rich website. Are you into a more classic and professional way to approach the music biz?
Peter – Ha brilliant! Who told you we had a proper manager? We have a maniac! Only joking. We have my long time friend Stephen De Sarasola or Sausage as he’s known looking after us. He’s been great at sorting stuff out for us as it gives us more time to concentrate on the music and artistic side of things. Ste designs websites for a living so we’ve been lucky on that aspect regarding the website, I think he’s done a great job. Experiences in our previous musical adventures have proved to be a great asset too, we’ve all suffered at the hands of bullshitters and charlatans at some point, so we’re pretty good at sussing out the blaggers.
Q – What are your plans for the future, in terms or releases and tours?
Peter – Release wise we have “The Room” coming out on a split 12″ vinyl release with Chatham Rise and a couple of other bands on the US based Picture In My Ear Label towards the back end of summer. We go into Spirit Studios in Manchester in June to record 3 or 4 tracks for an EP also with a release hopefully for around autumn? We have a few festival slots lined up which we are buzzing about! Sadly we can’t reveal anything yet along with a few other gigs which is killing me. Once the EP comes out in Autumn we’ll be looking at doing our own headline tour.
Ste – We also have plans afoot for venturing overseas but we can’t say too much at the minute or we’ll be fired out of a cannon into a wall!
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