Farryl Purkiss to release new album "Home"

On working with Kieran, Purkiss said: "Working with this calibre of producer was a massive learning experience for me. Kieran is used to working with a certain level of musicianship, so I really felt I had to step up my game to keep up with him. He owns his own studio back in NYC, which has spawned some of my favourite records of all time, so to have his full attention on mine for such a long period was invaluable. He was super easy to work with and treated this album as if it was his own. He is also an incredible musician in his own right, so his contribution went way beyond the call of just a regular producer; he got stuck right in there and got his hands dirty. The result I feel speaks for itself. He is as proud of this album as I am."

His home, his wife, and his youth

When it came to writing the songs for his new album, one thing he found with "Home" is that the message for him was pretty clear. The subject matter generally deals with three things: his home, his wife, and his youth. By no means did he plan to write about those subjects, but they presented themselves in each piece that he wrote in one form or another.

"Most of the songs on my previous albums were all written while on tour, alone, and in foreign countries. What's different about this record is that all the songs were written while on my farm in Cape Town, and to add fuel to the album title choice, it was recorded at a studio literally 300 metres from where we live. As far as recording the songs go, they took on a life of their own in the studio. As soon as we started tracking the mood and approach surrounding this creation breathed life into every song we tackled. The songs ran in any and every direction they pleased. Instead of us directing the songs, the songs seemed to direct us. It was lot like trying to tie an elephant to a tree with a piece of string. Calm and chaos lying side by side in each song," he explained.

Made up of 12 tracks, "Home" features singles such as: Own Way Home, A Spade A Spade, Counting Back From 31, and When We Were Young. The album includes a new recorded version of Ways To Live Forever, which was written for the Ben Chaplin movie of the same name, as well as the finished version of In Apostrophes, which was first released as a demo version on the bonus disc of the Special Edition release of "Fruitbats & Crows", hyping it as a track which will be on the next album. And so it is.

Purkiss includes his hauntingly beautiful version of the Crowded House hit Fall At Your Feet, along with great album tracks: Till She Was No More, Yesterday's Demise, and Absolution In The Ground.

He is embarking on his "Home Album Launch Tour" across South Africa from 15 March, which includes two dates with international headliner Xavier Rudd at the Parklife festival events in Joburg and Cape Town.

Tour dates

Durban: Friday, 15 March. Live -The Venue, 166 Stamford Hill Road, Durban. Line-up: Farryl Purkiss + Red Light Stereo (unplugged). Entrance: R70. Starting 9pm.

Parklife Jozi: Thursday, 21 March. Marks Park Sports Club, Orange Road, Joburg.
Line-up: Xavier Rudd, Farryl Purkiss, Jeremy Loops, Plush, Josie Field & Laurie Levine, Nibs & Guy Buttery, Shotgun Tori. Gates open at 11am, the music kicks off at 12pm and ends at 7pm. Gates to the venue close at 8pm. Tickets from www.webtickets.co.za. R320 adult, children under 13 enter free. Ample free parking within the venue.

Parklife Cape Town: Friday, 22 March. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, Rhodes Drive, Newlands, Cape Town. Line-up: Xavier Rudd, Farryl Purkiss, Jeremy Loops. Gates open at 6pm. Tickets from www.webtickets.co.za. R290 adult, children under 13 enter free.

Farryl Purkiss "Home" Album Launch

Cape Town:

• Wednesday, 27 March. The German Club, 6 Roodhek Terrace, 105B Hope Street, Cape Town. Line-up: Farryl Purkiss + Holiday Murray. Entrance: R70.
  
• Friday, 29 March. Zula Bar, 98 Long Street, Cape Town. Line-up: Farryl Purkiss, Tailor, and Holiday Murray. Entrance: R70.
  
• Saturday, 30 March. Aandklas, 43a Bird Street, Stellenbosch. Line-up: Farryl Purkiss, Tailor and Holiday Murray. Entrance: R50.

Gauteng

• Friday, 5 April. Arcade Empire, 265 The Highway Street, Pretoria. Line-up: Farryl Purkiss, December Streets and Chris Letcher. Entrance: R70.
  
• Saturday, 6 April. The Woods, 66 Carr Street, Newtown, Joburg. Support acts: December Streets and Chris Letcher. Entrance fee: R70.

www.farrylpurkiss.co.za