INTERVIEW:
Foreign Affairs
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BROTHERS Adam and Lawrence Purnell form Foreign Affairs…
and they have been talking with me about their new single, Faded, and what it is all about. I ask them what they have coming up and how their music has changed since the start; which rising artists we need to get behind – they each select an album that is important to them.
I was keen to learn whether there are plans for next year and if they are touring soon; if they share the same musical tastes and what advice they would give to musicians emerging – they each pick a song to end the album with.
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Hi, guys. How are you? How has your week been?
Great, thanks! Looking forward to the release of our new single on Friday!
For those new to your music; can you introduce yourselves, please?
We’re brothers Adam and Lawrence Purnell from Bristol. We’ve come together to form our Americana/Indie duo, ‘Foreign Affairs’.
Faded is the new single. What is the story behind it?
Faded felt like an ‘end of the world’-type song for us; it's one of reflection and writing about something bigger than day to day life - "I ain't been everywhere my friend/but I’ve seen the leaves fall of the trees, they grow back again". We wanted the opening line to suggest a growth and maturity of the band, like we'd been away for a while.
Might we see more material coming next year?
Faded is the first single from our forthcoming record, The Old Fire Station, which will be released on 30th November. We have already started writing/demoing songs for a full album release next year.
Do you share musical tastes? Which artists are important?
We definitely do. We were brought up listening to artists like Rodney Crowell, Divine Comedy and Richard Hawley; all of which are amazing songwriters. In recent years, we have aspired to the songwriting of Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton but also a lot of artists outside of that scene, such as Leon Bridges, Nick Mulvey and Nathaniel Rateliff.
How do you think Foreign Affairs has evolved and changed since the start?
Our songwriting and sound has matured over time and, through touring extensively, we’ve had the time to explore and find the exact sound that we want to transfer onto our records. Both Adam and I now have a clear vision of exactly where we want to take our music which we think can only be achieved through trial and exploration.
What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?
By the end of 2018, we will have released our new record, The Old Fire Station. We are just so excited for our fans to finally have new music from us; that will be a great feeling. We have also been nominated as Duo of the Year by the British Country Music Association so we might have attained that accolade by then, who knows?
Do you already have plans for 2019?
We will be touring throughout the year along with a string of festival appearances in the summer; we have also already started writing/demoing songs for a full album release.
Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?
The first time we performed at Glastonbury is definitely a special moment that will stay with both of us. It felt like such a huge achievement to be stood on one of the stages at such a prestigious festival. Also, our first national radio play on BBC R2 was a proud moment.
Which one album means the most to each of you would you say (and why)?
Lawrence: Neil Young - Harvest Moon
It’s an album that I have been listening to for as long as I can remember. I always come back around to it regardless of how long it’s been. Never fails to take me away to another planet.
Adam: Rodney Crowell - The Houston Kid
The first record that my dad gave to me in my early teenage years; the songwriting and guitar tones were just stand out. A genre that I had previously not had any experience in; it had such an effect that I was later smuggled into the Bristol Bierkeller under-age to see Rodney play the record.
If you could support any musician alive today, and choose your own rider, what would that entail?
We would love to tour with Jackson Browne - that is someone that we could watch night after night and never get tired of his songs. We’d definitely pair that tour with some Brooklyn beer and gin and tonic (little slice of cucumber).
What advice would you give to new artists coming through?
Do whatever comes naturally and don’t force anything; it will always come through if the music is coming straight from the heart. Never give up and always remember to sort your parking permits! (Learn from us).
Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?
26th November - The Social (London)
We will be announcing our own headline tour shortly to coincide with the record release. (All details will be on our social media).
IN THIS PHOTO: Jade Bird
Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?
Jade Bird, Ruston Kelly and Dermot Kennedy have been on-repeat for us, so we’ll go with those three!
IN THIS PHOTO: Rushton Kelly
Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?
Adam goes and watches our local football team (Bristol Rovers) which seems to do it for him! (Each to their own).
I love going for breakfasts and coffee (best meal of the day). It’s the simple things!
Finally, and for being good sports; you can each choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).
Lawrence: Neil Young - Unknown Legend
Adam: Guy Clark - Rain in Durango
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