Interview: Purple Fly and “DANCE”
We got to chat with London-based rock band Purple Fly around their latest release “DANCE”.
Can you share the story of how Purple Fly came together? What brought each of you into the world of music and, eventually, into the band?
– Konstantinos: it all started when I left Athens, to chase a music career in London. I met Leonidas through Leo’s brother under some odd circumstances. Soon, we would hang out, play video games, listen to music and jam. I started showing Leo some of the songs I was writing at the time and Leo decided to join me in these music endeavours. I came up with the name and the logo of Purple Fly at a turtle racing contest.
– Nahuel: Later the same year I met Kostas at a house party. He wanted to put a band together and give life to his songs. I helped them for a short period at the beginning, and then after after a few months, he was still looking for a guitarist, and the rest was history.
How would you describe your musical style and what influences have shaped the band’s sound?
– Konstantinos: Purple Fly is music to lose your virginity to. Even if you’re not a virgin.
– Nahuel: It’s hard for me to fit Purple Fly in just one music genre. It’s a weird combination of rock, indie with the aggressiveness of punk. When you mix that with our own stylistic and sound preferences, you get the Purple Fly sound.
– Leonidas: the real influence comes from a crazy mix of personal listening, such as Vulfpeck, Sticky Fingers and even electronic music such as House music and DmB. Then Nahuel sometimes manifests his inner Slash and boom!
Can you take us through the creative process behind your new single “DANCE”? What inspired the song and its energetic vibe?
– Konstantinos: I wrote DANCE just before the first pandemic back in 2020. At the time, I was going through big changes, personal struggles, battling with my inner demons. What inspired the song is the deep desire to let go, let loose and let it be. The phrase ‘I’m not Obi-Wan Kenobi’ means that I’m not perfect, you know? I make mistakes and that’s okay, because I have finally accepted the darker side of me. Sometimes in life, you have no other choice but to dance with the devil. You have to learn the steps mate.
What message do you hope listeners will take away from this exploration of life’s complexities?
– Konstantinos: Listeners are free to interpret the song however they want. Art is a personal thing and each one connects to music in a different unique way. We want to believe that listening to Purple Fly makes you feel something. What it is it don’t matter, as long as it make you feel something. Hope this ain’t boredom.
In the process of creating music and building your career, what challenges have you faced as a band and how have you overcome them?
– Leonidas: Money. Music is a very expensive sport. Everything you do, especially at the beginning, requires a good amount of money and energy to make things work. Rehearsal, production, equipment, you know, the classics.
What’s next for Purple Fly? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or events that you’re excited about?
We have a showcase gig for Glastonbury ‘24 which will take place at The Bread & Roses in Clapham, December 14th. After that we will be working on our debut album release titled MAKE ROCK N ROLL COOL AGAIN early in 2024, probably beginning of February. For that, we will be playing our biggest show to date, a huge album release party, soon after the release.
