Farryl P rkiss
arryl Purkiss was born in South Africa and his music is a rich combination of captivating and emotive songs, testament to the many communal bonfires that have illuminated the path for this singer-songwriter. His music can only be likened to a freight train that is barreling down the tracks towards you. It is just audible in the distance but as it nears you, standing on the tracks, it grabs hold of you and thunders its way through you, resonating with every cell in your body, bringing to life their long dormancy with his mysterious musicality combined with lilting lyrics, drumming-chugging acoustic guitar-based melodies and flowing choruses.
The two videos below show the versatility of Farryl with 'Seraphine' offering melodic acoustic strums coupled with flowing, soothing lyrics. At the other end of the scale the 'Kissing devils on the cheek' video hosts more chunky, bluesy riffs that make you want to pack a rucksack and hit the road with guitar in hand. Simply - the music is cool, tangible and highly listenable with a well- rounded richness.
His 2005 debut EP release, “Chapter One" was recorded in collaboration with South African guitar legend Nibs van der Spuy and marketed and released with the assistance of Sheer Sound.
2006 saw extensive touring which has included headline appearances at festivals such as Splashy Fen, Wavescapes Film Festival, Mr Price Classic and The Billabong Pro.
Farryl completed two national tours as a guest of Australian superstars Missy Higgins (July 2006) and Ben Lee (April 2006). He has also toured with Donovan Frankenreiter and has played with Jack Johnson, which resulted in a co-composition with Jack. The “Chapter One” EP was nominated for a 2006 South African Music Award (SAMA) in the ‘Best Adult Contemporary’ category.
His eponymous debut was through 2 Feet Music and had two successful Australian tours, including a headline spot at Big Day Out (Perth). Farryl has also been featured heavily in the Audi TT (UK) campaign with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Positively 4th Street”. 2007 saw Farryl support Australia’s Bob Evans on a 31-date tour, where he enjoyed heavy rotation on over 40 radio stations with his debut single “Better Days”. In beween these tours Farryl made his European debut in April and May of 2007. In that same year Farryl’s single “La-Di-Da” reached the #1 spot in the charts on the French radio station FIP. His debut album was also released in Japan.
“Fruitbats & Crows” (2009) was the long-awaited follow up to Farryl Purkiss’s 2006 internationally critically acclaimed self-titled album. In the past three years, Purkiss has toured Australia three times, Europe, USA and South Africa. He’s had radio success in all of the above territories including Japan and a #1 in France with “La-Di-Da”. His songs have been used in campaigns by Nissan (Greece), Audi (UK), MTN (South Africa) as well as placement in the international film “Adopted” (featuring Pauly Shore). In 2007 he was voted the most popular musician by Heat Magazine (South Africa) and has been featured by every major newspaper, magazine, TV show and radio station in South Africa. His song “Dejavu” was also used in both the movies “Blue Crush 2” and “Ways To live Forever”.
This album was produced by one of South Africa’s most successful producers, Brian O’Shea, who won a SAMA in 2010 as 'Best Producer' for his work on “Fruitbats & Crows”. The album contains 12 brand new tracks and features international guest musicians such as Ash Grunwald (Australia) and John Ellis (Tree 63).
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