Perry Rose: Wonderful/ Splendid

What do you do after 10 albums? Isn’t there a risk of repeating yourself? Of people thinking they have heard it all before? Short answer: no, not with Perry Rose. Every day – or at least every concert – is a new one. Right now, he is surfing on a wave following the release of the album “Wonderful” which he considers to be a pop-rock adventure. We’ll come back to the adventure bit. But first, pop-rock as opposed to what? Not everyone knows that Perry Rose first caught people’s attention with “Because of You”, an EP of singer-songwriter material with an Irish feel. That was back in 1991 when he caused a ripple of excitement opening for Sinéad O’Connor. Although the Irish link was what caught people’s imagination – his father came from a circus family while his mother came from Duffy’s Circus in Ireland – it was the songwriting that made the connection.

What you see is what you get

With Perry, what you see is what you get. The songs are direct, almost spontaneous. The delivery is sincere, immediate and often fun – even more so on stage. In the past 20-odd years he has played every format: from solo to duos with a string of violinists, acoustic or rock trios, full rock bands, full traditional band and concerts with a choir of 20 children. If that sounds like a lot, it’s not; it’s how you fill your time when you have musical curiosity and spend 20 years on stage. Well, that’s how Perry sees it anyway. If you look at his contemporaries, there are not all that many that have had an audience follow them for 20 years.

Take nothing for granted

But Perry is taking nothing for granted. “You never know what is going to happen when you get on stage. You never know which way it’s going to go.” This is probably half the attraction for him, as he looks at his career as “doing different things with different people”. This has also led him to appear in successful theatre productions for children. The difference, “In acting, you are always trying to be someone else. I don’t really need that. In concert, it’s more natural; I am just me,” he grins. “Me”, for the moment is still enjoying playing with rock as a format. “It’s a challenge for me,” he admits. “For the music, it means stretching myself, not using exclusively the Irish reflexes that come so naturally. It’s an adventure.” He pauses. “And I’ve always liked the idea of being a pop star and having people say hello,” he grins.