Interview: Palma Violets
The Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA
06.01.15
Wickedly humorous with tallboys in hand, the British rock band Palma Violets agreed to chat with us for a bit before their raucous set at Ballard’s Tractor Tavern. We hung around backstage while they pondered the brilliance of Pike St. Fish Fry and did impersonations of Guy Fieri. Known for their breakneck energy and purposefully unpolished performances, Sam Fryer, Alexander “Chilli” Jesson, Will Doyle, and Pete Mayhew brought the same devil-may-care attitude to the conversation.
SMN: So the second album just came out, how’s the tour so far?
PV: Yeah, it’s been great.
SMN: Is this your first time in Seattle?
PV: No, I think we’ve played Barboza about five times. We miss it, we want the fish and chips! It’s a cool venue. It’s got good sound. It’s got a VCR player in the back room. And sometimes they have underaged discos upstairs!
SMN: So you like it here in Seattle then?
PV: Oh yeah, we love it. A lot better than Portland.
SMN: What do you do in your down time on the road?
PV: We watch a lot of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. Guy Fieri is a hero of ours. Keeps us sane on this tour.
SMN: Yeah there’s a few places he’s featured in Seattle.
PV: Really? Has one of them been the fish and chips shop? Has Guy Fieri been to the fish and chips shop? He must’ve been!
SMN: In your own words, how is the new album different from the first?
PV: It’s longer.
SMN: Longer?
PV: Yeah it’s like a good five minutes longer. I think the drums are definitely a bit louder on this album. John Leckie, the producer of this album, he really is big into the drums. You can actually hear them! In his words he “gave the drums the sound that they deserved.” You can print that!
SMN: So what should people expect from your live show?
PV: Fucking mental. You can expect the slide guitar from now on. [During sound check, Xan Aird – of opening band Public Access T.V. – was impressively accompanying them on slide guitar.]
SMN: If you’re stranded on a desert island and you have to choose one book, one movie and one album, what would they be?
Chilli: Picture of Dorian Gray is my book, can it be a box set?
SMN: Sure.
Chilli: The Sopranos, cause I haven’t watched it all yet.
Sam: Okay this is Sam speaking. For the film, my favorite film of all time is the 1960’s Time Machine. Not to be confused with the 2002 remake which is utter shit. And my CD would be Sandy Deny and The Strawbs, the self-titled record, one of my favorite albums of all time. And then there’s a book… probably Bear Grylls’ Living Wild.
SMN: Useful!
Sam: I’ve got it at home.
Will: The book is gonna be Letters to a Young Poet by Maria Rilke. The film, the box set, is gonna be Alaskan Bush People. And the album is gonna be The Best of Thin Lizzy. Just the best of, I don’t care for them much. Well I like the Dangerous album actually.
SMN: Last but not least…
Pete: The complete works of Shakespeare, Turandot by Puccini, and Eraserhead for the film.
Unsurprised by the eclecticism of the band’s desert island entertainment selections, we left them to grab a bite to eat before the show. Later they stormed the stage with their pure, youthful enthusiasm, creating a stir that roused the Tractor crowd into a frenzy. Be sure to check out the full live review and photos here.
Interview by Stephanie Dore
Photos by Sunny Martini
