Richard BodinBack in 2023, Picture Parlour made quite the buzz. Freshly arrived in London, creative duo Katherine Parlour and Ella Risi, who met in Manchester as students, brought together a band to further their vision. After a couple gigs at the Brixton Windmill, and their first single « Norwegian Wood », they gained the attention of the industry and got Courtney Love’s endorsement. They were caught in a storm that felt too much to take in and decided to take a step back. They focused on themselves, and their music. After a first EP released last year, they finally released their debut album: The Parlour.
Breaking Into London
Let’s roll back to 2022 for a minute, when Parlour (lead vocals / guitars) and Risi (lead guitar / backing vocals) laid their bags in London. They already had a few songs written. They also had a vision, a clear idea of what kind of music they wanted to do. Over Covid’s lockdown —when live music was but a memory— they had discussed at length their affinity for rock music, and how a good song could lift a whole crowd. That is what they wanted to do. Rock music powerful enough to unite a crowd, to commune with them through music. In order to achieve that, they set up to find other musicians to make it happen. Drummer Micheal Nash and bassist Sian Lynch soon joined the duo and help them shape up their material.
They eventually managed to land their first gig at the Brixton Windmill. Even though they knew about the venue’s reputation for launching many successful careers —like Black Country, New Road, or more recently Heartworms— they weren’t aware that the place was a hotspot for major labels. After only three gigs at the Windmill, they got their first offer. It didn’t lead to a deal, but they got to find a manager to help them navigate the industry waters. Shortly after the release of their first single “Norwegian Wood“, Courtney Love came to see them live, and shared her amazement on social media.
« Ladies and gentlemen and all stations in between, I give you Picture Parlour. We went to see the band’s sixth ever show and got OWNED. There’s no more mojo to go around. It’s all gone. I know it when I hear and see it and MAN it’s been a minute.”
— Courtney Love
Facing the Noise
The band then got caught in a whirlwind of offers from labels, media attention, and buzz on social media… While this can be exciting at first, it also got scary. They didn’t feel like they earned it, they had only been there for a minute really. This success however came with a flip side: bad buzz that came flowing from the socials media. All of a sudden Picture Parlour was being branded as “industry plant”, or “nepo bablies”. Oddly enough, the “industry plant” claims are mostly about women finding some sort of success —like The Last Dinner Party before them.
Rumours started flowing: they lived in luxury, their family owned the media, or Katherine’s father was none other than professional footballer Ray Parlour… “You couldn’t have put the target on a more ridiculous head. Ella’s mom is a cleaner. My dad’s a retired factory worker. I don’t care how you feel about our music, but I care that you’ve erased our background and identity,” Katherine reacted.
Slow and Steady
Picture Parlour decided not to follow the industry’s siren song, and instead decided to take their time. Katherine and Ella focused on gaining more experience through live music. The band released their first EP in June 2024, and nothing more. They took time to assess the situation, write more material. The line-up changed with Sian leaving and Kitty Fitz and Joey Django joining in, alternating on bass and rhythm guitar. Their journey took them to Nashville where they recorded more material, with producer Simon Gabe. After releasing a few single earlier this year, they finally —and proudly— released their debut album The Parlour.
The debut album
And Boy, do I understand Courtney Love on that one.
Straight from the opening song, I was hooked — which rarely happens I have to say. “Cielo Drive” opens with a good driven rhythm, and snarly guitars. The riffs are sharp, the bassline loud and fuzzy, the melody clicks instantly and Parlour’s vocal are flowing perfectly. “I was walking in the deep end,” sings Katherine Parlour in her smoky voice, setting the tone for “24 Hours Open.” The song opens with a thick, gritty riff from Ella Risi, and together with Parlour’s vocals it evokes the mood of a dark-alley noir thriller. The pace is steady, never too fast, and the track slow-burns all the way to its tense, shadowy ending.
The tone is set. Picture Parlour’s sound is reminiscent of the best the 70s had to offer —starting with T-Rex— while not lingering too much in the nostalgia. Parlour’s lyrics —sharp and well written— combine perfectly with Risi’s electric style on guitar. The creative duo works perfectly and has nothing to shy away from the greatest before them. A fully guitar-driven band these days is quite rare, and it is quite refreshing to find one.
Gems in the Parlour
The Parlour is a very coherent album from start to finish, with no downtime. “Who’s There To Lover Without You?”, “Used To Be Your Girlfriend” or “4$ Fantasy” are absolute rock bangers in perfect line with the opening section. “Around The Bend” is a gritty, slow-burn power ballad, while “Ronnie’s Note #3 (Lucky Man)” is exploring folk territories. The epic “Neptune 66” is fascinating with its ever changing rhythms switching from brooding verses to more energetic guitar-drenched choruses and bridge.
Toward the end of the album, Picture Parlour introduces a few synths and piano to their core. On the debut single “Norwegian Wood”, Parlour’s vocals span with ease from the lower register to soaring heights, reinforced by a sonic wall composed with mesmerising synths and Risi’s fuzzing guitar. The Parlour closes with “The Travelling Show” another power ballad laced with soaring piano parts, refers to the northern origin of the creative duo.
A Debut to Be Proud Of
With so much early buzz and label offers swirling around them, Picture Parlour could easily have taken the fast track and signed an early deal. Their instinct, however, was to wait — sensing that rushing in would mean losing creative control before they had even discovered their own voice. Katherine Parlour and Ella Risi may have been young and newly arrived in London without an extensive support system, but they made the most mature and clear-headed decision.
Today, they can be proud and enjoy the fruit of their patience: the release of The Parlour, complete with its cover winking at Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. With such a surprisingly well made debut album, I will gladly wait to see where Picture Parlour’s journey will take them. Let’s just give them time, they seem to know what they are doing.
