The band played a series of gigs at Manchester's In The City festival. James Mudriczki, Neil McDonald, Anthony Szuminski and Kevin Matthews met on a bus on their way to watch the Stone Roses play at Spike Island. Matthews watched the Stone Roses' Gary Mounfield play bass and Matthews bought himself a bass guitar.[citation needed] The rest of the members followed suit and bought the necessary equipment to complete a band, although they had little to no musical experience or training.
Through much practice their music developed and they decided on the name Puressence, a name instantly identified by most Mancunians for the paper letters 'P'-'U'-'R'-'E'-'S'-'S'-'E'-'N'-'C'-'E', which were plastered around Manchester city centre, on derelict buildings, and on bridges (the most notable being the railway bridge opposite the Haçienda).Manchester independent record label 2 Damn Loud released two singles and there was a further single with Rough Trade Singles Club.
The big breakthrough came a couple of years later, when the band signed to Island Records.
In August 2003, after more than ten years with Puressence, guitarist and founder member McDonald left the band. He was replaced by Lowell Killen, who is originally from the Isle of Man. He has played in other bands and left Manchester band Dry Riser to join Puressence.
In 2004, the band played at The Witchwood in Ashton-under-Lyne.
In 2006, the band released a single titled "Palisades" on new Manchester label Reaction, followed by an album, Don't Forget To Remember, in September 2007.
On 10 and 11 September 2008 Puressence played their first shows in the US. The first was at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. The next night they played the Apple Store in SoHo. The opening song at the Mercury Lounge was "I Suppose". They passed out free CD singles of "Don't Know Any Better" to many fans around the United States.
The band split in late 2013.
The band currently consisted of:
James Mudriczki: Vocals
Lowell Killen: Guitar
Kevin Matthews: Bass guitar
Tony Szuminski: Drums / percussion
All I Want
Puressence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All I want to do is drag you down,
I climb out of my fox hole
My own sweet chicken pox hole,
All I want to do is snuff you out
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
Trying to convince you that black was white again,
I know you don't
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
Lay back watching football with no interest at all,
Why can't I just never see it through,
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
You could be wrong and be oh so right again,
Oh you say you know I know you don't (x2)
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
Puressence's song All I Want explores the theme of self-destructive behavior, with the lyrics painting a picture of a person who is struggling with their own worth and is looking for validation through dragging others down. The opening lines, "Self disintegrating not worth educating," suggest that the singer has given up on themselves and does not believe they are worth saving or helping. Instead, they want to bring others down with them, as illustrated by the line, "All I want to do is drag you down," indicating a desire for company in their own misery.
The second verse touches on the idea of manipulation and delusion, with the singer trying to convince someone that "black was white again." It could be interpreted as an attempt to distort reality and manipulate the other person's perception of the situation. However, the lyrics suggest that the other person sees right through the singer's attempt, with the line, "Oh you say you know, I know you don't," emphasizing the disconnect between the two individuals.
The final verse describes a past moment shared between the two individuals, one that is now "left way behind." The image of being "sat in the church of the broken spine" conveys a sense of pain and vulnerability, perhaps hinting at a shared experience of trauma or emotional turmoil. Overall, the lyrics in All I Want explore feelings of hopelessness, self-sabotage, and the longing for connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Self dissintergrating not worth educating
I am crumbling and do not deserve your attention or guidance.
All I want to do is drag you down
I feel so low that my only desire is to bring you down with me.
I climb out of my fox hole
I am attempting to rise above my struggles and move forward.
My own sweet chicken pox hole
I am comfortable in my own self-imposed isolation, but it is not healthy.
All I want to do is snuff you out
I am filled with so much despair that I want to extinguish any light or hope I see in you.
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again
I long to go back to a specific moment in time where I felt better or happier.
Trying to convince you that black was white again
I am attempting to manipulate reality and make you believe what I want you to.
Oh you say you know I know you don't
I can tell that you do not truly understand or empathize with what I am going through.
I've got a picture in my mind
I have a vivid memory of a specific moment or place in time.
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you
I recall sitting in a specific place with you, but there was something broken or damaged about the environment.
A little scene left way behind
The memory I have is from a distant past and is now just a small fragment of my life.
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you
I remember being in a place of worship that was full of pain and suffering, and you were there with me.
Lay back watching football with no interest at all
I am disengaged and apathetic to things I used to enjoy.
Why can't I just never see it through
I am struggling to follow through with anything and constantly giving up.
Lyrics © HENSTONE MUSIC, BMG Rights Management
Written by: Anthony Szuminski, James Mudriczki, Kevin Matthews, Neil Mcdonald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yggy_
Self dissintergrating not worth educating
All I want to do is drag you down,
I climb out of my fox hole
My own sweet chicken pox hole,
All I want to do is snuff you out
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
Trying to convince you that black was white again,
Oh you say you know
I know you don't
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
Lay back watching football with no interest at all,
Why can't I just never see it through,
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
You could be wrong and be oh so right again,
Oh you say you know I know you don't (x2)
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
Yggy_
Self dissintergrating not worth educating
All I want to do is drag you down,
I climb out of my fox hole
My own sweet chicken pox hole,
All I want to do is snuff you out
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
Trying to convince you that black was white again,
Oh you say you know
I know you don't
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
Lay back watching football with no interest at all,
Why can't I just never see it through,
Tell me if I could be like I was last night again,
You could be wrong and be oh so right again,
Oh you say you know I know you don't (x2)
I've got a picture in my mind,
Sat on a chair near a broken blind with you,
A little scene left way behind,
Sat in the church of the broken spine with you.
David Coyles
The album title was "Only Forever" - the front cover has a very northern looking landscape, quite gray, with a couple of pylons. The most under-rated band to come out of the UK. Amazing stuff.
Keith Bate
There are a number of challenges for that moniker !
great band . Saw them 11 times between 1996/2010
simon b
One of the most underrated Manchester bands ever ..Jimmy is singing in Humanist band on tour now 😉😉👌👌
Keith Bate
One of the most underrated bands ever !
Ariadni Musa
in Greece during 90s we adored them like GODS... still do in 2020
mia treli
amazing song, its incredible how talented these guys are! lots of love from greece ;)
Vader 22
Anthemic!!! Stirs the soul. Underrated.
JT
BEST TUNE EVER!!!!!!! SO UNDERATED
Άννα Ρουσσοπούλου
one of the best songs ever. lyrics melody perfect
Spike Matthews
I spent ages trying to remember this one. Glad I found it. Sublime stuff.