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
Fire
Puressence Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the only thing I wanted her to take,
But I never said a word,
I'll explain myself so nothing else remains,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
Burning her down,
It's typical of her,
But I'm free as a cage bird,
I'll explain myself so nothing else remains,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
There's a long way to go,
You're so down 'cause you can't get out,
And you never get born again,
Because you feel so down,
I've never said a word,
I'll never try to explain,
That you feel the same thing for her,
So I'll never call your name,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I find it hard to explain.
Puressence's song "Fire" tells a story of a man who is consumed with desire for another woman while he is in a relationship. He wants to give his clothes to her but can't find the words to express his feelings. The woman he is with seems to make everything worse and he feels trapped like a bird in a cage. He decides to let go of the situation and just let the fire take hold.
The lyrics are filled with metaphors that describe the emotional turmoil the man is feeling. The fire represents the passion and desire he has for the other woman but it also symbolizes the destruction that it can bring to his relationship. He knows that he needs to let go of the situation but it is difficult for him to explain why he feels this way.
The song is a poignant exploration of the struggles that many people face when they are torn between two loves. It showcases the intense emotions that can come with that situation and the desire to just let go and give in to the flames.
Line by Line Meaning
Get my clothes to her,
I gave my clothes to her.
And the only thing I wanted her to take,
The only thing I wanted her to have was my clothes.
But I never said a word,
I didn't express my feelings verbally.
I'll explain myself so nothing else remains,
I will clarify my situation so that there is no confusion.
I'm on fire, well I let go,
I am burning inside and have let go of control.
Burning her down,
I am causing destruction to her emotions.
It's typical of her,
This behavior is common for her.
If there's something wrong, she makes it worse again,
She tends to exacerbate any problem that arises.
But I'm free as a caged bird,
I feel liberated like a bird set free from a cage.
There's a long way to go,
There is still a long journey ahead.
You're so down 'cause you can't get out,
You are feeling low because you are stuck.
And you never get born again,
You feel as though you can never start anew.
Because you feel so down,
Your low spirits are preventing progress.
I've never said a word,
I have never spoken up about my feelings.
I'll never try to explain,
I do not intend on trying to express myself.
That you feel the same thing for her,
I suspect that you feel similarly towards her.
So I'll never call your name,
I choose not to address you directly.
I find it hard to explain.
It is difficult for me to articulate my emotions.
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DANIEL LANOIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
theTIDES&thePICTURESHOW
Top tune of an excellent album. These boy's should of been huge.
Notorious Tetsuo
Boggles my mind why they weren't massive.
Ali Asad
I shot this video. Listened to the playback many times that day and never tired of it. It haunting.
Διονυσιος Κουτσιμανης
@Ali Asad where did the shoot take place?
Joy Black
After all this time... still a brilliant band!
ケーキ
They're so underrated
Samual Shamual
I remember first hearing this. I had insomnia and put the box on and there they were. Bought the single the next day. Most underrated band .
LovEaNdmusicA
25 years later, still here, one of the best listenings, emotions, lyrics!! "I find it hard to explain.. well I let go"...
bag frag
ΕΝΑ ΑΠΟ ΤΑ ΚΑΛΥΤΕΡΑ ROCK ALBUMS ΠOY EXOYN ΓΡΑΦΤΕΙ ΠΟΤΕ!!!!
Alex Karajian
feelings overwhelms me when i listen to it...never thought that my body will shiver that way as i hear it....Great memories from Bahtse tsiflik in Thessaloniki on '99...