Simon Saynor Simon Saynor Rita Payne (Rhiannon Scutt and Pete Sowerby) released their second album with a launch show at Sheffield City Hall on July 10th. Their first album ‘Stories From A Suitcase’ was a stripped back, raw demonstration of perfect harmonies and impeccable musicianship set around some of the most gorgeous tunes known to man. With this second album the sound is more fleshed out but still with that unmistakable Rita Payne feel. The album consists of 12 tracks (if you include the bonus track ‘Ashes’) which are earning rave reviews across the national music press, with glowing support from the likes of Richard Hawley and John McClure. It is – and I make absolutely no apologies for the cliché – a must-have album. I caught up with Rita Payne recently and fired a few questions at them... There are more guests on this album, which gives a more fleshed out feel. Was this something you deliberately set out to achieve or just a natural evolution?
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I think there was a degree of both, but ultimately it was more of a natural progression. We had our first headline gig at a venue that we felt needed more than just us on stage to create an atmosphere. So we got in a few old friends – Pete’s known the banjo player since he was three years old! – to help flesh-out the sound. The new album songs were fairly fresh at that point, so when the additional instruments were added we loved the sound so much we knew we had to record ‘We’re Getting There, Aren’t We?’ with the full complement. Will Rita Payne live be moving on from two voices, a guitar and a suitcase then? We will always retain that core element of ourselves as Rita Payne and we still gig as a duo for a large portion of our shows, however the backing band (‘The Rita Payne Experience’, ha ha) will hopefully join us more frequently the more we begin to headline larger venues. When we do play as a band we always start the show as a duo and finish the show as the band.
You launched the album with a gig at Sheffield City Hall. How was that for you? It was the most humbling experience we’ve ever had. We were introduced by The Reverend Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers) and by the end of the night we’d received two standing ovations. It was also incredible because the majority of people in the audience had either funded or sang on the album or both. I think we’re both still on a comedown. So the inevitable question... How do you follow up such a complete album? Thank you! Well this album has been a culmination of a year’s worth of experience, as a band and as individuals, so the only thing we can do is keep living our life (which still feels like a dream in some places) and see where we are further down the road. It’s available across the board on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and Bandcamp for hard copies.
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