"It's no longer about how talented you might be, but how good at social media you are": Rosalie Cunningham on breaking through in a shallow scene

Rosalie Cunningham pushing an amplifier that's part of a pile of vintage musical equipment while grimacing — (Image credit: Rob Blackham)

A former member of the bands Ipso Facto and Purson, Southend-born singer, multi-instrumentalist and writer Rosalie Cunningham has been a solo artist since 2007. Voted Female Vocalist Of 2023 by the readers of Prog magazine, she is currently touring album number three, To Shoot Another Day, with indoor shows and summer festival appearances lined up.

You’ve just completed your latest leg of touring, which was a success, with four sell-out shows. You must feel like progress is being made.

Yeah. At our current level, we’re doing fantastically well. Getting to that next level requires quite a jump, and to be completely honest, without selling out, I don’t really know how we could do that.

Unlike many British artists, you’ve ventured overseas, while people have commented how difficult that can be post-Brexit, and have dates planned in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

We’ve found it easier than playing in the UK at the moment. People talk about how difficult it is with carnets [official documents listing equipment etc], but those rules have largely been eradicated for bands of our level. The horror stories you hear are for much bigger tours. We couldn’t play as many shows at home as we do overseas.

If the next step up doesn’t come, are you content for things to continue as they are?

I think so. The word is spreading. It’s a slow build, but it’s an organic one and control is within our hands.

Rosalie Cunningham - In The Shade Of The Shadows - (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO) - YouTube

Watch On

When asked the question: “What sort of music do you play?” how do you respond?

[Grimaces] For complete newcomers, ‘psychedelic rock’ covers a large area. ‘Progressive rock’ might give the wrong impression, though I know I am progressive rock. We are technical and theatrical and we take in a whole bunch of genres. It’s such a hard question to answer.

A description of you in Classic Rock as the hypothetical offspring of The Beatles and Kate Bush must be very flattering?

It doesn’t get much better than that. I’m still rinsing that tag-line.

Your social media pages have teased something called project ‘Rabbit Foot’.

Until now Rabbit Foot has been pushed to the background because I’ve got so much going on. It’s a band fronted by Rosco [Wilson, guitarist and Rosalie’s partner] with me as bass player and co-writer. It’s a slightly different direction, more rock’n’roll, but I think our fans will enjoy it. For me it’s a lot less pressure, obviously.

Rosalie Cunningham - Return Of The Ellington OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO - YouTube

Watch On

Rosco’s name usually isn’t on the ‘marquee’, so to speak, but this is his time to shine.

Rosco is involved in every element of what I do, but that’s it exactly. Nobody has got to see him as a frontman, and they’re in for a treat. We’ve got enough songs for two albums, and until now we’ve struggled to find the time, but you can quote me as saying we will definitely be doing an album in the summer.

What’s the time frame for a fourth studio album of your own?

I’ve got a handful of songs and a title, even an idea for the cover, but at the moment I’m far away from thinking about recording it. As a band we very much embrace the concept of the album, it’s very important to us.

On the last leg of your current tour the special guest was Kavus Torabi from Gong and The Utopia Strong. What are your thoughts on the ‘next generation’ of artists attempting to break through?

There are plenty of exciting things happening, and the scene is there, but it’s becoming increasingly hard to get noticed. Everything is so shallow because it’s no longer about how talented you might be, but how good at social media you are.

Rosalie Cunningham has tour dates lined up throughout the year – check her website for dates and tickets.

Dave Ling was a co-founder of Classic Rock magazine. His words have appeared in a variety of music publications, including RAW, Kerrang!, Metal Hammer, Prog, Rock Candy, Fireworks and Sounds. Dave’s life was shaped in 1974 through the purchase of a copy of Sweet’s album ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’, along with early gig experiences from Status Quo, Rush, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Yes and Queen. As a lifelong season ticket holder of Crystal Palace FC, he is completely incapable of uttering the word ‘Br***ton’.