Picture Parlour

Visualise a mysterious venue in an unmarked spot in an unnamed city. A place that draws in runaways, strays and the misfits. Inside, characters slink around looking for the night of their lives; they loudly bemoan lost lovers, and perish from ugly feelings. All that happens against the neon lights and thick velvet curtains, is thrilling, sometimes gnarly and unpleasant, but relief and sanctuary from the outside world is always on offer. 

Music by Picture Parlour fills the air. From the howling introduction of “Cielo Drive” to the seductive garage band sass of “Who’s There To Love Without You?,” Katherine Parlour on smokey lead vocals and guitar and Ella Risi on instinctive lead guitar pull you deeper into their terrain. Welcome to The Parlour, a surreal world shaped by working class Northern Soul culture and 70s rock ‘n’ roll, and crafted by two future stars. 

It’s rare for a band to experience a journey of Greek epic proportions before even releasing their debut album. But—driven by a spirit of innocent exploration and buoyed by their lucky breaks—that’s exactly what happened to Picture Parlour. This Northern duo—Katherine from the Blue side of Liverpool, Ella from the White side of Yorkshire—boasts one of the most fascinating origin stories in the music industry in years. Having weathered a baptism by fire, they’re now ready to release a classic rock album on Island/EMI Label Group that fuses Marc Bolan’s flair with Joan Jett’s grit—full of bite, raw energy, and undeniable style. 

The pair met in Manchester and decided to move to London, in part to help launch their music career. “Moving to London was a total shot in the dark—we were so naive,” says Ella, adding that they managed to book a show at The Windmill, which they knew was a buzzing venue. Major label A&Rs happened to be scouting and the excitement around Picture Parlour only continued from there. At only their third show, Courtney Love was in attendance; they got their first famous fan in the rock icon, who later posted about their band on Instagram (“they rocked the fuck out that place,” she said). “She was this mythological fucking creature to us—we had pretty much no followers at that point and then people were finding us through her,” Katherine said of the legendary advocate. 

Due to this quick buzz, they were subject to a critical eye from music fans looking to pin down another “industry plant”. Picture Parlour are more aware than any of how this label is sometimes wrongly used to discredit and undermine authenticity, particularly when it comes to women; in fact, Katherine and Ella’s parents are factory workers and cleaners respectively. “I could list a bunch of lad bands that no one questions for being bang average but because we’re girls people were looking for possible potholes: ‘Why is this a busy gig? Who are these people?’” says Katherine.