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The UK's female tribute to Deep Purple
Cara Bruns - Keyboards
After completing a music degree in classical piano and composition, Cara broadened her musical experience by playing Rock, Blues, Country and Folk. Touring, writing & recording on piano and keyboards with acts such as Martin Newell, Surfquake, The Answer and Diva Purple (an all-female Deep Purple tribute), as well as collaborating with the author and poet Blake Morrison.
Being a huge fan of Jon Lord and Deep Purple, Cara began working out the legendary keyboard solos of Highway Star, Burn and Black Night. Once she had a feel for playing these, it dawned on her that there must be other female musicians that also love playing the Deep Purple repertoire. This music has often been largely a male-associated genre but perhaps it was time to shake things up a little! From there, came the conception of Diva Purple, the UK’s first all-female tribute to the classic Deep Purple.
Other influences on Cara are keyboard players such as Mike Garson, Cherry Wainer, Allen Toussaint, Nickey Barclay, Ray Manzarek, Nina Simone, Brian Auger and Booker T. Jones.
Aside from playing, Cara has a taste for composing, taking inspiration from Ennio Morricone, Claude Debussy, Yann Tiersen, John Barry and Tom Waits. One of her personal projects was the release of the 2018 Spaghetti Western EP, Carabunga’s Music Box and more recently, her 2021 Piano Lady album and 2023 EP Head Over Heels, which both feature a mixture of classical style piano pieces plus blues and boogie woogie instrumentals.
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Maisie Glessing - Guitar
At the age of 17 Maisie, from Essex, originally plowed onto the music scene playing drums. Getting involved with local Blues jam nights she found a strong passion for Blues music, as well as Rock. With this came a strong interest in guitar and her head was quickly turned. Inspired by playing along side great blues guitarists, Maisie bought her first guitar at the age of 19 and it's been strapped to her hip since. An incredibly fast and intricate learner, Maisie has since perfected compositions by her most idolised guitar players such as Steve Lukather and Ritchie Blackmore. When asked to join Diva Purple it was an easy 'yes' for Maisie. Her melodic blues playing gives the band that perfect 'Blackmore' touch and if she could, she'd always turn it up to 11!
Pera Frank -Bass
Pera first moved from Taiwan to the UK at the age of 7. By age 14, she had become a self-taught pianist, learning game and J-rock music by ear. The journey to becoming a bassist started with Pera forming a band with school friends as a guitarist in 2010, and performing lots of J-Rock music. By 2012, Pera found that bass was much too cool, so she became a full time Bass Player and achieved top grades at level 3 and BA honours degree in Popular Music. Pera’s bass-playing styles expanded to include Jazz, Funk, Pop, Rock and Fusion with the Essex-based band Raz (@Razbanduk), and found that she enjoyed playing and composing in the style of Rock just as much as when she first began playing bass. Pera has written and composed music extensively with Raz and a few solo songs on her YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/Peralala) as well as recorded, mixed, and mastered all of Raz’s releases to date. Pera’s father, Reiner Frank, was a huge fan of rock bands such as Deep Purple; so when Pera started listening to some of Deep Purple’s music in college and university, it was as if she was time-travelling to the past, when Reiner would blast out heavy rock music at home and Pera would wander in as a young child to listen along. Performing with Diva Purple is a magical way of sharing the passion for Deep Purple’s music with more people than Pera could ever have imagined!
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Laura Allison - Drums
Not your typical Essex girl, Laura has been drumming since the age of 7 and completed Grade 8 Drum Kit at only 17 years old. Known for her fast fills and creative rudiments, Laura first found her love for rock and metal when playing for Victories, a three piece for band from Essex signed to Red Menace Records who spent most of their time touring the UK and recording for a series of EPs. Laura progressed her drumming ability once she started playing with Diva Purple, replicating the fast fills and rhythms of the incredible Ian Paice. This was an exciting challenge for Laura and has tested her stamina and strength behind the kit. Its safe to say she is loving her role in the band and is growing her ability every day. Laura’s boisterous and tireless character keeps everyone in the band laughing and screams energy and passion when performing on stage. Laura has grown her ability following influences such as Joey Jordison of Slipknot, Arejay Hale of Halestorm and Mike Mangini of Dream Theatre. She uses Promark drumsticks (5A Hickory because she has baby hands) and plays Mapex Meridian Birch drums. Outside of Diva Purple Laura also participates in different modelling jobs and is progressing as an indoor rock climber.
Susie Brown - Vocals
Susie has been singing since everyone can remember her being here.
Born in '86 to a religious family there was always music, and her parents were the guitarist and vocalist leading the hymns from the stage. At age six when she joined the school choir, she was taught how to find the right harmonies for anything, by ear, which has served her very well working with different people since.
Susie performs Soul, Country, Jazz, Rock and Blues covers in the different covers acts she works with across Essex. She enjoys going out as a Soloist, as well as being in a tribute band to the singer P!nk (PYNK) and being in an Acoustic Duo (J.B & Brown).
As expected for a covers musician, her repertoire is vast and influences are from everything.
Her old favourites like; Bonjovi, Bryan Adams, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and incredible and unique vocalists like Etta James, Tina Turner, Annie Wilson (Heart), Aretha and Erma Franklin, and 90s and 00s superstars Anastacia, Alanis Morissette and P!nk..
Along with 'newly discovered' 80s hair metal bands like Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, Warrant, Skid Row, Autograph, Twisted Sister and WASP, and of course Whitesnake and Deep Purple, have shaped the powerhouse voice Susie brings to this brilliant lineup.