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together like that was very special.
It was only kind of a small festival,
Southern Fried Groove Queens
but we were on the main stage.

BiTS: There seems to be huge
enthusiasm for blues in Norway.
Why do you think that is?

LP: Yeah, I know there’s a bit of the

old, what is it, big fish in a small
pond syndrome, I think going on a
little bit there? Yeah, I know. I don't
know where it stems from, but it
does seem like they also love their
heavy music, don’t they? Kind of the
rocky metal side of things as well,
but no, there is a strong affiliation
with the Scandinavians and blues
music and North Europe, it seems
as well, Belgium, Holland, France,
those kind of countries love it as well. I don't know why, but I'm glad it exists.

BiTS: Somebody once suggested to me that the Norwegian psyche is one where they're all
miserable all the time and that blues gets them out of it [laughing].

LP: Yeah, there is that, actually. I mean, obviously, half of the year, it’s very dark and maybe it's
because they have the blues that they're so into it. I went to Notodden about five years ago, if
you’ve heard of that festival. That was actually in the summertime. It was in August and it was
just funny because obviously, yeah, it was beautiful
Julian Piper and Lucy weather and beautiful scenery, but we were all there
at a blues festival together, surrounded by mountains
and fiords and that was great. But yeah, no, maybe it is
because the Norwegians/ Scandinavians have the blues
that they're into it. But I don't know if there's a

scientific reason behind it.

BiTS: Tell me a little bit more about Southern Fried
Groove Queens. It's just you and your friend, but I don't
know what his name is.

LP: Yeah, so he is Lee Hall. We always laugh because
it's kind of the most bluesy kind of name. It's just literally the two syllables, and he always makes
out like, you know, I'm the groove queen and he's just some random guy. But, no, he is integral.
We met, I don't know what you know really, but we met almost three years ago now.

Well it is three years ago, December 2020, we met in lockdown. We were both in different bands
and we were both performing for this YouTube Music channel, essentially. So we got introduced
because the guy doing the music channel sort of said, oh, Lee's really into Delta blues and at the
time, I mean it was only shortly after losing Dad and obviously, during COVID, I just wasn't
interested, to be honest with kind of joining another or jamming. I've been doing it so long when
someone says, oh, let's get together and have a jam, I just instantly turn off now at that kind of
prospect [chuckles].