Paul Long Talks Burning Rope

Following the death from cancer last year of 29 year-old Catfish frontman Matt Long, his father and Catfish keyboard player Paul Long eventually made the decision to return to making music. He formed this new band with Catfish bassist Adam Pyke, drummer Mitch Weaving who regularly played with Catfish during their final year, and an extremely talented guitarist, Alex Voysey, whose album Paul had produced. Five of the tracks feature Chloe Josephine (formerly of Brave Rival) on backing vocals. Paul Long very kindly spoke to us about the band, new album and more:

 

Who is in Burning Rope, how did you meet and what do you play?

Burning Rope is me (Paul Long) on lead vocal, keyboards and occasional guitar. Alex Voysey is a fabulous guitar player: I produced Alex’s last album with his solo band, and he stood in for Matthew Long with Catfish at one of the benefit gigs for Matt last year. Adam Pyke was the long-standing bassist with Catfish, and Mitch Weaving is on drums and he toured with Catfish in our last year or so. Adam and Alex also sing lead on a few songs.

 

What is the origin behind the band name?

It is a song by Genesis. It’s about loss, the transitory nature of life and mortality, about making your own path. The only things that are permanent are the changing of the seasons, and that life has a cycle and a flow. The song is on their album …And Then There Were Three, so it all felt very apt after the loss of Matt.

 

You have your debut self-titled album released on 11th October 2025. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

I had a lot of songs I had written over the year when we came off the road due to Matt’s illness, some of them were about his and my health problems. Once I had decided I wanted to carry on performing somehow, we moved pretty quickly with just two rehearsals before our first gig. Then we went straight into the studio to record.

 

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

I produced the album, and the live takes were recorded at The Joplin House in Kent, engineered by the amazing Dan Lucas. After that overdubs and vocals were done at my studio.

 

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

We recorded nine basic tracks in two days, and the second day was mostly taken up by a new song I brought to the band after the first day. I played them my demo and they liked it, and of course set about totally re-writing it. We rehearsed and recorded it the next day, and all that really survived from the night before was my lyric. This became Something’s Got To Change, Part 2 – the track that closes the record. It’s our first co-write and there’ll be more. The instrumental After The Landslide was recorded in my studio and is a link that makes a continuous flow of three songs at the end, allowing my (and Adam’s) prog roots to show.

 

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

The live takes were recorded through a 1970s Raindirk analogue console – lovely and warm-sounding. Then it was into Pro Tools for overdubs and mixing. The band were all set up in a live room so the basic rhythm track of each song is a live take – very important for the feel. Most of the songs were two takes, a couple were one take only, and Something’s Got To Change, Part 2 took most of the day to write, arrange and rehearse, but then was captured by the third take.

 

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest – probably Rise Up. Although it’s about people having a hard time it has a huge message of optimism in its chorus, which has become a great audience call and response feature live. Now More Than Ever, which opens the album is infectious and puts a smile on my face.

Angriest – I don’t really do angry, but the lyric in Something’s Got To Change, Part 1 has a strong message about the plight of a lone parent. The music doesn’t sound angry, but the words hopefully hit home.

Reflective – That’s got to be Before The Landslide. I do tend to be quite reflective in my writing; and another candidate would be Anyway.

 

Was it a difficult album to write?

No, I don’t think so. I think this band is going to move quickly with new material as more of us take part in the writing process. We have five tracks already demo’d for a future release.

 

Who designed the album artwork?

That’s the amazing Alice Armstrong. Not only is she a great singer, songwriter and performer; she’s also a professional graphic designer. She created the band logo and album artwork, together with photos by Chris Griffiths and Moe Hickman.

One of the tracks is ‘Before The Landslide’. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

It was written whilst Matt was in hospital, and looked back at my two big health scares (heart attack and prostate cancer) and recovery. It is also about Matt and it’s a hard song to sing, and is always dedicated to him. You can hear my Pink Floyd influences coming through on several tracks, this one in particular.

 

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025/2026?

Yes, plenty of UK dates and we are now seeing offers from European festivals coming through. We loved playing in Europe with Catfish and I can’t wait to get there again. We love playing live, it’s what it’s all about.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

The best compliment I ever had was when somebody after a gig said that they really loved the words. Then you know it’s had a real effect on them and they’ve really been listening. I always think that a successful gig is 50% band and 50% audience. I love the community around this music.

What formats will the album be available on? Will you have any bundles with clothing, tickets etc?

For now it’s CD, purchasable download and streaming. We may come back to a vinyl version, but it’s a big outlay for an independent band starting out. There are t-shirts and probably hoodies on the way as we head into autumn and winter.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

My Hammond organ, which I’ve had for over twenty years. Since my heart attack I no longer tour with the big Leslie speaker, so I use a pedal called Neo Ventilator II to get a pretty authentic Hammond/Leslie sound.

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

I don’t read nearly as much fiction as I used to, but it would be tempting to do something sci-fi, so you weren’t tied down to a style or a period. Mind you, Peaky Blinders showed you could do a period piece with contemporary music.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

It would have to be Pink Floyd, Little Feat, Gov’t Mule, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Elton John, Leon Russell. Pretty broad, and of course all the blues greats. And Shostakovich, but that doesn’t show so much in my writing.

 

What makes Paul Long happy and what makes you unhappy?

Happy – my wife and family, watching my other son play football, our new puppy. Music and Apple computers.

Unhappy – Missing Matthew and my mum. Trump, Farage, and the usual suspects.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Supplied By Paul Long 

Burning Rope release their self-titled debut album on Saturday 11th October 2025. The album launch will take place at Cranleigh Arts Centre, Cranleigh, Surrey, united Kingdom. 

The album will be available from Saturday 11th October as a CD from www.burningrope.co.uk and on
all the usual digital platforms.