Ian Gillan: "Smoke on the Water" might never have existed

🎸 The most famous riff in rock history almost didn't happen. According to Deep Purple frontman Ian Gillan, "Smoke on the Water" was just a filler track for the album – the band needed material, and by the end of the sessions in Montreux in December 1971, they only had a few hours left. They used a jam they usually did for sound checks called "The Dan Dan Song", and Gillan wrote the lyrics based on a real event from the previous night – a fire during a Frank Zappa concert at the nearby casino, while smoke spread over Lake Geneva.

🥁 Drummer Ian Paice admits with a smile that for musicians in instrument shops, the riff has become the most hated – because every beginner guitarist tries it first. Despite decades on stage, the band claims they never play it mechanically – it sounds different every time, according to even the legendary tenor Luciano Pavarotti, who once envied Gillan for that freedom.

💿 Deep Purple have already released their 24th studio album – "Splat!", again produced by Bob Ezrin. The album explores the theme of hope and light in a post-apocalyptic world, but doesn't shy away from playful moments – one of the songs, for example, pokes fun at rock star ego. The band describes the new material as a return to their rootsy, raw British sound, largely thanks to guitarist Simon McBride, who joined in 2022 and, according to Gillan, helped them "find their spirit again".

🏆 Alongside Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple are considered part of the holy trinity of British hard rock. The band even entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1975 as the loudest live band in the world. A curious fact – last year, the musicians met with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who in her youth played in a Deep Purple tribute band.

💰 Despite global success and over 100 million albums sold, Gillan admits that the band's financial problems were serious over the years – he says he received no royalties from the band's classic hits for a long time.

🎟️ Deep Purple are coming to Bulgaria! The concert is on September 29, 2026 at Arena Armeec – Sofia, starting at 7:30 PM. All the big hits are expected – from "Smoke on the Water" to "Perfect Strangers". Tickets are available via Eventim.

📅 View date and tickets in the calendar