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Prince Previews ‘Plectrum Electrum’ at Secret London Show

Prince UK Tour New Album Plectrum Electrum

While Prince’s new song “PretzelBodyLogic” is about being tired, it seems his purple majesty doesn’t let a lack of sleep slow him down. Following his guest appearance on FOX’s New Girl on Super Bowl Sunday, he showed up at a New York club to preview his new album, Plectrum Electrum, an event that lasted almost until dawn.

Then, he hopped on a plane with his band, 3rdEyeGirl, and flew to England, heading straight for the house of British singer-songwriter Lianna La Havas for a press conference-turned-concert in her living room. According to the BBC, he performed two songs off the new album in the tiny space and promised he’d be playing a number of small U.K. gigs, charging about $10 a ticket. When a journalist mentioned that 2014 marks the 30th anniversary of Purple Rain, Prince said he has no plans to revisit the iconic album. “Everything looks different to me, because I was there,” he said. “I wrote those songs, I don’t need to know what happened.”

On top of that, he dismissed rumors that his Minnesota mansion, Paisley Park, is wired for recording in every room, admitted that he has a treasure trove of unreleased material in his vaults, and spoke about the recent lawsuits he filed against fans who posted footage of his performances online (he withdrew the claims last week). “Nobody sues their fans,” he said. “I have some bootlegs of Lianne [La Havas], but I wouldn’t sell them. But fans sharing music with each other, that’s cool.” As is usually the case with Prince, this quote explains nothing.

After the press conference, the Purple One and 3rdEyeGirl headed to the small London club Electric Ballroom to play an unannounced late-night gig for a few hundred fans, who heard about the show via Twitter rumors. The seven-song set featured new songs, including Plectrum Electrum‘s title track and “FunkNRoll,” as well as a cover of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.” At one point, according to the Western Daily Press, Prince told the crowd, “We’ll be back tomorrow.” (!!!)

Below, watch Prince perform “I Like It There.”

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