Rock music royalty Unrisen Queen return to the stage in Murcia this June!
Win tickets to their concert in Santomera on June 14 and read all about them in this interview with lead guitarist Pasku Frutos
A kind of magic is coming; the incredible music of the one-and-only Queen brought to you by a band from Murcia, who perfectly capture that unmistakeable voice, epic sound and thrilling energy of the original line-up.
But don’t just take our word for it... Unrisen Queen have been hailed by some of the people closest to Freddie Mercury as the closest thing to the voice of the legendary singer, and chosen to play official concerts in his memory in Montreux, Switzerland.
They are about to embark on tour with a spectacular show in Santomera (between Murcia city and Orihuela) that marks their 15th anniversary, and you could be there for free!
Murcia Today has two pairs of tickets to give away and was lucky enough to catch their lead guitarist and musical director, Pasku Frutos, for a chat while they are busy making the final preparations for this unmissable event.
Read the interview and enter the competition at the end to be in with a chance of winning.
Hi Pasku, thank you for making time to speak to us. Perhaps we should start by explaining who’s who, and who plays what instruments in the band?
The band is made up of Rubén Sabater (lead vocals), Pasku Frutos (guitar and musical direction), Emanuel Menta (piano and keyboards), Frankchesco Di Napoli (bass), and Chimi (drums). Each member contributes not only their individual talent but also a special sensitivity to recreate the essence of Queen in every performance.
Your concert in Santomera marks the start of the band’s “15 Years in a Live-Time” tour, but how did you get together, and was it always as a tribute to Queen?
The band was formed back in 2002. Of that original lineup, only Rubén Sabater and I remain. We had very different styles: I was closer to hard rock and metal, while Rubén leaned more towards glam rock. But during one of those rehearsals, we played a Queen song and were stunned by how similar Rubén’s voice was to Freddie Mercury’s. We said: “Someday we’ll do a Queen tribute show.”
Still, we kept writing our own songs and even reached the semifinals of a band contest. After that, each of us explored other projects, but Rubén and I always stayed connected. In 2009, we returned to that tribute idea, and our debut was in 2010 at the Víctor Villegas Regional Auditorium in Murcia, with a full house.
We never imagined the project would go this far, but from the first rehearsal, we felt something special. For us, our show has never been just a “tribute.” That word has become watered down over time with so many copycat bands. We maintain our own personality and style, with one rule: the music must be perfect, whether it’s our own, Queen’s, or anyone else’s.
In fact, we have an slogan in English that sums it up: “Unrisen Queen, breaking the mould... Not a carnival masquerade, nor puppeteer’s imitation to behold... Not a tribute charade, just Pure Rock and Gold. Unrisen Queen, a true Rock Band bold.”
While many tribute bands try to imitate their idols’ looks, Unrisen Queen seems to focus more on the music and capturing the spirit of the concerts. Was that a deliberate decision from the start?
It wasn’t a premeditated decision. Simply put, we are not Queen, nor do we dream of being them. Actually, the name Unrisen Queen perfectly defines us: a Queen who never took the throne... And you Brits will surely get the reference: it’s a homage to Lady Di, the “people’s princess” who never became queen.
This unconscious way of working, without trying to imitate, is what led Peter Freestone (Freddie Mercury’s personal assistant and artistic heir) to select us as headliners at the last Freddie Mercury Memorial Day in 2013 in Montreux, Switzerland. It was a huge success with an international audience and words from Peter we’ll never forget: he called us the resurrection of Freddie Mercury’s voice.
In 2015, with Queen Productions Ltd organizing the event and donating proceeds to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, we were hired again for Freddie Mercury’s Birthday Party, and just our performance raised over $56,000 net for the fight against AIDS.
Aside from Rubén’s uncanny ability to capture the voice of Freddie Mercury, the rest of Queen are renowned for their exceptional skill and distinctive sound. This must have required an awful lot of dedication by you all.
A lot. Queen sounds easy to listen to, they touch the soul, but behind that is brutal complexity. Until you dive into that musical universe, you don’t realise how hard it is to properly perform even one song. There were times we thought it was impossible... but apparently, it wasn’t.
How did you feel when you were chosen to perform at the Freddie Mercury tribute concerts in Montreux, and receiving support from people so close to the band like Peter Freestone and Jim Beach (Queen’s legendary manager)?
When Peter told us, “Thank you so much for playing Brian’s song, Driven by You... the world has never heard that song sung with Freddie Mercury’s voice... until today,” it was overwhelming.
And when Jim Beach spent more than half our concert at the Casino Barrière crying and saying: “I never imagined I’d hear Freddie’s voice and Queen’s music live together again. You’ve given me so many emotions tonight, guys”—it’s clear words fall short of describing what we felt. Honour and pride don’t do justice.
You’ve released some original singles before; is this your first album and does it contain only original material?
Nowadays the word “album” has lost weight. The best approach is to release singles one by one, and when there are enough, compile them into an album. Back in the day, only 2 or 3 songs on a record were considered “singles” – the ones with music videos.
Besides live Queen covers, we have songs like Rock It (a pre-candidate to represent Spain at Eurovision 2017) and Just a Believer Man, plus others on the way we hope you’ll like. They’re all available on digital platforms... and who knows, maybe someday on vinyl or CD.
It’s said you include lesser-known Queen songs and other surprises in your concerts, making each performance unique. How do you decide what to play? Do you each have favourites?
Let me ask you: do you know how many songs Queen recorded while Freddie was alive? Neither do I exactly... but so far, we’ve performed more than 110 different Queen songs (plus our own). That makes choosing the ideal setlist for each show very difficult.
We never repeat the exact same repertoire. We carefully adapt songs depending on the audience type, the city, the venue – theatre, auditorium or open air – and especially the predominant nationality of the audience.
For example, in concerts like San Javier or Bolnuevo, where most attendees are British or European, we include rarities and songs Queen never even played live. Curious, right?
And yes, we have favourites... but since the repertoire changes so much, we end up loving them all. What I can promise is you could see us 50 times in a row and never hear two identical concerts.
What can fans expect from the show in Santomera on June 14? The promotion promises a big audiovisual production.
It’s an auditorium with a capacity of 1,000 people, about 300 seats and the rest standing outdoors. There will be a bar so the audience can hydrate and enjoy (haha). It’ll be beautiful, with many surprises in the setlist and, of course, our merchandise stand. Can’t miss that!
You’ve played for over 400,000 people since that Montreux concert in 2013. Does the longevity and journey of the band surprise you? Do you still have the same enthusiasm?
We’re deeply moved seeing how far this project has come. We never took it for granted. Every step has been the result of much effort and love for music. And yes, we’re as enthusiastic (or even more) than on day one. The best part is seeing how Queen’s legacy connects with new generations, and being part of that is a privilege.
The Unrisen Queen concert will be at the Auditorio Municipal “Gines Abellán” in Santomera on June 14th, starting at 22.30. To enter the Murcia Today competition to win one of the two pairs of tickets, simply answer to the following question:
“More than how many different Queen songs have Unrisen Queen played in their live shows?” (Clue: The answer is in the interview!)
Entries must be sent with your full name and contact details, by email to contact@murciatoday.com by the deadline of June 1. Entries received after this date will not be eligible for consideration.
