Spoon have been operating as a band for 21 years.
Their entire career has been a rollercoaster of fortune from their major label signing and fallout, to the mass acclaim for the minimalist ‘Kill The Moonlight’, to the new generation of fans hearing tracks like ‘The Underdog’ or ‘The Way We Get By’ on TV shows or adverts.
After frontman Britt Daniel’s sabbatical to Divine Fits who, let’s face it, sounded like Handsome Furs and Spoon on alternating tracks, you wondered if ‘Transference’ would end up as their swan song. So when the magnificent ‘They Want My Soul’ arrived last year at number four in the US Billboard charts, it was a welcome return for everyone.
The show (at The Hi-Fi on 10 February) began as the backing track got cut short with a swiftly opening curtain revealing a beaming Jim Eno sitting at his drumkit hitting out the repetitive intro beat from ‘Don't You Evah’. After a couple of minutes the rest of the band walk out to join him, and it’s smiles all around as the full song kicks in. As with ‘The Beast And Dragon, Adored’ and ‘Don't Make Me A Target’, both of which make an appearance in the set, Spoon know how to make the most of an understated entrance.
The most notable difference from this Spoon and that which preceded it is the addition of a new member. Like a souvenir from a holiday you enjoyed, Alex Fischel of Divine Fits can now be counted as a permanent member of Spoon, fleshing their sound out to a five-piece. Though one of Spoon’s greatest charms is their ruthless minimalism and subtle production-flourish applied to fairly conventional, indie rock, the addition of Alex on guitar is most definitely a welcome one. The man is a noisy menace, something which has always been the signature of Britt’s guitar playing and Jim Eno’s production, and now they realise it live more than ever.
‘Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga’ highlight ‘The Ghost Of You Lingers’ sends shivers down your spine as its rhythmic centre-piece of a staccato synth struggles to hold everything together under the weight of guitar pedal noise thrown out by Britt and Alex, complemented by sudden and infrequent rolls from Eno. In addition to his sonic presence, Alex is electrified in his presence, something that’s been arguably missing from the Spoon live set-up in the past, with their no-nonsense, no fancy-lighting, Texan approach to playing live. He’s a blur as he puts in his all whether playing guitar or keys, enjoying himself in a way that’s contagious.
As Spoon continue to release new material, the ever expanding back catalogue means the inevitable disappointment for what’s not played increases. Bar Britt & Jim, none of the current line-up was involved in ‘Kill The Moonlight’ or the releases which preceded it, so perhaps it’s unsurprising that other than ‘Small Stakes’ and ‘Anything You Want’ and a cover in the encore, the rest of the material is taken from their last four albums. Not that this is anything to grieve considering it’s hard to think of a more consistent band of the last 20 years than Spoon.
Spoon at The Hi-Fi on 10 February, 2015 - Image © Steve MorganIt’s odd to hear ‘Small Stakes’ with a full band set-up, filling in the pieces the original recording intentionally left blank, but with a lack of stompers like ‘Quincy Punk Episode’ and ‘Jonathon Fisk’ in the set, it keeps things upbeat and adds variation to the set.
Their shift in sound has been slow and organic, and despite their signature sound being so identifiable, their ability to still surprise you and write songs you can’t get out of your head has guaranteed them their longevity. Though the younger crowd may have been happiest when ‘You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb’ and ‘I Turn My Camera On’ made an appearance in the encore, closing the pre-encore set with ‘Black Like Me’ was a pertinent reminder that this band are best when they’re at their least conventional.
It’s hard to say exactly what it is that makes Spoon such a great band. Many look no further than Britt Daniel’s incredible raspy voice whose perfection is centre-piece on the acoustic ‘I Summon You’, but it’s the subtleties that reward return listens that distinguish them from their peers. They’re ruthless in their editing, and their quality control has always been strong enough to mean they’ve yet to make a duff release.
Though 21 years in, while many of their peers are just treading water appeasing an ever diminishing fan base, it’s a testament to everything that Spoon are and have done to think that they are more popular than ever.
Fourteen years ago Elektra A&R man Ron Laffitte almost ended the band when they were dropped from their label after a series of broken promises, documented in bittersweet ‘The Agony Of Laffitte’. Well Ron, look at them now.
