Spoon
King Tut's, Glasgow - 28th September 2005
Amusement Parks on Fire...continuing the current fad, it would appear, for obscurely named bands, take the stage and launch into a pretty good impersonation of My Bloody Valentine. Swirling guitar noisescapes can't hide the fact that every song sounds the same. They're good at it, but you can't help thinking you've heard it before, back in the 90s.
That said, you couldn't faulter their ability or performance. They were strong songs, thundering down to the audience along with the programmed sound effects courtesy of the seated laptop bloke at the side of the stage.
Ultimately though, the audiences lack of response, and the band's bizarre behaviour as they left the stage, were down to the unavoidable fact that there was just nothing new in what they were doing, as good as it was.
Spoon, on the other hand, you can hardly accuse of being unoriginal. I had only heard a handful of this US band's output prior to the show, and wasn't sure what to expect. It didn't take very long to win me over to their restrained, quirky brand of blues-rock.
Occasional moments of brimming guitar noise, building tension, frustration, no release, the band hold it in check, blending jarring rhythms and funky lines with an awkward structure that occasionally leaves you feeling cheated. Songs end as suddenly as they start, no clues, no hints. They build it up and bring you back again, rarely letting go. How they remain composed is anyone's guess.
Some swagger, some chit-chat, they don't talk much. A drunk climbs on stage and knocks the mic stand over. Welcome to Glasgow guys.
They knock out song after song, probably from new album Gimme Fiction, but I don't know what they're called. They leave the stage in the same way as they're support act, with guitar left feedbacking against the amp. We are made to wait an annoyingly long time before they come to complete the ritual of encore. Two more songs and its over.
Review - Kenny Mooney
Spoon Website