14th February: A Fine Day For Spooning

"Our career's about small milestones. Little bursts of elation as opposed to, We've finally made it! I'm still thinking about my mortgage..." - Jim Eno, Spoon

As I escape the central Valentines afternoon bustle of Glasgow and hike up St Vincent Street to enter the legendary King Tut's Wah Wah Hut it dawns on me that I haven't been to this basement joint since my first ever live review of an unsigned act two years ago. A haunt that's currently celebrating its 20th year, it is renowned as a much adored launchpad for new acts in the industry, most famously housing Oasis the night they were discovered and signed. I climb the steps inscribed with all the names of now successful artists who once began here, and wonder why, seven albums in, the band Spoon (whom I'm meeting to interview) are dragging their equipment amid the chemical stench of the bar's industrial cleaner like some sort of pre-mania Beatles in a Hamburg nightclub.

Forget maximising profits, pushing "product" and building an electric fence between the fans and the act, Spoon work for pure satisfaction and they adore these venues. They want to see the faces in the crowd who are just as much a part of their show as the musicians themselves. No surprise then that as Britt Daniel adorns his guitar his first utterances to the audience are: "Is this barrier always here? It's ridiculous!"

What follows is a mature accomplished performance to reflect the 15 years he and Eno have been on the road together. Their consistency and simple sophistication as an in-tune cohort of instrumentalists, whether performing coveted favourites such as The Way We Get By or the new album's lead single Written In Reverse, is the direct result of a dogged approach to the art of rock'n'roll. They appreciate the wider commercial use of their material but they've seen the ugly side of a major label. Ultimately it really is the music that matters. Tonight in a venue where others dreamed of global domination, Spoon are just looking for that elusive moment to play for each and every one of you. Forget your individually cut roses and your Hallmark sentiments, that's real love on Valentines Day.

Read the full interview at: http://news.qthemusic.com/2010/02/interview_a_fine_day_for_spoon.html

Jaz x

P.S. Remember to tune into the 30th Anniversary of the BRIT Awards tonight...

Good Times Bad Times

Unbeknown to anybody (because I haven't been given a byline) Jasper Fields has raised an eyebrow or two over toast and tea this morning among a quota of the Times reading nation  - the quota that seek to be ahead of the game, not as far as Gordon Brown, Warren Buffett, Freddie Flintoff, or Sir Alan Bennett are concerned, but as regards the hottest new music infecting the nation. And to that I raise a somewhat bemused eyebrow.

There on page 15 of the supplementary Playlist magazine lies a column of suggested tunes and albums 'of the moment' to blow those Austin Reed socks off, if possible. The fruits of my free-of-charge labour during a week's work experience (soon to be reported) are here scanned (click for maximised readable view and Spotify away).

If I may add, my albums list has been intercepted in an act of some irony. Recommending Spoon's 7th LP Transference due to the fact that their wider recognition here in the UK remains baffling (it contains the type of sophisticated rock melodies that Eels' Mark "E" Everett should aim to still be producing), I have been trounced by an Erland And The Carnival fan. And for that reason I leave you with Got Nuffin' (buzzsaw guitar highlight with a hint of the Sonic Youth about it) to whet your appetite for my incoming Spoon interview. TEAM SPOON!



Happy Saturday, Jaz x