Wednesday 29 July 2009

With a vibe similar to the likes of Danny and The Champions of the World, Jack Green & The Band of Thieves and Kill It Kid (who I interviewed on here last year), Spindle & Wit are a five piece post indie folk act from London who originate from both Wales and Denmark – a rather strange thought when you consider there’s not really a common bond between the two countries. I do recall Craig Bellamy scoring the winner in an international friendly between the two nations at the end of last year but I am digressing somewhat here aren’t I?

Nevertheless, the four males and one lady that make up Spindle & Wit are a fresh and interesting sounding bunch of scallywags with Slow Club-esqe vocal harmonies and whimsical lyrics held together by shuffling pirate drumming, a fiddler – I mean the instrument of course, not a sex offender – then again, you can’t tell with some people can you? Anyway, I’m going off topic again aren’t I?

I’m also told that the banjo player Charlie learnt to play the banjo with one hand as he had a broken arm at the time of learning. I’m not sure if the rest of the band have to constantly break his arm or whether or not he’s learnt to play with two hands – either way, that’s dedication for you boys and girls!

In a world where it’s common and cool for trendy rich kids to dress like tramps and make music for the people - very few have conviction. The songs are an after thought with some. Spindle & Wit on the other hand are one of the bands in the crazy London circus that I sense honesty from. Their songs have the ability to cleanse me in a way that the likes of Arcade Fire manage and praise doesn’t come much higher than that does it?

Ones to watch as the saying goes…

www.myspace.com/spindleandwit

http://youhearditherefirst.wordpress.com/2009/07/23/spindle-wit/

Friday 17 July 2009

Dr Pop

Thursday 9 July 2009

You can in a Van!

shakey Camera action and high-speed performances...

Karaoke - Not us!

Balcony TV Video in London

Bring Out The Sun

Still @ The Lexington

Here is a review of our show for the guys at Still.

(http://wiredradio.co.uk/downloads/readreview.php?id=28)

STILL - THE LEXINGTON - 02/06/2009

By Jess Blake • 05 June 2009

More to be found at http://whengigsfly.blogspot.com/

Spindle and Wit + Snowbird + Danny and the Champions of the World

After a sweltering day selling bikes and successfully trying to purchase goldfish in Camden town, I was all but ready to embrace the cool musical offerings the Lexington had to offer as part of its new music night — ‘Still’.

Despite being billed as headliners, Spindle & Wit - up-and-coming London post-folk outfit — were unaccountably on first. They were fresh and vibrant with their tightness only occasionally compromised by some slightly dodgy vocal harmonies, thought that was probably more the fault of the soundman than anything else. With a banjo and violin making up 2 of the instruments in this rather young and attractive 5-piece, the band gave an original and passionate performance. Their sound is very much part of the current London music scene — some say the credit crunch, global warming or even the Irish are to blame for resurgence of folk music amongst the middle class yoof of Britain. Jeremy Warmsley, Kill It Kid and the more mainstream likes of Arcade Fire or even Nick Cave are all solid examples of this return to the grassroots approach, complete with rolled-up shirt sleeves and tight —belted trousers. It was early, but the little red room in Angel’s trendiest whiskey bar was busy and not without its fair share of leg wobbles and head nods. Spindle and Wit’s set was teasingly short but left everyone in anticipation of what the rest of the night might bring.

The next act on, however, were so mellow that it undid all the excitement whipped up so well by the previous act. Snowbird, a young American vocalist and her slightly older and balder pianist/drum machine operator were no doubt talented (he performed the entire set with eyes closed and expressions of ecstasy flashing across his face — now that’s multi-tasking!), but seemed much more suited as an opening act rather than sitting awkwardly in the middle of the bill. Stephanie’s voice was hypnotic with resonances of Joni Mitchell and Tori Amos nestled within her sweet warbling sound. Frances’ entrancing keyboard melodies complimented her sound nicely. She was so good that I was willing to overlook the often nauseating lyrics, but dear god THAT DRUM MACHINE. Viewing the drum machine as one of my natural enemies as I do anyway, the soul-less hissing ringing from Frances’ Macbook sat smugly atop his Yamaha was enough to send the most sympathetic muso loopy (excuse the pun). Fortunately the duo performed half the set unaccompanied, and was all the better for it.

Last to grace the stage were Danny and the Champions of the World. I had assumed that the name was some sort of ironic illusion to the Roald Dahl classic, but as the performance wore on, it seemed to reflect their attitude quite accurately. Lashings of Lute and Flute combined with a charismatic Johnny Cash-type as front-man made the band interesting - and MY LORD could the drummer thwack out a tasty beat. For the first song or two this seemed to work for them quite well. However, the mass amalgamation of egos resulted in all of Danny’s songs finishing in a drawn out, overplayed, sped up then slowed down orgy of sound. The group often made a circle as they furiously tried to outplay each other - in much the same way a public school boy takes part in the ‘soggy biscuit game’ and just as unpleasant to watch. The band played faster and more frantically as the room grew frostier. The air conditioning in there seemed to be working rather too well, it seemed, and unfortunately turned what started off as a really exciting night into something that left me fairly cold.

Camden Crawl

Some words from Camden Crawl this year by Big City Red Neck (http://www.bigcityredneck.co.uk/articles/Spindle_&_Wit_@_Hawley_Arms/109/9/1)

CAMDEN Crawl, for all its merits (a plethora of up-and-coming bands shoe-horned into a square mile of north London, the chance to watch Madness stumbling through their greatest hits perched on an open-topped bus), will still always fall foul of one thing: Being in Camden.

And battling through the skinny-jeaned, scraggy-haired soup of cuntdom to the very epicentre of the cliquey north London scene might, to any self-respecting human being, sound like a fate worse than death.

We're going right into the middle of it all, and like a soldier going over the top without a gun, we're not even wearing pork-pie hats or skinny-fit vests. Such is the bravery of Big City Redneck

The Hawley Arms certainly didn't disappoint with its clientele tonight. Pixie Geldof's elfish face bounds through the door in front of us dressed as Eminem (don't ask), while upstairs members of Babyshambles and scenester electro-girls Robots in Disguise jostle for space at the bar.

And let's not forget the swathes of tourists and locals, all loudly discussing how they were regulars in the pre-fire days.

So, as Spindle & Wit amble onto a makeshift stage in the corner of the Hawley Arms, we bunker down for what we suspect is going to be half an hour of Camden's most popular export after sub-standard cocaine and under-sized bags of weak weed – dreary acoustic pap.

The components are all there – a floppy-haired frontman who could topple Luke Pritchard from his throne as indie-girl's poster boy of choice; a fresh-faced young girl whose place in Glamour magazine is as assured as a slot in Observer Music Monthly or the NME; and a troupe of vintage-store rummagers complete the line-up.

But any thoughts of another Kooks revival are swiftly – and thankfully – swept aside as Spindle & Wit launch chaotically into their opening number, the jangly plucking of a banjo and violin cutting through the murky swamp of bass, drums and acoustic guitars.
It's rough around the edges, sure – there's only so much perfection you can expect from a band balancing atop a stage made from bar stools, chairs and a borrowed drum-riser.

But the technical difficulties that threaten to stall the band's set from breaking into a gallop only help to endear the band to their audience - thanks in no small part to their pleasingly unpretentious delivery.

Mistakes are met with smiles, dancing audience members greeted with a grin. There's no Gallagher-esque swagger on show here, and there's an overwhelming feeling that – God forbid – the band are actually enjoying themselves.

This can't be Camden anymore, Toto.

Make no mistake, there are tunes aplenty in Spindle & Wit's armoury. The introspective boy-girl duelling on standout track Broken Bridges hushes even the Hawley's crowd, and the raucous Normandy nods knowingly towards London folk-troubadour Kid Harpoon.

But it's set closer Bring Out The Sun – the band's forthcoming single due to be released in July – that finally tips the crowd into a full-on, arms flailing, smile-inducing jig.

The timing's perfect; Hot on the heels of Noah & The Whale's success last summer, the baton's ready for Spindle & Wit to take over the commercial folk crown - and Bring Out The Sun could just be the summer anthem we've waited for all year.

And even better than that; they've managed to make a Friday night in the Hawley Arms seem like the best fun we've had in ages.

For that, if nothing else, they're worth their weight in gold. Now, if only they could escort us back home through those swaggering crowds singing Kasabian choruses into their beer bottles...

Spindle & ..Blog

Right we have learnt how to blog, it's not hard really is it. So here we go..

Here has been what's happened in the past few months, we have gigged, writting and generally been working very hard.

We have been fortunate to have been mentioned in a few great magazines and there a few more to come out soon.

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