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This fascination means that Jon is the one who brings the strongest folk element to Spiro – “heʼs Mr Tunes!” beams Jane. “I do love northern English tunes,” he concedes. “Theyʼre my obsession, so strange and dark and wonderful.” Indeed, the tunes utilised on Lightbox are irresistible, in particular their fast-fingered take on The White Hart and the gorgeous, meandering traditional melody that threads its way through their song Pop. But itʼs what the group does with these tunes that sets them apart, using them as a launch pad to propel themselves to realms way beyond the folk music constituency. “I would be happy writing music that didnʼt have any tunes at all,” admits Jane, “just riffs and grooves. But Jonʼs always pulling towards putting a tune in. Thatʼs what makes us so strong. There are people in the band who want to put in a perfect pop arrangement and others who just like to play weird stuff for a very long time!”
That the group still boast their original line-up speaks volumes for this sense of collectivism and solidarity. These are virtues that are writ large in their music, a commendable all-for-one sensibility. Listen to just a few bars of any track from the new record and that tight ensemble sound is both overwhelming and invigorating. “All of us are thoroughly energetic people,” Jane explains. “We all operate at the tips of our energy and nerves. That really helps the chemistry. And we all play each otherʼs parts so there are no ʻownershipʼ issues. There are no egos– itʼs never ʻOK, Iʼm just playing my partʼ.” Jon nods. “Thereʼs no showmanship. There are no solos. Thereʼs no ornamentation to attract attention to one particular instrument. In fact, thereʼs that feeling that each member of the band isnʼt just playing that instrument. That theyʼre playing the whole thing.”
This is what Spiro refer to as “the mesh”, the locked-in ensemble sound thatʼs a relentless, wonderfully overpowering assault on the eardrums. Although there are plenty of moments of quieter contemplation on Lightbox, this unstoppable ensemble sound is in heavy evidence throughout the new record. It provides the fury on Captain Say Catastrophe, the momentum of Darkling Plains, the euphoria of Shaft. Think of it as an acoustic wall of sound.
“Weʼre all playing more than one part at the same time,” explains Jane. “If you listen to what any individual instrument is doing, itʼs really quite complex. I likethe fact that the audience can hear a riff but might not be able to work out whoʼs playing it. I think thatʼs what gives it the widescreen feel. There are backed-uplines happening all over the place.” “It becomes a bit orchestral,” adds Jon. “It sounds like there are more than four instruments playing, even though there never are. Weʼve never done a single overdub on any of our recordings. Itʼs just always exactly as it would be live.”
The arrangements are deeply complex and planned within an inch of their lives, with everything being meticulously picked apart, discarded, retrieved, reworked and often patched together in new sequences. Itʼs a near-scientific approach. Tunes and riffs will be played at a band practice before Jane goes away to scrutinise and evaluate, pulling out the most interesting parts to be revisited next time around. “Iʼll come back and say ʻYeah, that bit. And put those bits together.ʼ Itʼs a continual process of listening back, of sometimes putting things together that werenʼt together in the first place. Thatʼs then the starting point for the next practice.” A painstaking way of working? “Itʼs obsessive! Everything is totally arranged, right down to the last note, the last semi-quaver. We canʼt divert from that. Yes, I am a mathematical geek.”
Itʼs therefore something of a contradiction that this forensic approach to composition and performance unlocks an extraordinary emotional response to their music, both on record and live. “There can be something strangely moving about something very mathematical,” explains Jon. Jane agrees, citing the euphoria she often experiences through dance music. “I find repetition very moving. The more precise you are with it, the more you can engineer emotions. People seem to cry at our gigs!”
“Weʼre just trying to get people hooked at an emotional level. Iʼve always loved playing live, making things happen in a room, transforming all that nerdy work into an airborne experience. You can do this so much more by playing live instruments rather than pressing a button on a computer.” Jon smiles in agreement. “Itʼs a lot more interesting to watch people playing instruments than someone playing this slab of electronics…”
“…and itʼs a lot more interesting watching people struggling to play it!” laughs Jane. “I think thatʼs part of the excitement. Thereʼs that element of danger. Are we going to make it or not...?”
Written by Nige Tassell
