BUZZZZ....
That sound you may be hearing is the noise of the entire music industry circling around the British band Space, ready to anoint the next "big" band out of England. But that's not industry hype that's driving the Space mobile, but true fan support.
"Do you have any extra tickets for the show, mate?", asks a young fan in his early 20s. He's driven down from Connecticut along with his two English friends to try and catch Space before they play to much larger audiences. Too late for this show - it's been sold out for days now, and unfortunately, he's left to wait outside on a cold evening, hoping to scrape up any extra tickets from people who don't show up.
New York's Mercury Lounge is a small club, holding about 150 people if not too many fire codes are broken. It's in this unusually small environment that a band with several top 20 UK hits, and a huge European debut album Spiders (named by our own Tim Mohr as his top album of 199*6*) is making their first Big Apple appearance.
"You know who Space are, then? That's great! Hey, do you like the Charlatans? Supergrass? Kula Shaker?" The fan and I engage in conversation about the state of British bands, American audiences not being as receptive to those groups as their English counterparts, and about what a great record Spiders is. The difference between Space and the aforementioned bands is that whereas most acts can be clearly defined, Space crosses all boundaries and leaves the listener to marvel at the sheer genius behind their songs.
Inside, it's a similar story. "No one can harm me now - I've got my Frank Sinatra Greatest Hits tape in my back pocket," proclaims Space's lead singer, Tommy. Looking quite a bit like a talented Davy Jones with a guitar, he playfully teases the front two rows of Anglophiles during the opening track, "Charlie M". Running the gamut of subjects from Manson to Elvis to Madonna to HIV is the norm for Space, whose lyrics are never quite what they seem.
"Has anyone shagged (fucked) any sheep today? I 'ave!" That strange conversation, all said with a huge (sheepish?) grin on his face, is Tommy's way of introducing "Me & You Vs The World" to the audience. One of the British singles, several rows of fans can't resist dancing. The scene is repeated on other singles including "Female of the Species" (where Tommy sounds like a 50s crooner - maybe even the Chairman of the Board himself), and the spy-theme meets Pulp sound of "Neighborhood".
Because the Spiders album is so musically complex - ranging the gamut from a Black Grape/Happy Mondays sound to horns, Mexican influences, and things Juan Esquivel only dreamed of - the live show can't be recreated without the use of samples and some programming. And although the band has two guitarists and one drummer, that's where their fourth member comes into play. Keyboardist (and sampler) Franny takes center stage on "Growler". While the remainder of the band took a few minutes to collect their thoughts (and wipe the sweat from their brows), Franny took the audience on a techno ride. A complete departure from the rest of the "Space sound"? Sure - but that's what helps make Space so unique, and so good. Unfortunately, most of the audience wasn't up to the four minute rave experience and stood there, shocked that the band would dare to play such a different track at their live show.
This is one group that genuinely *enjoys* performing for an audience. Tommy even closes the ten song set by falling off the low stage into the arms of some of those fans, and smiling for pictures in between his admirers. Those pictures weren't for show, either, as the "professionals" weren't shooting away at that late point of the performance.
It's refreshing to see a band as pleasant as Space. In addition to seeing a quality show, I got a strong feeling of the bond that exists between Space and their British fans. I know that fan from Connecticut will be fortunate when they return back to New York in mid-March to play Irving Plaza. And if you hear that buzzing sound from the music journalists waiting to jump on the Space bandwagon? Don't kill them - just be on it first. With a record as good as Spiders, you'll be glad you did.
SET LIST: Charlie M, Me & You Vs. The World, Drop Dead, Female of the Species, Money, Looney Tunes, Spiders, Neighborhood, Mr. Psycho
