Merseyside is once more awash with all sorts of talented young creative-types who are making sounds and visions that are so exciting that nobody would mind too much if you ended up wetting yourself with glee. One such band of merchants of this newfound glory are new beat group SPINN. They’ve got more jangles than Bo and an uplifting energy to their music that’s simply irresistible to your average purveyor of indie pop.
They’re also ‘sound as a pound’, as I once heard a scouser say. I had a lovely chat with frontman Jonny Quinn who was as likely to go off on tangents in the conversation as a kitten in a string factory. After picking up a meal deal, he opens the conversation with a warm “It’s nice to meet you, I guess.” Clearly, a natural charmer. They’re working hard as they take their first big steps into the music industry.
The band have been around for almost two years now and are working hard to get to that lucrative next step. “We’re releasing one or two more singles then we’re going to try and release an EP by 2019 at the latest. Give ourselves a few years,” Ambitious, just not that speedy.
“We’ve got the experience, we’re just trying to move on forward.” Jonny explains that he was gesturing moving through a battle – one of a number of occasions during the call he appears to forget how telephones work.
So, what does the next single sound like? “It’s delicious, lovely. It’s like a watermelon on a hot summer’s day. It’s a refreshing watermelon that’s been in the fridge maybe.” Sounds delicious. Juicy, ripe and seedier than a bloke propping up the bar at Slaters.
“You can get more, it’s coming. We’re literally writing bangers right now. George is laying down some fire beats. We will quench your thirst with the watermelon slice. It’s the same kind of vibe, it’s a bit punchier. It’s sounds a bit like Two Door Cinema Club. It even sounds a bit like house music in part.”
While the wait for the new single goes on, Jonny admits he’s got other tasty things on his mind. “I’ve just got a meal deal, I’m made up. It’s me second one of the day. Standard cheese and tomato pasta pot.”
We then transgress down the rabbit hole of a familiar Facebook page that saw lunchtime choices rated, aggressively, by other sad gits and debate the value of a tomato in a sarnie.
At no point in the interview do I feel like a seasoned pro, it’s far more like I’m from the school paper chatting to the cool kid who thinks I’m sort of alright and is happy to take any questions. “Questions are cool, otherwise game shows wouldn’t be so popular.” He’s a smart lad.
Jonny gives love to Liverpool haunts The Magnet and Zanzibar – two of the very finest establishments in their city, with the latter being familiar to both of us at ‘unrivalled’ throughout Merseyside thanks to Pat at the back.
The touring starts again this summer, following a brief break to focus on writing their next batch of indie gems. This might be their biggest tour yet and the news of travelling to Southampton seems to be a bit of a lesson for the young lad. “I didn’t even know England was that big, it just goes on forever.”
There’s plenty of love for van driver Troy – “What a lad” – and Jonny repeatedly seems keen to show respect to anyone who has helped them out during the fledgling era of their career.
I’m treated to a brief vocal rendition (of sorts) which is followed by one of a number of bashful comments that show just how good humoured these #ApproachableLads are.
“If you see if approach us, say hi, we’ll get you a drink at the bar.” I’ll be holding them to that, double whiskey it is.
The “nuclear winds” are apparently to blame for the Scouse kindness and willingness to chat and it’s not hard to see why there’s not a bad word to be said about them. And if anyone is saying a bad word, they’re wrong and they should settle down.
With still a month or so until the release of next single ‘Notice Me’ it’s frustrating that there’s just one droplet of SPINN out in the ether at the moment. Yet they’ve already sorted the artwork – a collage in tribute to their heroes. There’s currently some debate about whether bassist Shawn’s cat will make the cut but, as Jonny points out, “I don’t know what a cat can do to be someone’s hero.”
He lists Jeremy Corbyn, Van Gogh and Basquiat as his personal heroes who have made the cut and recognises a fondness for beards. Sadly he can only muster facial hair that looks like “if someone had shaved their pubes and I fell over and had some glue on my chin”.
We’ll just leave that image there for a minute. He’s promised to be cleaner shaven on tour, ladies.
“We’re not men, we’re lads. Handsome young approachable lads.” I offer up the idea that they’re ‘lads but not men’ which Jonny quickly jumps on as a possible album title. If they do it, I’m getting a cut – verbal contract, yeah?
Given the time, politics swiftly becomes the topic and – like many in Liverpool – Jonny felt compelled to back Jezza. Why? “Me dad will kick me head in if I don’t.” Solid. Though he admits it’s the Tory PM he’s thinking about as a roadie, even if you “can’t trust” her.
“Take her on tour she’s a fucking nutter. Theresa May gets on the beak. The election campaign – ‘I’m Theresa May and I love cocaine’.” It’s the former chancellor, Gideon George Osborne who the final words on politics are reserved for.
“He’s got that face of ‘oh mate, what a night’. He’s the Lou Reed of the Conservative Party.” I explain that he’s no longer an MP and is in fact editing London’s Evening Standard. “Fuck me it’s a Tory paper, burn it,” not even swayed by me trying to convince him the sport section is ‘half-decent’.
“Your team will win the league if you vote for the Tories. FALSE NEWS.” Probably what it says, to be fair.
He’s a blue, I’m a blue, who cares if the teams are hundreds of miles apart? SPINN are boss and you’ve not even begun to realise just how great they’ll be yet.
Get more SPINN on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Go on, spinn yourself right out, you trendy young thing.
(Photos by Lauren Keir)
We Close Tonight 