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Live Review from Underground 75:
Spodac played a long instrumental introduction at the beginning, it reminds me of a UK band called “The Whiles”. I like them a lot. Spodac is good at instrumentation. They arrange songs in a good balance in use of instruments. Introductions and endings of every songs are very impressive! From their songs, I think they listen to various kinds of music. They have musical elements from different music styles in their performance.
Rocky (vocalist -Killer Soap)
Live Review from Underground 61:
Spodac. Spo-DAC. SPOOOOOOODACCCC.
Test: What is (a) ‘spodac’? Is it…
- A. holes in the sides of Kodak film negative?
B. a pouch of skin containing the testicles?
C. blue and white cups and plates?
D. of or concerning spondees?
The answer is, in fact, all the above plus more. As bass player Tommi Spodac explains there can never be enough definitions. Like Arthur C. Clarke’s The Nine Billion Names of God, existence will lose all meaning if you define infinite. As the famous story goes after the scientists’ computer had identified all the names of God (or for atheist canine-enthusiasts like me, breeds of dogs), the IT dudes fleeing the monastery look back and see that ‘…overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.”
So, (*trumpet blows*) DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAAAAAH! The Underground has its first competition to come up with the most creative definition of ‘spodac’. (If you want to destroy the universe, send in nine billion different emails- send your trippy or twerpy ideas to Chris B, not me.)
My offering: a spodac is a small, shy, brown, furry creature with a long tail that lives inside bass drums and only comes out long after bands have packed up and gone home. It resembles a mouse.
Tommi Spodac’s offerings: (1) An old tribe in Uzbekistan (2) Everything that’s awesome about music (3) A derivative of ‘sporadic’ but no one in the band knew how to spell it.
The winner gets to pick two members of Spodac to take home with them forever (*lots of girly squealing*). Two runners’ up prizes get you a remaining Spodac each. (*more girly squealing but not as much as before*) Spodac’s sound is a tough, rough rock, tinged with grunge. Their musicianship is tight and commanding, but not overly polished so that it sounds manufactured. They let enough of their own very mixed personalities sneak in to make it highly idiosyncratic and interesting.
They intro’d with an instrumental, a beast that woke quietly and slowly and then from a run went into energetic attack mode. The rest of the set was marked by great lead guitar work, hurtling drum beats and a dark, imaginative, very talkative bass guitar. Well, of course, man! If a Scandinavian is playing it will naturally come out sounding Goth punk or metal core because that’s just in their genes. Good rough rock vocals by Nick Spodac – a versatile mix of a bit Staind + a bit AC/DC + a bit Eddie Vedda + a bit out of tune.
They said some stuff about ‘climbing mountains’ and about it being ‘too fucking late to apologise’, but again the sound mixers were over-eager with some of their volume settings so lyrics became just splodgy sounds. I’m giving Spodac a very good B+ for their Underground 61 effort. They would have got an A but they were let down by their use of foul language in the final song. See me after class. (Also bad boy Nick Spodac laughed at me and my computer looking all prim and proper instead of spacey and cool like you’re supposed to at a gig, so that’s another reason they lost marks. Ner. That should make you think twice before you make disparaging remarks about the reviewer, Nick, my old son. You’re in big trouble now. Read the other reviews (*snigger*).)
Their superb, very professionally-produced CD is available at www.spodac.com with 5 kicking tracks: Madam Madam, Scaffold, Gravity, The Pain and WTF? (‘WTF?’ Do I detect bad language here again? Right! C- You boys will never learn.)
Isobel S. Saunders
Live Review from Underground 51:
It just took a couple of bars (or was that beers) to realise that Spodac were the first real band this Underground. Perhaps it’s musicianship, or perhaps it’s simply confidence that comes from being over 30, but it was good to hear four musicians playing original songs together with discipline and commitment.
Their first two songs mixed all kind of sounds with an assured vocal delivery that switched between James’ Tim Booth and Ian Astbury. Tight bass and drums and a very talented guitarist worked together to get the Undergound nodding and shuffling from foot to foot for the first time in the evening. This was getting interesting.
But it was all downhill from then (for me!). Third song “Gravity” saw the band change gear. At the beginning of the set, singer Nicholas Palmer gained points for actually raising his arms above shoulder height, but he lost them all the first time he pointed at his heart while singing “mah sowull”. It was a little like going from a fine unwooded chardonnay to a bottle of Blue Nun…or Blue Girl. They’ll both get you pissed, but one has just a little more style.
So it was for the rest of the set. Every member of Spodac is clearly good at what he does, particularly the rhythm section. And the crowd showed their appreciation. It’s just a little disappointing to me to see them content to put one foot up on the monitors and succumb to such clichés. However I just might be in the minority…..
Paul M
Live Review from Underground 46:
I really want to like Spodac. They have a lot going for them: they’re very good musicians, and they play on time and in tune. They clearly practice a lot. They write their own songs. They have enthusiasm and commitment.
So what’s the problem? Maybe it was because I enjoyed the preceding band so much? Whereas The Yours were anarchic and fun, Spodac seem a bit stiff and formulaic. The singer was earnest — maybe too earnest — but couldn’t really seem to drag his lyrics away from agonizing rock and roll cliches “I got a feelin / Deep down in my soul”. Yes sure hundreds of bands have got away with it in the past, but that’s kind of the point. I didn’t really feel like I was listening to anything inspired, fresh or new.
Possibly the best moments were when the guitar and bass meandered off on their own solos, held together by the rock solid drumming. But ultimately, for me, the sum of the parts was less than the whole, and I just can’t get into them. There were a lot of people in the Cavern who were enjoying them, and maybe that’s what counts rather than the opinion of a jaded and hungover reviewer. Check them out for yourself at their website, or go to the next gig.
Zoot
Live Review from Underground 23:
Spodac, a late replacement for The Flowers of Babylon who have members in travel limbo, have done Underground before. They play a new set with a new guitarist (some great AC/DC memories, lots of hard driving rock and more than enough cool funk moments. I wrote more good shit, but spilled my drink over the review while over-enjoying the set. Sorry, guys.
Nick Lovatt
Live Review from Underground 19:
SPODAC have a lot to live up to now. They start off rocking, in fact this is a rocking power trio with an energetic vocalist (like a heavy Hot Tuna). Songs reflecting on Friday nights and Lotus Flowers (which could have come off the soundtrack of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”). Power rock music crossed with some Jam style moves (listen to “Disguises”). With Shades of Groundhogs and early Budgie (70s sound). Cool vocalist walk round.
Awarded “Most Professional Big Sounding Rock Band of Underground 19”
Nick Lovatt
Live Review from Underground 8:
I had never really fancied older men till I saw the men in black suits on stage known as Spodac One of the most fun bands I’ve seen at Underground. Nicholas on vocals exuded happiness to be on stage, his enthusiasm helped you forget that he occasionally wasn’t quite on-key. The cheers of “Encore!” they received from a most appreciative (mostly Chinese!) audience was something to behold. An energetic set, I found it hard to believe they had only formed in January this year! Spodac have the image and the charisma and are just a few singing lessons away from Superstardom.
Rosie Chan