SPINN @ Thousand Island

Spinn

It was the mother of all Thursdays. Half day booked, gates open at Watford Junction. Press for a sick band. I was living for it. November 27th was greeted by four beady eyed teenagers from Liverpool with an absolute heart of gold, big tunes and a sensational hunger for biscuits. I was invited down to four-piece SPINN’s sold out show at Thousand Island – Highbury thanks to our good friends at CloseUp. Having already played to sold-out crowds in both Bristol and Newcastle, I couldn’t wait to see the boys play a sold-out show at their first headline London residency.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a sold-out capacity CloseUp show with some amazing talent to follow. I’d missed her more than once but was delighted to finally catch Isle of Wights very own Lauran Hibberd. Coming in with a fresh set of ears, Lauran is to be taken seriously in the most immediate way possible. We could stand around all day and compare her to the likes of Jerry Williams, Anteros and Whenyoung or we can just accept that she’s in a universe of her own, writing stories that only a young person in today’s climate could appreciate in all its intimacy. Bonus points for that song called ‘Shark Week’ – when’s the release?

Next up was our very own happy-go-lucky Only Sun from sunny High Wycombe. It’s genuinely nice to meet with a band that isn’t full of self-deprecating arseholes with a drug problem. Their high-octane energy, terrible 80’s references, a parade of shit shirts and big indie rhythms are just a few of the reasons why I’m buzzing for these guys to be playing the bigger shows and gaining the exposure they deserve. With a large back catalogue and even more to come in the near future, Only Sun going to ride along into the sunset like Tom Cruise on his chopper *queue the Top Gun riff*.

Having decided to chuck up four whole chicken selects from the depth of my stomach, I decided that it was probably best that I didn’t stick around and chunder on some poor 16 year old’s shit back and sides and get my head caved in by indie twitter. My departure was swift and heavy. I was truly disappointed that I didn’t get to see the boys perform. Especially as we’d spent the better half of a few hours chatting absolutely rubbish on some patchy grass around the back of the venue. Who knew that couscous was the perfect condiment for a wrap?

What has to be mentioned is the unbelievable crowd that the boys played to. Having being sent countless videos of the action that went down, girls were screaming and crying, people were singing along to the tunes. For a band still in the early stages of their career, there is no slowing down for the boys from Liverpool. And with the potential of new music on the way and tours outside of the UK, are SPINN going to be the next big band from the north?