It’s not very often that a band host an exclusive listening party so when SPINN said they were having one in London ICM jumped at the chance to meet the Liverpool quartet.
The Green Room in Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen was our venue on Monday night for a bit of painting, acoustic tracks from Johnny and Andy, and to listen to the album before anyone else ahead of its release tomorrow (Friday, May 3rd).
Sitting down with frontman Johnny Quinn in the front garden of the venue he can now feel like a true musician with an album behind his belt.
He said: “I feel like a musician for once, but maybe not tonight with only 10 people turning up. It’s mad – it’s taken years of work and stuff that has gone towards it and to finally get hold of the vinyl I can say I’ve done it.”
Personally, I think Johnny is underestimating their abilities. Not only are they on ICM’s Ones To Watch list 2019, but they have also grown a strong UK fan base and have even reached as far as the Pacific with a growing Japanese following.
Johnny believes that their musical influences and style of 80s pop which has had such a charming effect on the Japanese.
He said: “Japan was a step into a different kind of world. It’s completely different, not just even culturally. I was speaking to a guy out there, his name is Rio, and he was telling me that they really like traditionally British sounding bands.
“From us, you can clearly hear the 80s influence, even The Stone Roses, The Smith and stuff like that so I think they latch onto that plus it does help that Andy is really cute.
“Hopefully we do go places but we’ve been going for like four years and I feel like now it’s finally starting to get going just as the album is coming out which is great.”
With a team like Sam Meaghan (Manager) and Sam Tucker (Close Up) behind them, SPINN is in great hands to be successful. To celebrate the album release tomorrow, the band will be playing in HMV stores whilst they are on their UK tour which starts tomorrow (May 3rd).
For the fans, you can expect to meet four lovely and down to earth lads and of course, get to hear some new tunes and buy an album and get it signed.
Johnny said: “I think we’re going to try to do a lot of the album but if we go somewhere and people want to hear stuff from the EP or singles if people really want it.”
Now, recently SPINN played a couple of European dates for the first time in April and Johnny was chuckling about how typical the French people are.
He said: “It was amazing to be fair, we were playing to crowds of around 200 people which is mad but it’s the way you get treated just generally is a completely different experience.
“When we were playing in France they got us a cheeseboard – it was just the most French thing ever,” he laughs. “We had loads of fresh bread and red wine and we were like ‘this is just so French, it’s amazing’. If they started doing that in the UK then it would be sick.”
Normally in the UK, it’s a meal deal and a case of beer, “and maybe some hummus if you’re lucky,” chuckles Johnny. “This is why we shouldn’t leave the European Union. I feel like I’m in shame.”
Time for some album talk now as Johnny says he spent a lot of time in the Parr Street Studios in Liverpool – even if he didn’t have to.
“I made it my thing to go to every recording session I could,” says Johnny. “When we’re recording drums I don’t technically need to be there and vice versa but I sat through everything so I saw it all get filled from the foundations but it was really good.
“We’d go in maybe two or three day stints. We weren’t doing all the drums for the album then all the guitars, we did it like two or three songs at a time. We’d bash a song out in a day then I’d always be the last one there as vocals are always the last to go on. It was good though – free coffee and tea all day.”
Despite a little studio party from the engineers before the last day of recording, the album was completed towards the end of last year. When fans get hold of their physical (or digital) copies Johnny recommends listening to his personal favourites ‘July, At A Glance’ and ‘Foundations’.
Praise has to be given to Close Up who spotted the talent early on and scooped them up as a booking agent and signing to Modern Sky UK made a huge impact on the band’s progression.
Johnny added: “Sam and his Close Up team have made a massive impact and I have to say, especially Sam Meaghan who is basically responsible for everything.
“Then he introduced us to Tucker and since then we’ve been getting tours up and down the country and the fanbase has gradually grown. If we didn’t meet Sam Meaghan and Sam Tucker we wouldn’t be where we are now.”
But where will SPINN be in five years time? Johnny at least has some sort of idea.
“On tour somewhere maybe in America,” he said. “I’d like to get over there eventually and hopefully we’ll have a couple of albums out and make enough money to live off it and keep making out fans happy. I don’t ask for much!”
SPINN, the self-titled debut album is now out! Check it out below:
