Spector Interview

Last year saw Spector deliver knockout shows at a handful of festivals and support the likes of Killers and Florence and the Machine, dazzling audiences with their powerful pop and vigorous performances. This year is set to be huge for the London based five piece as before their debut album has even been released they are being featured on ‘ones to watch’ lists everywhere. The band is obviously working really hard as when we chat to drummer Danny Blandy about the album he tells us he has been up since 6.30am so to be gentle with him.

Is the album finished?

No it’s not, we are meant to hand it in at the end of the month so hopefully the label will think it’s finished then. We have got two more things to record and then we have got to sort out all the mixes of the other things, tidy them up a bit.

Surely they would wait until you have finished it.

I really don’t know, I hope so; we only have ten days to get it done.

You have worked with a number of producers on it, what was the reasoning behind that?

In the beginning it wasn’t a conscious choice to do that but with peoples schedules being what they were there wasn’t a time when we could be somewhere two months straight. We had two months to record the whole thing at short notice. It kind of ended up us picking different people to do different songs; it’s worked out really well. It’s been interesting to work with a range of different people. I really enjoyed working with all of them; there’s not been one that I didn’t enjoy.

Do you think guitar bands will ever truly be outdated or are they due a revival?

I think if something’s good, regardless of how it’s made then I don’t mind. I think all this stuff about the death of Indie, I mean if I like something I don’t think it matters if it’s successful or popular or what. It’s true that there has been a lack of guitar music in the charts and radio but that doesn’t mean there isn’t stuff elsewhere.

You have been described as a nerdy band, are you or is it just the suits and glasses?

Maybe, I don’t think I’m a nerd. I think Chris (Burman the guitarist) is a bit nerdy, very smart but very kind of on, is that nerdy? I don’t know, maybe it’s the glasses.

Is there anything you found that was unexpected about the music industry?

I think if you make it and become really successful then it can become glamorous. I’ve not got no money or anything. I’m not complaining, as I would do it for nothing but it's not like we are all loaded or anything. It’s a privilege to do though but it’s not a glamorous lifestyle at all.

Have you been compared to anyone that you didn’t think was apt?

Just good and bad, I wouldn’t want to be rude about people we have been compared to that I don’t like. If we are like all the bands that people have said we are like then it can’t be right because there have been too many different ones.

What qualities make Fred Macpherson a good frontman?

I think he is himself all the time, he is funny, confident, has a nice voice and he does the job properly. People are either going to like him or not but he won’t change how he is for that at all.

What’s it like to get all this attention before you have put an album out?

We try not to think about it because it’s not going to change anything. A fan of music isn’t going to think something’s good because someone has told them it’s good; they have to make their own mind up. We are just carrying on as normal. It increases the tension because the more people know about it also means there are more people that can take a dislike to it straight off the back.  I am not interested in all those lists; people make their own mind up. If you listen to music you listen to music, you don’t think about anything else.

If you could have any super power what would it be?

Maybe to play my instrument a bit better than I do, it’s been a bit tough in the studio.

How do you deal with disagreements within the band?

We don’t really have any I don’t think. It’s been fun. I have never done this, recorded an album as a musician in proper studios so it’s been a really good experience, not really many problems so far I don’t really think.

Published in Metro and Yorkshire Evening Post