LIVE REVIEW
[SPUNGE]
NEWCASTLE O2 ACADEMY.

STRAIGHT AWAY, let me just say that the latest fools from “Talent Shows” have no real future in music. The real deal comes in the form of bands like [spunge] as they kicked off their northern show in Newcastle with Whitehouse and the old favourite Lyrical Content, proving without any shadow of doubt that British music is alive and kicking.
Already the crowd were showing their support as over seventeen years of experienced musicianship and well-over a thousand shows proved that [spunge] really are firmly on the button.
Fronting a band isn’t easy, yet Alex Copeland seemed completely at ease as he spits out a multitude of words that is Idol, but at all times recognising the importance of the back-bone of any band; namely bassist Chris Murphy and top tub thumper Jeremy King.
With an arsenal of songs to choose from, compiling a set list is obviously a hard compilation, as new songs needed to be shoe-horned between household favourites. [Spunge] do this with ease as current tune Nothing At All fitted in effortlessly with much-loved songs like Jump and the popular cover, No Woman No Cry.
Guitarist Damon Robins, like the rest of the band, failed to put a foot wrong with the crowd soaking up the riffs, smiles and adding huge backing vocals when required.

Being in a band requires spade-loads of diplomacy, tenacity and stacks of good-fortune and although [spunge] haven’t been blessed with lottery-sized contracts and buckets loads of cash for their work, they gained huge amounts of respect and are not only extremely talented, but have endless amounts of energy. Although I felt the swearing and stage-banter unnecessary, the band did put their heart and soul into this Newcastle show. As did local support act Too Spicy. In fact, their crowd was almost as big as the headliner’s.
Most of all, unlike today’s “wannabes” [spunge] stick at it, work extremely hard both with the band and with day jobs to pay the bills. They have the word “entertainment” firmly engrained in their DNA.

With bed time in their sights they closed shop in raucous fashion with their break-through song, Kicking Pigeons and an excellent rendition of the old classic cover Centrefold, complete with a stage crammed full of fans. How the band managed to keep going is anyone’s guess.

But then [spunge] are a class act.

WORDS:392.
Words and Picture:
ROY GOODALL
Music Writer/Photographer/D.J.

PICTURED

Singer Alex Copeland
Bassist Chris Murphy & Guitarist Damon Robins.

This article was written by: Mark

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