The Spinto Band

I noticed the Spinto Band in one of the ‘ones to watch' columns that fill the Sunday newspapers. If they've made it that far, then surely we are just one step from hearing them on X-fm. And maybe that's not a bad thing.

I am always in two minds about seeing bands mentioned in the press. Are they obtuse enough to remain solely in your knowledge for a few weeks or months? Or are they stationed on the precarious lip of alternative yet slightly too mainstream? Why this is even a question in music is still a mystery to me, yet somehow it seems to be important that a small group of people are in the know before the large group of people. I like to think if they're good, they're good and wish them every success in releasing many albums to line the record store shelves and making themselves a few quid as well. Why not? It doesn't mean I'm not going to consign their album to coaster duty on the coffee table while they're latest single gets flogged on T4 Sundays.

Radio overplay in the future or otherwise, I think it's fair to say that if you haven't heard of the Spinto Band then you will do soon. The six piece outfit have knocked up some good tunes from their lair in Delaware, and this really was a very enjoyable gig.

Musically I am still unsure of where they stand. They have four guitarists, a drummer and a keyboardy/sound guy. One of the guitarists has a nasty dose of little man's syndrome. The two singers however – who are apparently their song writers to boot – are both decent, two different voices which seem to suit their chosen songs. This is more than can be said for their matching geek-chic plaid shirts. I'm not quite sure what they matched or if they were supposed to match anything. If it was the latter it worked. They succeeded in looking like they'd just fallen out of school, come up with an idea to dress similarly and tripped up on the stage.

But contrary to their look and unfortunate trip, it was on the stage that they really jerked to life. They put on a great show. During selections from their new album ‘Direct to Helmet', there were suitably catchy guitar riffs and all six of them – including the stoic looking keyboarder – seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves as much as their onlookers. After all, gigs aren't fun when the musicians have faces like they just listened to James Blunt for too long in a dark room and none of their friends had called them for two days, so it was good to stand back and be entertained.

The guitarists changed guitars with each other during a song, they assumed poses at the start of a couple and the lead singers chatted away during the breaks. At one point they all leaned to the microphones with kazoos strapped to their necks on wire coat hangers and the result was a glint of individuality – something often missing on the ever popular indie scene. As if this wasn't enough to get you smiling, their encore certainly was.

They did a cover of Tiffany's ‘I Think We're Alone Now' which an alarming number of people, including ourselves, knew the words too. It was actually a better rendition.

Then one of their friends got up on stage. ‘It's his birthday' they announced. I guessed he'd just been tagging along for the ride and fancied a bit of a cameo off Tiffany's cover wave, but no sooner had the thought crossed everyone's mind, he grabbed the mike and sang ‘Open the door, get on the floor, everyone walk the dinosaur' – the Was Not Was stocking filler, to which the drummer found a beat and they took it in turns doing the raps, coming together for a well-practised dance routine for the chorus. It was genuinely funny, very entertaining and led to a large round of applause from the crowd. It also explained their geeky plaid shirts.

But plaid shirts and rapping encores aside, it was a really enjoyable show, good gig, and had solid indie-pop guitar-led tunes. The numbers from the new album sound upbeat and easy to get into. I will buy a copy when it comes out this week. Let's just hope it doesn't end up being used as a coaster for beer cans in six months time.