Nicely Done: The Spinto Band

Half-way between New York and Washington lies Wilmington, Delaware. The biggest musical export it's arguably witnessed was Tom Verlaine, who shot to fame in the seventies as the lead singer of New York avant-garde band Television, whose debut 'Marquee Moon' is considered a proto-punk seminal classic. Five years ago in this same Eastern seaboard town a band were messing around in a basement studio asking themselves the question: 'When are we going to play this live?'

Fast forward to 2006, and The Spinto Band, made up of Nick Krill, Thomas and Sam Hughes, Jon Eaton, and Jeff and Joe Hobson, have chalked up an impressive total of eight albums, are courted by the UK's broadsheets and are supporting the Arctic Monkeys on their US tour in March. Their latest album, 'Nice and Nicely Done', recorded in Jon's uncle's studio in Nashville, came out in America in June 2005 on Bar-None Records and will be released in the UK on Radiate Records most likely in May/June this year. However, it found itself on the 2005 UK hot import album list leading last November to sell-out gigs and the release of their first UK single, 'Mountains/Brown Boxes', on Radiate. The next single taken from the album, 'Direct To Helmet', will hit the shelves on March 6th. Gigwise caught up with the prolific young twenty-somethings to talk about brotherhood, secrets and bad haircuts.

After seven self-produced albums the band know how to write a song, but perhaps they've realised they must make their faces known. Judging by the press attention they're receiving over here - the six-piece patiently granted interviews for three days at the end of their latest UK tour in January - their decision last year to sign up to a record label for marketing and distribution of their latest album looks like a very wise move.

We sit in a suite at a smart West Kensington hotel, and Jon (guitar), at 24 the oldest in the band, with his cool, chilled-out pose and appealing, dark voice could've stepped right out of a Jim Jarmusch movie. Sam (keyboard) shares with his brother Thomas (co-vocalist, co-lyricist, bass) thick and curly hair, a solid build and a cheerful expression, but whereas Thomas has a brown mop, Sam's blonde and sports glasses. The other set of brothers, Jeff (drums) and Joe (guitar), have undeniable visual symmetries, and the same soft glare. 19-year old Joe - the youngest in the band - has a quiet, infectious laugh, and sitting cross-legged he cuts a cute figure. Finally there's Nick (co-vocalist, co-lyricist, guitarist), tall and slender and wearing a muso seriousness underneath fine facial features. He and Thomas, the two frontmen, are not here. They're on a day-trip to France due to prior media commitments and are being interviewed separately over the phone. It shows how popular the band are now.

The Spinto Band have been making music together since their early teens, and one can sense a strong, almost umbilical bond between them. They clearly like each others company, which creates an intriguingly relaxed, totally unpretentious atmosphere. Asking Jon how it feels to be with two sets of brothers, he grins: "I feel I'm left out of a lot of inside jokes." After an entertaining round of laughter dies down, he says: "We've been such good friends for such a long time, I don't think of my relationship with these guys as any less than their brother." Joe looks at him: "It's like we're all brothers." "Yeah," Jon nods back.

Putting on a live show bursting with energy, the band's music is flavoured by an early Talking Heads quirkiness and marked by a refreshingly catchy pop quality. It's anchored in a rich guitar sound, interwoven with melodic mandolins and backed by great vocal harmonies a la Beatles at the Shea Stadium. Sam says The Spinto Band's influences come from "all around the board", but they're all into the Talking Heads, and the Flaming Lips with whom they've often been compared. Do they think they've an American indie sound? They look at each other, slightly nonplussed. Then Jeff speaks up: "If we were a typical American band we may've caught on a lot quicker there. We're pretty low-key there still. I think it fits better over here." Nick agrees: "I guess the UK market recognises more new groups." Having said that their forthcoming support slots with the Arctic Monkeys, with whom they share a DIY ethos, should catapult them into a comfortable position in the US.