Monday 10/07/06 The Spinto Band @ Stanley Theatre, Liverpool

When the The Spinto Band last came to Liverpool in January singer Nick Krill’s between song patter consisted mainly of questions about the World Snooker Championships (an obsession no doubt honed by long, lonely nights in the Travel Tavern). Tonight, he’s more concerned about the band’s new dice game.

“So anyways, we were stopped from playing it in the airport the other day by security. Apparently you’re not allowed to play games of chance in airports anymore. This is the post 9/11 world we’re living in guys…”

You’ve got to admire The Spintos' good humour. Considering they’ve been on the road for aeons now, are a long way from their Delaware home playing to a not exactly rammed Stanley Theatre (although it’s a more than respectable turn-out for a student-less Liverpool) you could excuse them for putting in a workmanlike performance. However, instead of simply going through the motions without the emotions, the Spintos put in yet another spirited stage performance, so infectious we have no choice but to be swept along by their unashamedly accessible indie-pop.

Fittingly for this fair city, the six-strong Spintos crowd two to a microphone and shake their heads just like those mop-tops of yesteryear, before bounding around stage some more, swapping instruments and launching into another one of their feel-good numbers in the style of, say, a less-arched  Ween. They do all this with a broad smile, consumed by the elation of sharing their songs with us. They feel good – we feel good. It’s a great equation.

Ok, the set starts a little slowly, and the sound – particularly the vocals and keys - gets a little lost in the cavernous ceilings of the Stanley Theatre, but we’re not here to nick-pit when The Spintos joyously deliver such ace songs such as ‘Direct To Helmet’, ‘Did I Tell You?’ and their brilliant new single ‘Oh Mandy’ (check out the video on the Frontpage). They even chuck in covers of The Motor’s garage classic ‘Airport’ and Debbie Gibson’s seminal ‘I Think We’re Alone Now’.

And the dice game? They even gave us a free set each to go home with. The Spintos – the band that keeps on giving.