A Promising Start
Keep this under your proverbial hat: Northern Ireland is something of a hotbed of new, emerging musical talent at the moment and Spectator are no exception to this. With a strong fan base and touted by the Irish press as being the next Fugazi, Rollins Band or Helmet, - depending on what rag you read- these boys have a lot to live up to.
The opener 'Etiquette', with its crashing drums and thumping bass lines are more than a little reminiscent of the aforementioned Fugazi. 'All good things comes to those who wait' toys frontman John Crumlin, who sings with the raspy quality of Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan amidst the unashamedly melodic shuffle. Next track, 'The Greed' brings with it a sense of urgency with its cry of 'Take what you want/ leave nothing left to give'.
This is not the most original thing that you will hear all year, but it's a decent enough attempt and for a band that has only been around less than a year it shows great promise for things to come. You get the feeling that in a couple of years that they won't necessarily break through to the mainstream and won't be selling out massive venues but they will have a strong and credible underground following.