Spector – The Farmhouse, Canterbury 28.04.12

If you haven’t heard of Spector before, it won’t be long… The East-London quintet fronted by the charismatic front-man Fred Macpherson are on the verge of big things…

Saturday nights gig at the intimate settings of Canterbury’s Farmhouse was testament to the above statement-Spector delivered with mighty aplomb! On this showing, it’s no surprise that they have been nominated for the BBC’s ‘Sound of 2012’ award.

Things got off to a flyer when they opened with the aptly namedWhat You Wanted. The packedvenue erupted, with each verse being echoed back towards the stage… Spector had set the scene for a night of brilliantly catchy, poppy tunes.

The band dressed dapperly in their trademark suits and Fred with his by-issue circle rimmed black glasses, and slicked back hair (comb assisted) held the stage effortlessly, delving into their catalogue of high-tempo indie tracks.

The high point in a set packed with peaks came midway through, whenthe bandunleashed new-single, the amazing ‘Celestine’. Recently accoladed as Zane Lowe’s ‘Hottest Record in the World Right Now’ thesong is as beautiful live as it is on disc, and sent the crowd in to huge, sweaty, dancing frenzy! Listen below to hear the track being performed on the night…

Throughout front-man Fred Macperson oozed charisma, and engaged with the audience majestically. His sharp-tongue and quick-witted banter is simply brilliant… I’ve never seen a front-man offer so much in terms of anecdotes-

Asking the crowd ‘Who likes Kasabian?’ instant roars greet the question… Fred then introduced their next song : ‘Well this is a song by Spector, Chevy Thunder’ Like the introduction of the track, the song itself is a winner. Their biggest single to date,and a huge crowd pleaser to boot.

The London lads then finished with ‘Never Fade Away’ poignant in the fact that this song could summarise Spector as band. Without being outrageously cheesy and going for the easy line (say what you see) it doesn’t look like they are going to fade away anytime soon! They well and truly delivered and left the crowd itching for more!!!

Hear Chevy Thunder below:

They were supported on the night by ‘The Pantomine Villians’ a young band from Margate and ‘Braves’ a London 3-piece. Each band gave a provided great support and made for a terrific night of live music down at Canterbury.

It most also be said; No egos were present from Spector, they were down with the sweaty punters watching both support acts. Fred even turned down photo opportunities during their set’s from fans to not turn attention away from the bands that were performing… What a guy!

Spector’s full set list for the night was:

• What You Wanted
• Friday Night
• Grey Shirt and Tie
• Twenty Nothing
• Celestine
• Lay Low
• Upset Boulevard
• Chevy Thunder
• Never Fade Away