The Indie Chic Boys Dish the Dirt
By Marion Ang
Campus Magazine caught up with Spector – the band that left an indelible mark on the Indie scene with their hit single ‘Chevy Thunder’. This five-piece band hailing from London performed their first gig in Singapore, last night at Avalon.
“It’s a spirit of adventure, to not know where you are going,” says frontman Fred.
Formed in 2010 by frontman Fred Macpherson, the journey to finding his other band members involved unexpected people and places: the band’s guitarist, Christopher Burman was roped in when he was on his third year of school, Danny Blandy (Drummer) was introduced by Fred’s ex-girlfriend, Jed Cullen (Synthesizer/Guitar) through a neighbor and Thomas Shickle (Bass), from a barbeque party.
After supporting Florence + The Machine in 2012, headlining their own UK tour and a gig at the Coachella Festival, the band’s success continues to grow at lightning speeds.
“We learnt a hell lot from the process and it gave our album a certain dynamic and quality because everyone was very focused on the songs. Each song had a lot of time and effort put into it. Some sort of, like a box of snacks, like a good snack selection,” says the charismatic frontman.
When asked about what inspires their music, the humble band referenced their growing years.
“Sometimes you can’t say it to the person because you feel awkward or you feel pretentious or emotionally difficult. Music is a great way of communicating. It’s a really good way of being close to people and showing support without having to say or act in a certain way,” says Fred.
As the interview took a dive away from their personal lives, the band mates started sharing their various fashion faux pas throughout their growing years. Fred recalled, ‘I remember using safety pins to keep my pants from falling because I wanted to be different”.
But before ending the story of his relationship with fashion, he said, “I probably did the silliest things to stand out, but I’m only partially glad that I outgrew that phase because looking back I know those were the good times, where I could be free to act in any way I wanted too without worrying about the public consensus. Now, it’s human instinct to keep thinking what the other person thinks of you and that’s bad”.
When asked if their first-ever gig at popular indie music festival, Coachella, was a dream come true, the band nods and smiles in unison: “It was a complete joy, the whole thing was surreal. It wasn’t as simple as it being just a great experience. We went on like a deep, psychedelic, emotional journey physically, mentally and spiritually.”
