| Spiro | |
|---|---|
 Band photo from 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Bristol, England |
| Genres | Contemporary acoustic, instrumental, minimalist, dance, folk |
| Years active | 1993 (1993)–present |
| Labels | Real World Records |
| Members | Jane Harbour Alex Vann Jason Sparkes Jon Hunt |
| Website | Spiromusic.com |
Spiro is a British instrumental musical group based in Bristol, England, consisting of Jane Harbour (violin, viola) Alex Vann (mandolin) Jason Sparkes (piano accordion) and Jon Hunt (guitar). To date they have released four albums on the UK label Real World Records.
History
The band was formed in 1993 by violinist Jane Harbour, who quickly became the group's main composer and whose classical and electronica influences met with the punk influences of Vann and Hunt. Their early experiments centred around reworking traditional folk tunes, particularly those of the North of England, but Harbour's growing fascination with minimalist systems began to impact on the group and were evident by the time of the independently released Pole Star (1997), which fused both influences. The album was critically well received, and the band continued to play live, including writing and performing for theatre. However no further albums were released until the BBC's use of several Pole Star tracks brought them to the attention of manager Alan James and Real World Records, for whom they have recorded three further studio albums, Lightbox (2009), Kaleidophonica (2012) and Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow (2015). The latter two in particular largely feature original melodies and more intricate composition. Real World also re-released Pole Star (2014), a vinyl-only compilation album Repeater (2016) and a mini-album, The Vapourer (2013), with live recordings by the group and Moog versions of two of their compositions by Portishead's Adrian Utley. The band have toured internationally, and in 2016 received nominations for the BBC Folk Awards and Songlines Awards.
Members
- Jane Harbour (violin, viola; 1993 to present)
- Alex Vann (mandolin; 1993 to present)
- Jason Sparkes (accordion; 1993 to present)
- Jon Hunt (acoustic guitar; 1993 to present)
Recordings
- Lost in Fishponds (recorded as 'The Famous Five') (CD, Uncle, 1994)
- Pole Star (Uncle, 1997)
- Lightbox (Real World Records, 2009)
- Kaleidophonica (Real World Records, 2012)
- The Vapourer (with Adrian Utley, Real World Records, 2013)
- Welcome Joy and Welcome Sorrow (Real World Records, 2015)
- Repeater (Real World Records, 2016)
References
- "Welcome | Spiro". Spiromusic.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Spiro". Realworldrecords.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- ^ "Spiro". Realworldrecords.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Spiro: Pole Star album review @ All About Jazz". 5 October 2014. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014.
- "ABOUT | Spiro". Spiromusic.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- Review of Kaleidophonica by Colin Irwin. BBC website, 2012.
- "Home". Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
- Al Booth (10 February 2016). "Radio 2 Folk Awards 2016 nominees announced - Media Centre". BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
- "Awards". Songlines.co.uk. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
External links
- Tassell, Nigel. Spiro. spiromusic.com/about.html. Accessed 2009-10-17.
- Spiro. Real World Records website. Accessed 2009-10-17.
- Spiro WOMAD website. Accessed 2009-10-17.
- Review of Lightbox by Robin Denselow. The Guardian, 19 June 2009.
- Review of Kaleidophonica by Colin Irwin. BBC website, 2012.
- Review of Kaleidophonica by Robin Denselow. The Guardian, 16 February 2012.