Member Since: 20/08/2006
Band Website: last.fm/music/Spidersleg
Band Members:Robert Johnson
Influences: David Bowie, Whitey, Bauhaus, Add n to (x), The Fall, Suicide, CSS, The Singing Ringing Tree, The Stooges, Jan Svanjkmayer, The Cars, ZZ Top, The Prisoner, Jesus and Mary Chain, Spacemen 3, Kraftwerk, The Stoned Prunes, Ramones, The Beano, The Pixies, Soulwax, The Specials, Soul of Man, Chas & Dave (RIP), The Cramps, Daft Punk, The Damned, Ambassadors of Om, The Clash, Punks Jump Up, The Breeders, Vitalic, Undertones, The Reject Club, Talking Heads, New Order, Herb Alpert, Blondie, Two lane blacktop, King Missile, Bongwater, Lord Numb, Scout Niblett, Noblesse Oblige, John Holt, Big youth, Rumblefish, David Lynch, Del Shannon, Nick Cave
Sounds Like: Whether partnering Lord Numb in The Reject Club, masquerading as his alter ego Edgars Lisp, or in his more recent collaborations with Julien Auroux (a recent product of which was featured in my January show), Spidersleg always hits the spot. So why, having featured all of the aforementioned plentifully over the last year, did I so, so want a session from Spidersleg just being Spidersleg?
There’s something insistent about Rob Johnson in this persona, a sinister presence lurking behind the guitars and electronic backdrop. A certain urgency. Edgars Lisp sometimes glides. Spidersleg never glides, yet still operates with an untroubled smoothness. His vocals unsettle me. Then I return for more.
You may have heard Spidersleg in session for Andy Morrison on Dandelion last year. If not, you missed one of the finest of all Dandelion sessions broadcast in 2009 (yes, right up there with Calvin Party, Fun-Da-Mental, Eat Static, The Chasms and the rest). You won’t want to make the same mistake again, so you really need to listen to my February show, streaming at different times every day throughout the month at www.dandelionradio.com.
MARK WHITBY, DANDELION RADIO
Record Label: Non
Type of Label: Unsigned