Spree for all

What do you get when you take a Scouser, a French conscientious objector, and a classically trained Belfast girl with a love of Ozzy Osborne, and then mix them all together with a healthy dose of rare groove and jazz inflected drum and bass?

Why Spree, of course. A nearly new three piece who, very kindly, have invited us all to come and watch as they make themselves up.

“Spree’s first gig was actually at a single launch for my last band. The guy I was in the band with was too busy to come along, so I took that as a sign.”

Liverpool lad Simon Sheldon is a familiar face in dance circles in Belfast. Since moving here four years ago, he’s been busy making his presence felt – scoring the music to Out Of Their Heads, a local theatre production for the Queen’s Festival, and popping up on all manner of collaborations with the likes of Paul Brown, Cappo Regime and Bell-Crash (the promising new project of Paul McMahon and Mark Bell). However, it was as one half of d’n’b nearly men Solarise that his name became most widely heard. Until their demise last spring, the duo were welcome regulars on the clubbing circuit. racking up slots at some of the most credible nights in town. So, keen not to let this groundwork go to pot, once Solarise came to an end, Simon wasted little time starting up another act. One with an altogether different emphasis than his last one.

“It had been in my mind to do stuff that was more vocally based,” he says. “I just wanted to get away from in yer face and nasty drum and bass and develop something more representative of what I listen to when I’m in the house, which is really loose and natural sounding ’70s funk.”

His first step in this new direction came when he asked French bassist Antoine Riviore to help him out. Antoine had come to Belfast to study music theory following his completion of the mandatory two years community work, expected of French youths born before 1978 that refuse national service.

“I wrote a letter explaining that I didn’t want to wear uniforms or bear arms,” he explains. “So, I got involved with teaching music to community groups and stuff, which was dead cool. I’d have been a really shitty soldier.”

For the all-important vocals, Simon invited along Suzanne Savage, a classically trained violinist and regular front-person for a host of Belfast jazz acts, following the advice of most of his mates.

“I was looking for a singer and was given Suzanne’s number by loads of people. Honest to God, I must have about ten pieces of paper with her phone number on it lying around somewhere.”

‘"I’m a musical slapper,” she laughs. “I’ve been gigging around since about 1995 – just doing all sorts of mad, varied stuff. Spree has been great for me because I’ve been able to do things as a singer that I’ve never really done before. The classical stuff and the jazz singing are very technically taxing, and, while I love it, I also love stuff like Black Sabbath where you can just go bonkers. In Spree no one really gives a shit what I do, just as long as I’m wearing the right clothes. And that’s class.”

Although the trio have been together a mere seven months, their speed of progress has been extraordinary. They’ve played support sets with the likes of Jon Carter and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, and rang in the New Year with a boisterously received performance at Shine. This spring they head off to Austin, Texas as one of the acts representing Ireland at the prestigious South by Southwest music festival. While Direct Records have already snapped up ‘Believe’ and ‘I Want Ya’ for a release in March, with Tiamat Recordings following their lead with plans to put ‘Ten Of Coins’ out in May.

It’s little surprise, then, to find that confidence is running high.

Antoine – “The great thing is that we’re constantly changing and improving and going in different directions. I’ve been in loads of bands that had lots of potential. But people were not prepared to do what it takes to move it onto the next level. This is the first time I’ve been in an environment where the musical ideas are there, but so is the ambition and desire to work hard.

It’s very cool.”