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The Spitfires at The Salutation, Durham on 10th April 2015

The Spitfires

The music industry can be a fickle business, people with relatively little talent, good looks, financial backing and TV exposure become overnight sensations. Yet on the other side there are many bands and artists that work incredibly hard, tour on a shoestring budget, have no professional management, agent, record label, promo company etc. behind them yet still manage to rise above all the flotsam and jetsam because if you’re good enough and put the work in, sooner or later people start to take notice.

One such band is The Spitfires from Watford. If ever there was a band who had a ‘have van, will travel’ attitude it’s them. Whilst most bands are happy playing established cities and venues on the rock ‘n’ roll circuit, this band will play anywhere and despite having been together for a little more than two years and based at the other end of the country have already played: Blyth, Byker, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Stockton. And they’ve yet to release an album!

Their look is mod(ish), their music reminiscent of the great power-pop and mod bands of the late 70s and early 80s such as The Jam, The Chords, The Vapors, The Jags as well as some of the more contemporary bands like The Ordinary Boys and Hard-Fi. Their live show is chock-full of energy. They’ve released four singles, the latest of which ‘Stand Down’ features new keyboardist Chris Chanell who brings a new dimension to their sound.

This tenacity and dedication was always bound to get them noticed and last year the band were asked to play with The Specials at The Roundhouse in London and earlier this month support Paul Weller.

Next month The Spitfires come to Durham and play The Salutation in Framwellgate Moor in Durham, opposite New College. Yes, that was a new one on me as well, not known a live music venue the new landlord wants to develop the pub as a regular music venue and let’s hope he makes a success of it.  So let’s support a new band and a new venue, you know it makes sense!

Stand Down video