Spang Sisters’ lure their listeners in with possibly their sexiest song yet. With “Eddie Murphy” the Sisters gently lay you into a tub of warm melted butter, resurfacing only to be showered in glitter in a gloriously glossy experience. If that sounds tempting, then get to know the geniuses behind the Spang Sisters anthology, Rachid Fakhre and Jules Gibbons, by reading on.
Spang Sisters are one of my greatest musical influences and it’s not least because of their grab-your-mates soul inspired indie dream-pop. My adoration for this band goes much deeper, dwelling in the fact that my very own uncle is one half of the quintuplet come duo. Whilst that might cast a shadow of a conflict of interest over this interview, Spang Sister’s recent single “Eddie Murphy” cannot go amiss. You hear that? I’m willing to risk sacrificing my integrity merely to put you onto an absolutely grand band and if, in doing so, Spang Sisters reap more fruits for their labour then sobeit!
Gentlemen, thank you for virtually joining us for this e-interview!
Thanks for having us! We’re thrilled to be had by you, you can have us whenever.
I guess I should start by saying we’re huge fans here at DRAB and wanted to get into the nitty gritties of your experience as a band together. Could you give us a summary of how Spang Sisters came to be?
DRAB you do us great honour with your kind words. The band initially came about through the usual blend of circumstance and proximity, but like all worthwhile pursuits was really just forged in the fires of friendship and camaraderie. The line-up and nomenclature have gone through a fair few changes since then but the throughline has always been defined by that love and rootical vibration.
How have you found adapting to the relatively recent change to the set-up, reducing down to just the two of you?
Well obviously it’s difficult trying to play all the instruments at once, but apart from that it’s been okay because we were always the best ones anyway. Do you know any bassists btw?
Who does! Did you have a mission statement when you started making music together?
To never let the dizzying magnitude of our success and fame get to our heads. So far I'm not sure we’ve entirely managed that.
And as for “Eddie Murphy”? Did you have anything in particular you wanted to achieve from it be it output or input?
It was nothing more than a passing attempt at meaning and purpose, an ephemeral bookmark in the catalogue of Our Egos.
Did the single see you drawing from any unexpected influences? Did you try anything new on this song that you hadn’t experimented with before?
Yeah I found this new patch on the Logic Pro electric piano that sounded pretty cool so I used that, otherwise we’re still ripping the same people off. Relentless glibness aside I did write this song nearly three years ago so I can’t really answer in the affirmative.
I have to say the music video might be one of the wackiest I’ve seen in a long while if ever, and I was curious what the experience of creating the video was like for you two? It looked like a blast!
We take absolutely no credit for that, we’re just incredibly blessed to have been helped by our wonderful friends Marie Dutton and Benjamin Spike Saunders, long may they prosper. And the shoot did certainly look lovely! Vape Lord seemed to have his work cut out for him.
Have we anything more to look forward to from Spang Sisters in the near future?
Better songs, better production, fancy arrangements and a broader set of influences. I hope you guys like the vibra-slap!
Have you ever been to Leeds together? If so, what did you think of the scene/city itself?
Not as Spang unfortunately but I did play there once with my other band and we were supported by some local upstarts, went by the name Pop Vulture as I recall. If those lads are anything to go by then I’d say the scene is a well and truly healthy one. Oh and I did Spanish there for six months but that’s another story.
What do you think of the London music scene, and if you’ve been to Leeds can you draw any comparisons between the two?
I haven’t really had sufficient experience with Leeds to contrast the two but I would say a smaller scene will always feel more special, London’s a bit stressful because there’s so many Super Cool Guys you have to watch out for. But really the actual super cool guys are in Leeds.
At the time of writing the country is entering its second national lockdown. How have you coped with lockdown as a band? Is there anything new you’ve picked up or projects you’ve worked on?
Apart from having more time to spend on poaching eggs and fanning avocado slices, we’ve really been afforded the opportunity to perfect our writing and recording craft. I expect the world will be littered with post-lockdown triple albums but hopefully ours will be the best one.
Do you have any closing words to say about what’s important to you as artists during this uncertain time?
Don’t give up on the weed man, it’s still worth it.
This is a massive milestone for us here at DRAB so thank you for your time! Stay safe and well.
Bless you DRAB! You’re doing God’s work here. XXX
Now it’s time to let the Sisters return to their lockdown routine as we do the same, but your Spang-y experience doesn’t have to end here! Check out the Eddie Murphy music video directed by the brilliant creatives Benjamin Saunders and Marie Dutton. The video even stars a previous feature to the DRAB blog Steph Dutton, who plays a fish finger, ‘Miss Fansea’, the love interest of the protagonist of the video. If that sounds as wacky as you like it then give it a watch!
Writing by Luc Gibbons
Photography by Rosalie Charrier
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