The Spook School are a four piece band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The name is a reference to the Glasgow School. They met whilst attending the University of Edinburgh. Most of the band have previously been involved in live comedy shows, some of which were performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Their music often gets compared to bands off the C86 compilation, such as The Shop Assistants, as well as The Buzzcocks; however the band also lists David Bowie as an influence. The band's lyrics explore "gender, sexuality and queer issues" with themes such as "fluidity and the lack of a binary in gender". Their debut album, released in 2013, is entitled Dress Up because it "relates to the idea of gender being a social construction, something that can be artificially appropriated". The record received positive reviews from Loud and Quiet, Under the Radar, and The Skinny. Sophomore release Try To Be Hopeful has also received favourable coverage from music journalists, with emphasis that their world-view encompasses the fluidity of both gender and sexuality and that this gives their output "urgency and cheering freshness". The Spook School's line-up is made up of four noisey people! They are: Nye Todd - Guitar! Singing! Buster Keaton! Adam Todd - Guitar! Singing! Wearing stripes! Anna Cory - Bass! Hates birds! Speaks French! Niall McCamley - Drums! Nudity! Moustache!
