Spares

Spares is a gothic rock band from England. It begins as a solo project for Simon M, former guitarist of Children on Stun, after that band breaks up following seven years together and a final concert at the Underworld in Camden, London. The project develops into a full band with Simon, Alison, Jamie and Steve among its line-up over time.

Formation and early releases

Simon M starts work on a debut solo album in 1999 and brings in guest vocalists and musicians rather than a fixed line-up. Contributors include Alison Gann, formerly of Felo-de-Se, Nick Blewitt, also formerly of Felo-de-Se, ex-Children on Stun members Neil Ash and Kyle Whipp, and Gez Donnelly, formerly guitarist with the Godfathers. The debut album appears in 2000 under the title Tired & Bizarre on M&A Music Art. The next year the band releases the single Snails Rave.

Albums, label work and line-up changes

In 2002 Simon M starts recording a second Spares album and asks Alison Gann to become the band’s full-time vocalist. He works with Neil Ash again, this time as producer under the name trailertrASH, but the sessions are shelved after personal and musical difficulties. Kyle Whipp joins as a permanent member in 2003, when recording begins for Download. That album draws on demos and outtakes from the abandoned trailertrASH sessions, as well as later demos, and it appears on Simon M’s own label, Black Planet, as catalogue number 0001.

During 2004 the band records Suffering Fools Gladly, which includes the live favourites “Sugar Printz” and “Hour Glass”. The album is released on Black Planet and distributed across Europe by Resurrection. In 2005 Kyle Whipp leaves and Alex Ash joins, but he leaves in 2006 and Gareth Angel comes in. The band then works on its fourth album, Half Light Zone, and performs two shows at the Whitby Goth Festival. A limited CD edition with alternate tracks is issued to coincide with the festival and sells out. Spares also sign to the UK independent label Signet Records, and the official release of Half Light Zone follows later in 2006 through Signet, Amazon.co.uk, Play.com and Resurrection Records.

Later activity

In 2007 Jamie, the bass player from Libitina, joins as a full-time member. The band plays gigs across the UK and spends the rest of the year writing new material. In 2008 Steve joins on keyboard. Spares is associated with gothic rock, and its discography develops from the early solo-project recordings into a full band catalogue shaped by changing members, self-run label activity and repeated appearances at Whitby Goth Festival.