In Print  Home  Directories  Reviews  Get In Touch  Forums  Links  Gig Guide  

SPORK: Sporky Pee

I usually judge a book by its cover, so with this low-budget EP package I was expecting something noisy, not very imaginative and rather juvenile. I was completely wrong. Well, okay, it’s a bit juvenile (Sporky Pee?) but also wildly imaginative, well-produced and displaying great musicianship. Honestly, I’m wondering if I’m the victim of a spoof band put together by some famous musicians who are trying to mess with me. The only weak moment is on the track that also happens to be the sole cover – a mashup of Portishead’s Glory Box with While My Guitar Gently Weeps. The singer’s falsetto gets a little shaky, but I also suspect that may be intentional. The rest of the material is all top-notch. Tauranga guitarists Sam Leamy and Ashley McKinley wrote the songs and then assembled the Sporkestra to play them live. They twist and change constantly, veering from prog-metal one minute to ’60s ukulele pop the next. It’s like Zappa meets Slayer at a secret underground party hosted by Porcupine Tree. Somehow Spork makes it work, and I love it.

Related Information