Love Spit Love - Unplugged Showcase '94 - a review

Richard Butler and Richard Fortus - THE CANAL BRASSERIE, LONDON
OL'Ray-Bans eyes is back. This "intimate" industry showcase - meaning you see more of the industry and their complimentary refreshments tan the artistes - features Richard Butler, still exuding that endearing up-past-his-bedtime-for-weeks aura, and one memeber of his new band Love Spit Love.
You wouldn't figure on unplugged, feel-the-quality affair to be the optimum setting for Mr Modern Rock, but it suits the crisp, ringing enthusiasm of guitarist Richard fortus, whose chords bounce off the whitewashed walls on "Codeine" and "Am I Wrong?" and threaten, occasionally, to launch into "Big Yellow Taxi". It's a seemingly odd pairing with Butler's rasping, flat, still-headstrong voice, and - tho' this sample may well be unrepresentative of Love Spit Love - far from the unhealthy thrilling grandeur of Psychedelic Furs at their wilful posey best.
Not that Butler can't do pretty well himself, but as The Furs' (and thoroughly undersold) final album reminded, he's always laced his humankindness with an interesting bitter does of venom. Torn between compassion and disgust for the pretty, sad modern girls he invariably conjures up, Butler is infinitely fonder of the word "lies" than "truths", as "St Mary's Gate" underlines here.
It's a world view that can stand up to an instrumental rejig fairly easily. Just as the modish Big Production of The Furs' glory days (and the "Less Than Zero" American kids who ate it up) never obliterated Butler's punk-at-heart spite, so this tasteful dignity doesn't point to an accompanyingly mature, bland sincerity. "Jigsaw", faintly reminiscent of an anarchist musical theatre showstopper, even sees Butler playing kazoo - a blatting, impolite Bronx cheer - as he trashes briefly on his stool. And, on the wistful Wake Up we're left with Butler shouting the chorus, nasty and urgent, and a sandpapery, hoarse "nah nah nah nah" smearing over the chords like a brusque hand on a wet painting.
Still not quite ready for framing in the Retired Rock Stars' Gallery. Good.
(Jennifer Nine - Melody Maker '94)

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