THE SPOON IN AALEN

Beginning of this month was the birthday of my lovely little sister Vicky and I took that as an excuse to go home to the German countryside and take the spoon on it's first trip abroad.

I was born and bred in the swabian town Aalen, wich was great to grow up in. Not too small but also not too big, so there was plenty of running around woods and getting yourself dirty but also enough bars and possibilities to go out - until a certain point :-). It provided exciting spare time activities like a scooter club and carnival dancing, but the main reason I love going home is my amazing family which I hit the jackpot with. I've got the world's best parents  (yes really) who I miss every single day I don't see them, which unfortunately is far too often. I've also got the world's sweetest little sister (really!), there's the coolest dogs of the world (definitely) and all the other lovely people that make Aalen a very special place for me.
So as always I enjoyed every minute of it, even the peeling of kilos of tomatoes, hours of doing the dishes and ironing because it also meant time to talk to my family. There was great food, great company, I managed to meet some friends and all in all it was a great break that ended far too soon, so I am already looking forward to Christmas, when I'll be there again.
And even though I doubt Aalen has the same meaning to you as it has to me, if you ever come to southern Germany, you should stop by and visit my parents in their Hotel and let them take care of you: http://hotel-villa-rad.de/
Gaessler Clan Rules!

THE SPOON LOVES FREE GIGS

It's been a good month for me and the Spoon! We've won quite a few free gigs recently and apart from us two the bank account is pretty happy about that. One of the greatest things in London are all the amazing concerts at our disposal, however, financially that is also a receipt for disaster if you are bad at saying NO ... I know, I know ... luxury problems indeed :-)

The latest win was for two bands we actually didn't really know - "Hey Sholay" followed by "The Chrystal Antlers". It seemed that we were not alone not knowing them as the KCSLU was fairly empty that Friday, which didn't bother us as this meant no waiting time for our obligatory Snake Bites which are our traditional drink consumed in this venue and also enough space in the front row to dance around and have a blast.

Hey Sholay

The bands also didn't seem to mind the small numbers of people too much and put on great shows. I personally liked Hey Sholay a bit better as they are more my cup of tea music wise with a great leading voice and catchy songs. So much in fact I liked them, that I felt obliged to invest 3£ in their single and I haven't regretted that at all. (It would have gone into another drink otherwise, which wouldn't have been a good idea at that stage anyways). The Spoon is a bit more into faster, harder, rougher music and loved Californians The Chrystal Antlers, so everybody was pretty happy that night.

Summed up it was a great night full of silly laughter and here's a few Spoon shots to proof it:

Look at all the Colours

Beach Feeling

Chrystal Antlers

new friends? 

The Spoon likes drummers

According to Mona this is the secret love child of Jim Morrison

The Ladies enjoying themselves

Me, Mona and the Spoon all sporting a big smile

Jim Morrisons son is a bit scary

AAAAND another drummer :)

THE BOXER REBELLION

Today I want to tell you all about a band that has been close to my heart for quite a long time now.
I've seen them several times over the years, starting in very cosy venues, like the Monto Water Rats in 2008 where a small but appreciative crowd got WOWed and where it was still very easy to take pictures from the front row:

Then there was Heaven earlier this year which was amazing and now the dot on the I - a show in a sold out Shepherd's Bush Empire, which was the first time the Spoon saw them. As expected it was once again a great night out crowned by front-man Nathan taking a singing walk through the excited audience.
The atmosphere was electric - the crowd loved the band, the band loved the crowd and at the end of the evening everybody had a big grin on their sweaty faces and the feeling of having been part of something special.
This is a band that has worked hard on their success - countless concerts, 3 albums out with one of them (Union) self released and I am so happy that they have been rewarded with moments like that! They didn't become super famous yet, but the following they do have is strong, loyal and appreciate great music and dedication.
They might not have reinvent the music wheel, but front man Nathan's great haunting and versatile voice and great songs that range from big songs fit for stadiums to soft melodic tunes that creep right into your heart make them exciting to listen to on record and the band also translates those to the stage exceptionally well.

It's easy to see that they love what they do, actually like each other and that (paired with the great music) is why I love them.
I already know now that the next time they come to London, I'll be buying a ticket again without any hesistation because I know they will deliver a couple of hours of brilliant entertainment and leave me with a happy fuzzy feeling inside.

Thank you guys and keep on doing what you're doing!