NO ‘FALSE ALARM’ FOR NED’S JONN & DAN
JONN PENNEY and DAN WORTON of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin have released their debut single ‘False Alarm’ by new band ‘Spairs.’
When asked about the track Jonn said, “False Alarm is a love song. I don’t do many and most I have are a bit more obscure than this I think. It’s about permanence. So many aspects of our lives now seem temporary or throwaway, but a relationship can be rock solid, and it can survive the slings and arrows if there is some modicum of belief in it.”
A love song it may be, but the single has the mighty riffs and emotion one would expect from such pedigree. This prolific lyricist, combined with the multi-instrumentalist talent Dan Worton have together created something very special. This isn’t a Ned’s Atomic Dustbin side project; this is a totally new beast born out of lockdown.
As a member of Ned’s, Jonn Penney has never written a song all of his own, never composed a riff he likes. The winning formula for Neds involved on-the-spot collaboration with his bandmates. A bassist or guitarist would inspire him with riffs and chords, to join in and shape the song, but in locked-down May 2020 the Neds are too busy to do this anymore – and Jonn is frustrated.
However, having downloaded a 4-track app to his phone the ideas come thick and fast and are eventually sent via WhatsApp to Neds drummer, Dan Worton.
“I sent Dan my partial song ideas, he filled in the gaps – drums, percussion, bass, rhythm and lead guitar – with his own ideas and made them into songs,” explains Jonn.
“He then came up with a flood of his own ideas from scratch so I sang on those too. Before we knew it, we had a great working formula and a ‘sound’ kind of accidentally emerged. Looking back, I can’t believe it took me so long to realise Dan would be my ideal writing partner. I’m so proud of what we’ve done together.”
By January 2021 the duo had finished 11 songs but hadn’t met face-to-face during the entire process but in June, the album ‘Spills’ is recorded and mixed in eight days.
“This was a fantastic opportunity for Jonn and I to create an album where nothing mattered except the quality of the songs,” adds Dan.
“We weren’t bound to any specific genre or style, so we pursued a range of musical interpretations for Jonn to emote to. We’ve recorded an album of far-reaching musical motifs and imaginative, articulate wordplay. We hope you all enjoy.”
‘False Alarm’ was released digitally on Friday November 12th on all download sites and streaming platforms. The new album, ‘Spills,’ is available to pre-order now on CD and limited edition vinyl through Good Deeds Music at Spairs Pre-Order and Spairs Bandcamp
Dan and Jonn have enlisted a number of talented musicians so next year’s shows in support of the album release will be a full band affair.
Tickets for next May’s dates are on sale now.
3rd May – Manchester – Night & Day
4th May – Glasgow – Hug & Pint
5th May – Wolverhampton – Newhampton Arts Centre
6th May – London – 100 Club
7th May – Bath – Moles
BANDCAMP: Spairs (bandcamp.com)
