Sp!n
| Gene | |
|---|---|
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Alternative rock, Britpop |
| Years active | 1993–2004 |
| Labels | Costermonger, Polydor, Contra |
| Associated acts |
Palace Fires Call Me Jolene Martin Rossiter Sp!n The Go Hole Alan Thatcher |
| Past members |
Martin Rossiter Steve Mason Matt James Kevin Miles |
Gene were an English alternative rock quartet that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s. Formed in 1993, they were popularly labelled as a Britpop band and often drew comparisons to The Smiths because of their Morrissey-esque lead singer, Martin Rossiter. Gene's music was influenced by The Jam, The Smiths, The Style Council and The Clash.
Gene's origins lie in a previous band which was first called The Go Hole, named after a fictional "Beat" club in John Clellon Holmes' novel Go, and later renamed Sp!n when they became a four-piece. The band was formed by Lee Clark (vocals/guitar) and Daz Walton (bass). Soon afterwards, James joined on drums with John Mason on bass. Their first single recorded in the same studios as The Ruts' In a Rut' appeared on their own Big Pop Records label. A John Peel session fueled their early success where they mixed with the Camberwell scene mingling with members of House of Love, My White Bedroom and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer. Self-managed, apart from a couple of brushes with mini music moguls (in their own minds), John Mason would organise and negotiate much of the group's gigs, contracts and press especially later when they were a four-piece. After 18 months Clark, Mason and James invited John's brother Steve Mason to play lead/rhythm guitar and thereby free Clark to focus on vocal style.
Two singles, 'Scratches (in the sand)' and 'Let's pretend' were released in 1990 and 1991 respectively as an album had been recorded with Stephen Street as producer. Then, Sp!n were involved in a road accident. John Mason suffered a serious head injury and an 11-day coma. The day prior to the accident, Clark had offered his resignation in a letter to the rest of the band, due to his dissatisfaction with the way the band and its record label, Foundation, were guiding its course. A further EP, titled 'Hot Blood', was released in late-1991 and the album also came out entitled "In Motion". With headlines of road crashes and injuries the public perception of a vibrant new band was hard to maintain. Change again was thrust upon them.
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