Love Spud defy ageist odds

Mahurangi band Love Spud’s first album, Shoddy Rotten Dream, shot to No 6 in the NZ Album Charts in March, despite the odds being stacked against them.The 44 to 65 year olds were turned away by a record label, and were told they weren’t young enough to be marketed. However, singer-songwriter and guitarist Isaac Thackray says that rejection was just the boost they needed to get it done themselves.

“We’re not really going to get by on cheekbones, we just want to make great music and put it out there,” Isaac says. “Luckily, we’re not unique and that’s how bands get things done now.”

They recorded demos on a Tascam 58 8-track reel-to-reel recorder and finished the album at Earwig analogue studios in Auckland. They recorded videos and took photos for the cover work at Isaac’s home in Matakana, in front of an old tractor. Love Spud then released the album in February to a full house at Tahi Bar in Warkworth, and a week later it was high on the NZ Album Charts.

It’s a long way for the band that only formed just over a year ago. Isaac and guitarist and vocalist Brian Jones first started jamming after talking about music at Tahi Bar. They realised they worked well together and were joined by drummer Steve Cox and Gareth Hedges on bass. They describe their music as a mix of 50s rock ’n’ roll, blues and country. Isaac says he’s enjoyed publishing his original music after playing in a cover band for 30 years, and reckons he wrote at least 100 songs before he wrote a good one.

The album title song, Shoddy Rotten Dream, is one of them, but he says the album’s most popular song so far, Three Minutes Late, was written in a rush just before they recorded the album.

After such a strong start, Love Spud is already booking more gigs and working on a new album, and Isaac says they have no time to lose.

“Our only plans are to keep going while we’re still alive. We’re going to give it a good go but even if nothing more comes of it, we’re having good fun,” Isaac says.