Spare Snare is a

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

band from

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, Scotland. Founded in the early 1990s, the band have released 11 albums and 2 compilations to date, released on their own Chute Records, or licensed to another label. They have also recorded four

John Peel Sessions John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

. In the 1995 John Peel Festive 50, the band were number 32 with "Bugs". Spare Snare have been cited as an influence on acts such as

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

and the

Fence Collective Fence Records is a Scottish independent record label based in Anstruther and Crail, Fife, Scotland, founded by musician King Creosote. Fence Records released records by James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Lone Pigeon, U.N.P.O.C., Kid Canaveral, eagleow ...

. Spare Snare were also voted as the 46th best Scottish band of all time. In 2008 they had the bizarre privilege to cover

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

for

BBC Radio Two BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

’s

Aled Jones Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer and radio and television presenter. As a teenage chorister, he reached widespread fame during the mid-1980s. Since then he has worked in television with the BBC and ITV, and radio (for Cla ...

Sunday show. Spare Snare are the only band to have recorded sessions for both

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...

and

. Spare Snare released their 10th album, ''Victor'', in June 2010, which was voted the 19th Best Scottish Album of 2010. The band made two rare live appearances at the

Homegame festival in Anstruther and Tigerfest in Dunfermline in 2010. Two live sessions were performed for the Marc Riley BBC 6Music radio show on 16 July 2009 and 25 September 2018. Spare Snare released their 11th album, ''Our Jazz'', in April 2013, which was voted the 7th Best Scottish Album of 2013. In February 2018, Spare Snare recorded their 13th album, Sounds Recorded by Steve Albini with producer

Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...

. As well as the recording, Spare Snare and Albini presented a one day Engineers' Workshop at Chem19 Studios in Blantyre, Scotland. It was announced in April 2022 that Spare Snare will record their 12th album, again with Steve Albini, in October 2022. The 12th album by Spare Snare shall be released in the Spring of 2023.

Members

*Jan Burnett – vocals, guitar, electronics, melodica *Alan Cormack – guitar, bass, drums, synths *Barry Gibson – drums, bass, guitar *Graeme Ogston – guitar, bass, synths *Adam Lockhart – guitar, synths, bass, voice *Michael Lambert – bass, synths, health & safety

Discography

Albums

* ''Live at Home'' - released 1995 on Chute * ''Disco Dancing'' - Compilation released 1995 on 100 Guitar Mania, licensed from Chute * ''Westfield Lane'' - released 1996 on Wabana, licensed from Chute * ''Animals and Me'' Released 1998 on Chute * ''Love Your Early Stuff'' - Compilation released 1999 on Che, licensed from Chute * ''Charm'' - released 2001 on Chute * ''Learn to Play'' - released 2004 on Chute * ''Garden Leave'' - released September 2006 on Chute * ''I Love You, I Hate You'' - released June 2009 on Chute * ''Victor'' - released June 2010 on Chute * ''Our Jazz'' - released April 2013 on Chute * ''Unicorn'' - released August 2017 on Chute * '' Sounds Recorded by Steve Albini'' - released July 2018 on Chute

Singles and non-album songs

This table shows all songs released as singles, and other songs that do not appear on Spare Snare studio albums.

References

External links

Uncut review of Sounds Recorded by Steve Albini

Spare Snare discogs site

Official Spare Snare site

Spare Snare on MySpace

BBC Peel Sessions info

review of Spare Snare

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snare, Spare Scottish alternative rock groups Lo-fi music groups