Spitfire (UK band)

: "For the American band, see Spitfire (US band).": "For the Russian band, see Spitfire (Russian band)."

Spitfire are a band from Crawley, West Sussex, England whose ever-changing line up revolved around brothers Nick & Jeff Pitcher. Other members included Steve White (later in the Situation Two band The Spectrum Zero), Justin Welch (later in Elastica), Steven Walker who went on to play in the Auteurs and Modern English, Matt Wise and Scott Kenny.

Two early EPs on Eve Recordings saw the band linked to the shoegazing scene and to the Scene That Celebrates Itself, although a cover of The Six Million Dollar Man theme staked out their retro appeal.

Around this time, the band were involved in several controversial incidents including the handing out of backstage passes for groupies and a string of apparently sexist proclamations to the music press of the time. The band later insisted that these incidents were merely ironic and intended to poke fun at rock stars' posturing. Debut album feverish was released on Paperhouse Records in 1993.

Spitfire were hailed as influential by many New wave of new wave bands, and regularly gigged with S*M*A*S*H and These Animal Men between 1994 and 1996. The Pitcher brothers were resident DJs at Brighton club The Basement, which with Camden's Good Mixer pub and Blow Up club was at the core of the pre-Britpop scene.

A second album Electric Colour Climax followed on Lowlife Records in 1996. The band again courted controversy, with a sleeve featuring a retro pornographic image, found at London's Toe Rag Studies where the band had recorded the 13 track album on vintage recording equipment in just five days. The band's studio line-up now included Pete Whittick, Bob McPherson, Scott Kenny, Matt Wise, Vanessa Widdup and Rob Colley (previously with Brighton funk band Arthur).

The band drifted apart around 1999, with the Pitcher brothers forming Cheetah, a new (but very similar sounding) garage rock band. Matt Wise and Scott Kenny had, meanwhile, started a new band called Society who continue to write and perform material to the present day.

Links

[http://spitfiretheband.moonfruit.com/ Spitfire Website]