March 1998

Spacehog – currently known in media circles as the band that fell to earth – has taken up where Ziggy Stardust left off. Hailing from Leeds, England, but finding fame in the U.S. by way of New York City, the band members wear their glam influences proudly on their shiny sleeves. With a sound reminiscent of Queen, early David Bowie and other '70s bands, the live Spacehog is as theatrical as its predecessors, but their music definitely does not fall under the category of art rock. Rather, the band offers exciting eye-popping showmanship that has been lacking on the live scene since the great bands of the '70s.

Band members – Royston Langdon on bass and lead vocals, brother Antony (aka "Ant") on guitar and vocals, Richard Steel on lead guitar and Jonny Cragg on drums – have recently released a new LP The Chinese Album. On their current tour of the U.S. – following a U.K. tour with Supergrass – a recent stop fortunately included New York City's Westbeth Theatre on February 20, 1998. This small venue, known for its theater productions, has only recently begun to feature rock concerts. It provided a perfect space for a band like Spacehog, whose on-stage antics and style were in full force for this night's performance.

Opening bands Bond and Bigmouth were a powerful combination to start the night off, but were no match for Spacehog. Opening with "Goodbye Violet Race" from The Chinese Album, Spacehog hit the ground running and rocked the packed house for over two hours with a good mix of old and new material. Although stage banter was kept to a minimum, Royston did apologize to the crowd at one point for not having "played for six months or so." They performed their last gig in New York City at CBGB's in 1997.

The band played most of the tracks off their debut album Resident Alien, in addition to some newer tunes from their latest release. Royston breathed fire into Spacehog staples like "Candyman," "Space Is the Place," "Cruel to Be Kind," and "Spacehog" (the band's eponymous theme from Resident Alien), and grooved on the newer material with songs like "Mungo City," "Carry On," and "Almond Kisses" (sung by R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe on the album).

Despite its derivative nature, the one element that truly defines Spacehog is showmanship. Each member possesses a charismatic stage presence and uses it to his full advantage. Royston pushes the envelope so much he often seems as if he's about to explode, or at least swallow the microphone during his all-encompassing enunciations. Typical rock'n'roll stage antics such as Kiss's paradiddle, headbanging and faux on-stage lovemaking rituals are all part of the act, but are done with such sincerity that they manage to come off as fresh and stylish.

While guitarist Steel never strayed far from stage left, brothers Roy and Ant seized every opportunity to bare their raw and wild sides with reckless abandon. Not to be outdone, drummer Cragg displayed an abundance of personality and the full complement of weird drumming faces which most rock percussionists sadly lack today. The quartet have definitely got their cartoon personalities down pat.

For an exceptional set closer, the band left no show-stopping stone unturned when performing Resident Alien’s "Zeroes." Giving it the most theatrical treatment of all, they stretched it from crescendo to crescendo until all eardrums in the house went from ringing to broken. To top it off, during the climax, a stage hand doused the large Chinese gong behind Cragg's drumset with ample amounts of lighter fluid; a match was tossed its way, and as the blaze began, Cragg pounded it mightily. In the tradition of '77-era Kiss, this was Spacehog's piece de résistance.

The band re-emerged to play two more sets, including their hit "In the Meantime," and some new tracks. When the last set closed in the wee hours of Saturday morning, fans were not eager to leave, bloodied but unbowed from a raucous evening with rock's biggest stage hogs.

By the way, the hams in Spacehog will be immortalized forever when a film based on the new LP (to be titled The Chinese Film) is produced through Michael Stipe's company Single Cell. Filming is slated for this July. In addition, Ant is to appear in the upcoming film Velvet Goldmine, a fictional account of the 1970s glam-rock scene, featuring Ewan McGregor as a wild rocker. Ant will be part of the back-up band the Flaming Creatures, which also features band members of Placebo and Dex Dexter.

You can't get any more glam than that.