Legendary indie-rock band Spoon, from Austin, Texas, has spent more than two decades bubbling just under the mainstream while constantly reinventing its sound. The group brought its Hot Thoughts tour to Mobile’s Soul Kitchen Music Hall on April 27, with support from Tennis and an 8 p.m. start.
The show was possibly Spoon’s closest approach to Mobile outside its New Orleans dates, part of a Southeastern run that also hit Oxford, Miss., Baton Rouge, Athens, and Knoxville, plus Sloss Music & Arts Festival in Birmingham, Ala.
On the new record
We spoke with bassist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist Rob Pope, who joined before the band’s album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. He described the run as the band’s first proper tour behind Hot Thoughts after months of promo, SXSW, and television appearances.
“We didn’t really talk about a big global goal other than the band always sets out to make consistently good records… and also to make sure we are not repeating ourselves,” Pope said.
Stage sizes and takeaways
Pope said the band prefers intimate rooms where “ceilings and walls contain our sound a little bit,” letting them control every element. He looked forward to “pummel[ing] the audience” with the tough new songs and returning to the Alabama road.
For Mobile listeners who may know Spoon from “The Underdog,” “I Turn My Camera On,” or “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb,” the Soul Kitchen date was a rare chance to see a national act in a home-city room.