The Lucksmiths
Spring A Leak
Lost and Lonesome Recordings


The Lucksmiths sometimes get an unfair rap. The smug and smarmy lyrics they come up with are too clever for their own good and sometimes they get accused of just re-writing two songs (the fast one and the slow one), but that is overstating the case against them. 'Spring A Leak' does a fair job of answering these criticisms just by collating their b-sides, covers, rarities and live recordings. This double album contains 45 songs (so at the very least it's great value), but despite some of these songs being resurrected from old DATs and cassette tapes the patchy recording values detract little from this release.

Rarities like Are You Having A Good Time? (recorded in '95) display a youthful Lucksmiths wit channelled into an acid tongued attack onto middle-of-the-road radio stations and rock bands. The big name covers, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (The Smiths) and I Started A Joke (Bee Gees) are given the royal Lucksmiths treatment and breath new life into golden songs.

Some tracks include their musical friends of old (some of whom have gone on to outshine the Lucksmiths) like Kellie Sutherland (Architecture In Helsinki) and Darren Hanlon who appear on Synchronised Sinking. The vocals and mix from the live recording of Camera-Shy are a little rough, but the energy and cleverness of the song carry it through. Possibly the most surprising aspect of 'Spring A Leak' is that although it contains a host of b-sides, there are few flat spots throughout this release.

Let's be honest, The Lucksmiths did not release this album expecting to gather a heap of new fans, but 'Spring A Leak' is for more than just completists; this album can be enjoyed by anyone with a passing interest in the Lucksmiths.

Scott Berry