In the 17 years since its auspicious start, plenty has happened to Spacehog—some of it not so great. And still, the group’s new release, As It Is On Earth (Hog Space), carries on almost as if there were no gaping 12 years of dead air since the 2001 release of the band’s last album, The Hogyssey. As It Is On Earth displays none of the derivative Bowie/T.Rex laziness of its predecessor, while harnessing manageable doses of the antsy experimental energy that fueled Resident Alien’s expansive 1998 follow-up, The Chinese Album. Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on the band.
Royston Langdon: London has come a long way since my early days as a rogue teenager wandering the west end. One of the few places that has stood the test of time is this coffee house. There really is nowhere like it, even in Italy. The cappuccinos are great, though it pales into insignificance at the people-watching that it affords. Now, Soho has sadly been predominantly pedestrianized, giving it a different flow. Nevertheless, this buzz joint on Fifth Street seems to have been preserved in its own vortex time beyond time. The video jukebox playing video after video, hits from the ’80s era without end. It’s one of the few original 24-hour places in London. I always seem to bump into to someone or other.
Video after the jump.
