Starting Something
As a couple of lads with a shared interest in music, friends and graffiti, Spit Syndicate have come a long way since their Sydney high school days.
With two albums and an ARIA nomination under their belt, they are currently on the road with hip hop megastars Cypress Hill. But one half of the dynamic duo, Jimmy Nice, says it's all part of the job.
"The shows are a little different to the shows we've been doing of late, just because it wasn't our own show and we haven't really played the support slot for a bit. It's humbling and it has a different vibe with the people not all being there to see you. Our job as a support act is to loosen everyone up and get a good vibe in the room, so everyone is loose by the time Cypress gets on."
After their first album, ‘Towards The Light’ earned them a stack of well-deserved praise from the Australian music industry, Jimmy and co-spitter Nick Lupi took a mini-hiatus before exploding back onto the scene with their second record, 'Exile'. Jimmy says 'Exile' moves on from the 'teenagey' sounds of their first release, instead focusing on notions of escape and travel, with a few love songs thrown in for good measure.
"The first time we were kind of feeling our way ‘round and this time it was all a lot easier. It was a more cohesive album. I guess you can put that down to us growing as songwriters and individuals. But also because we had Adit onboard. If you have a producer handling a good chunk of the beats there's going to be that common thread. I think that's what we missed out on the first album."
With a talent for mixing catchy melodies with rich textures and lyrical genius, Spit Syndicate have created opportunities to play alongside some of the world's biggest acts, including Xzibit and Ice Cube. But Jimmy says the night they supported Lupe Fiasco was the best of all.
"I think it's different when you're supporting someone you listen to everyday and go to for inspiration. That's no disrespect to acts like Xzibit, but more so Lupe has had an influence on our music so it meant a lot to be able to play our music before his. He's an amazing artist so it was an honour to share the space with him."
SPIT SYNDICATE WILL GET THE PARTY STARTED FOR CYPRESS HILL AT THE TIVOLI FRIDAY OCTOBER 1.
