IS there anything cooler than two white guys rapping about mathematics?
Probably. But that’s not going to stop nerdcore MC’s Luis Knight and Simon O’Rourke from doing what they love.
Krambach lad Simon and Elands-raised Luis are the main components of Newcastle-based hip-hop comedy act, Spandex Moose.
Potty-mouthed and quick witted, these former Wingham High School students are fast making a name for themselves thanks to a potent brew of on-stage charisma, snugly-fitting morph suits and a healthy dose of self deprecation.
Luis and Simon (AKA Eloquent and Happi MC) are studying visual communication courses at TAFE and Newcastle University.
The 20-year-olds began their journey on the road to MC superstardom as year 11 students at Wingham High.
“We started mucking around with (songwriting) in our free periods,” Luis said. “We’d just be talking about things we liked, stuff we thought was funny.
“The inspiration came from anything really. Sometimes brainstorm ideas for songs, or just mould together a lot of little ideas.”
The fruits of Spandex Moose’s early efforts can be found on their debut EP, Math Unit.
The title track ‘Math Unit’ gives the listener a fair dose of what the band is about.
The only Tan that I got is related to maths, the only Sin that I do don’t provoke god’s wrath,
‘Cos I spin these rhymes for my maths crew boys, Yo Pythagoras, make some noise!
Luis and Simon admit neither of them are musical geniuses.
“But we do have a knowledge of music programs,” Luis said.
“We use a computer program called Fruity Loops to make our beats. Both of us can play a bit of music too. Just enough to get us by.”
Both boys are adept at creating visual media and videos, a skill that often goes hand in hand with their Spandex Moose projects.
They have filmed live performances of themselves and also made a mini documentary on the making of their first album. (They’ve also created film clip parodies of Aussie pop-rockers The Veronicas, but that’s another story)
By the end of year 12 in 2008, Spandex Moose had begun to secure public performances in Gloucester and Wingham, usually at school-based events.
These early gigs would involve both boys rapping over the top of backing tracks played through their laptop.
The pair relocated to Newcastle at the start of 2009 to undertake courses in visual communications and design.
The Spandex Moose project flourished in the new surroundings, culminating in the release of the band’s second EP ‘Terror-fying Skillz’ in December that year.
“(Terror-fying Skillz) is significantly better in production quality then our first album,” Luis said. “But it still sounds not at all that great. It’s pretty fun though.”
Spandex Moose reached arguably their highest point this month when they placed third in the Newcastle University band competition. Simon and Luis recruited Wingham High classmate Isaac Gibson to play drums for their run, as well as friend Tom Lutherburrow on bass.
“(Drums and bass) added a bit to the live show,” Luis said. “But don’t worry, we still had the laptop going.”
Another exciting development is the imminent release of their third album.
Honed through months of brainstorming and gigging, surely this latest offering will showcase a band that has reached a respectable level of musical maturity?
“Well, there’s a song about how we both think (Nintendo character) Princess Peach is hot,” Luis said, “And another one called the Harry Potter Sex Rap.
“It’s going to be a good listen.”
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