Few bands embody the experimental edge and emotional heft of Spiritualized. Formed in the aftermath of Spacemen 3’s dissolution, Jason Pierce’s visionary project has become a benchmark of boundary-pushing rock. Thirty years on, their seminal album Pure Phase is being celebrated with a UK tour, giving audiences the chance to experience its dual-mix magic live.
Ahead of the tour, I spoke with Jason about revisiting this pivotal work, the philosophy of transcendence in music, and the enduring mystique of aged guitars and analogue soundscapes. What follows is a glimpse into the mind of one of British rock’s most thoughtful architects.
Harvey Solomon-Brady: Revisiting Pure Phase after 30 years, do you find yourself impressed by the younger version of yourself? Are there moments where you think, “How did I manage that?”
Jason Pierce: I don’t think I’ve ever had the ego for that. I’ve never rested on what’s gone before or thought, “I don’t need to work hard anymore.” Music has always been about working toward something, even if I don’t always think of myself as working hard. Performing the album live is a different thing. To make music like that again would be almost impossible. There’s a certain naivety and lack of experience, and even a kind of stupidity of youth, which is such an appealing quality in music. Rock and roll changes with age, whether you like it or not, and trying to revisit that is almost impossible.
HSB: Has revisiting it inspired you creatively now? Has it made you think about how those ideas might work in new music?
Jason Pierce: Playing the album live has lifted certain ideas back into focus, but revisiting Pure Phase as it was is strange. It was made with two completely separate mixes, done at different times. Some parts of the album are vocals or guitars that I redid because I wasn’t satisfied with the first mix. In the end, we chose to use both mixes, with one in the left speaker and one in the right. It creates this phasing effect, something extraordinary that doesn’t sound like anything else. When I’ve tried to use that same approach in new work, it doesn’t land the same way. It’s like it lived in that moment and made sense then. You can’t force those things, especially with how digital everything is now. Tape machines we used back then had tiny variations in speed, which added to the chaos, but with digital, things lock together too perfectly.
HSB: The way Pure Phase was made reminds me of Songs in A&E. Both albums seem to have two distinct parts – whether it’s the time between the mixes or the big life events you were dealing with. Do you think that’s something unique to how you work?
Jason Pierce: Maybe. The events are different, but time is where they overlap. My albums have always taken time. I’ve never been one to rush to meet a deadline or to capitalise on a moment. Record companies push for quick turnarounds, saying, “We need this now because next year it’ll be too late,” but I’ve always felt that if you’re going to do it, you’ve got to do it right. You only get one chance to make an album how it’s meant to be. If it isn’t finished properly, you can’t just go back later and fix it. It has to be as good as it can possibly be the first time.
HSB: Younger audiences are discovering Pure Phase digitally. Does performing it live now offer an opportunity to connect them with the album in a different way?
Jason Pierce: I don’t think the difference between digital and analogue is as big a deal as people make it out to be. People listened to records on mono speakers stacked on top of each other, and it didn’t stop them engaging with the music. It’s not about the perfection of the sound – it’s about the expression, the intent, the performance, and the song itself. The amazing thing about music is that it crosses generations and still makes sense. It’s not about whether it’s on vinyl or a CD. I’ve spent hours listening to Eddie Cochran, who’s way before my time, but it connects. That’s the magic of music.
HSB: Are there challenges in presenting Pure Phase live, given the way it was constructed in the studio?
Jason Pierce: There are. When the record came out, we couldn’t perform much of it live because of how heavily studio-based it was. For this tour, we’ve stayed true to what we do – we don’t play along to tapes or backing tracks. That means figuring out how to bring those songs to life on stage, which is a massive challenge. I thought this album would be easier to perform live than Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, but it’s not. If anything, it’s just as complex because when you play live, it has to be live. It spirals into something much bigger than you expect, but that’s a good thing. I’ve always said it’s better to fail at something impossible than to play it safe.
HSB: Does revisiting the album bring back specific memories from that time?
Jason Pierce: Not yet. I think because we haven’t fully started the process, it still exists as this perfect dream in my head. The memories will probably come once we’re in the thick of it.
HSB: A recurring theme in your music is transcendence. Do you find that your reading, philosophy, or even other art forms inform your work on that level?
Jason Pierce: I think so. I’ve always been drawn to the history and spirit embedded in things like old guitars and records. There’s a romance to them that connects you to tradition, like folk music. I have a 1928 guitar that feels like it carries its own story, almost like a library book with the names of previous borrowers written in it. That gives you confidence as a player, like you’re part of something bigger. It’s not mystical, but there’s definitely a sense of magic in old instruments or records. They feel like they’ve travelled through many hands, carrying pieces of their history with them. I don’t get the same feeling from modern replicas or reissues. There’s something about the imperfections and wear that makes them feel alive.
HSB: What’s the most rewarding kind of interaction you’ve had with a listener?
Jason Pierce: It’s when the experience I’m having as an artist lines up perfectly with what the audience is feeling. That’s rare, but when it happens, it’s magic. It’s not about ego, but there’s a selfishness to being an artist – if it doesn’t sound good where you are on stage, it falls short, even if the audience thinks it’s brilliant. The most rewarding moments are when those things collide. I remember playing a show where Suicide and James Williamson performed before us, and I thought, “How are we going to follow this?” But something extraordinary happened that night – the music felt like it was coming through the roof. When you and the audience meet on that level, it’s unforgettable.
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