MADE Journal: The Spikes on Style, Sound and Recreating ‘Sympathy for the Devil’

What happens when the way music looks becomes just as important as how it sounds?

”For me, the visual is almost as important as the music,” artist Iago Haussman says, referring to the distinctive 1970s aesthetic that has largely defined his young career. When it comes to style, the musician, who records and performs under the moniker The Spikes, understands that every fibre, fragment and fabric helps to weave a rich ideological tapestry. The clothes you wear tell a story of the kind of artist you are, and more often than not, they speak louder than words.

”Musicians are performers, much like actors in a play or film,” he tells me. ”The difference is that they are playing themselves, or a version of themselves, through their music. Whether on stage or off, they are representing a persona they want to project to the audience and the world. That persona becomes an extension of their music and their identity.”

In Iago’s case, both ripple with dark and moody undertones. The Spikes’ debut self-titled EP, which was released in 2025, portrays a confrontational, emotional and atmospheric ‘escapist sound’ that is clearly influenced by the British new wave. Tracks like ‘Garden Song’ and ‘Dancing (In the Palm of My Hand)’, with their haunting composition and restrained production, have a certain Nick Cave quality to them that feels deeply intentional. Even the cover artwork employs a stark monochromatic design, reminiscent of the early Birthday Party records.

Iago’s understanding of the visual element doesn’t come from nowhere. The Rome-born, Los Angeles-raised musician grew up on film sets and studios, the son of influential indie filmmaker Michael Haussman. A painter and sculptor in his spare time, Iago understands the crossover between genres. These visual mediums, he tells me, are a ”large part of his creative process”, acting as the sensory connection between sight and sound. And he isn’t alone in that thinking.

Music’s Influence on Fashion

For decades, musicians have been the arbiters of style. From Mick Jagger’s corduroy jackets and exaggerated collars to Nirvana’s flannel shirts and Converse, the two art forms have always gone hand in hand. Both powerful, symbiotic means of self-expression, music and fashion work in tandem to tell a complete story. Musicians use clothing to communicate their artistic message while fashion designers often look to musical movements for inspiration. The common thread that binds both is identity.

In the 1950s, Elvis Presley’s slicked-back hair and high-waisted trousers became a symbol of post-war America. Music fans found a renewed freedom in the laid-back design codes of his Jailhouse Rock and Kid Galahad outfits, which reinterpreted military, prison and utility wear for a bold new era. The Beatles’ matching suits in their early years offered a sort of return to uniformed accessibility that took a sharp, psychedelic turn at Sgt. Pepper; a stylistic choice that mirrored their musical output.

By the time punk emerged in the 1970s, the connection between music and fashion was undeniable. Vivienne Westwood and then-partner Malcolm McLaren’s King’s Road boutique SEX became the epicentre for both style and sound, introducing the world to torn fabrics, safety pins and DIY silhouettes, not to mention acts like The Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

That same pattern repeats decade after decade, and in Iago’s latest project, we see the process come full circle.

The musician, in collaboration with Italian eyewear house L.G.R., has recreated iconic French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard’s 1968 film Sympathy for the Devil. The influential avant-garde release, which charts the tumultuous recording of The Rolling Stones’ similarly-titled single, took viewers deep inside London’s Olympic Studios. Through long, uninterrupted shots, Godard created a uniquely voyeuristic perspective that starkly contrasted the music videos and documentaries of the time. In the luxury Italian sunglasses brand’s Spring/Summer 2026 campaign, The Spikes and L.G.R. capture that same dynamic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul8yIC5XmaY

Recreating ‘Sympathy for the Devil’

Entitled The Session, the cinematic project unfolds inside a recording studio in Rome, capturing the unpredictable moments where music comes to life. Rather than presenting a conventional studio performance, The Session embraces a more cinematic and observational perspective, echoing the wandering eye of Godard’s documentary style.

”The Godard film is something we’ve always referenced and admired, but never quite found the right way to use until now,” Iago tells me. ”What drew us to it wasn’t necessarily its place as a historic music or film moment, but the way it was shot. The camera doesn’t just sit on the singer or guitar player, Jagger and Richards, and glorify them. Instead, it moves away, drifting through the space, capturing people working, interacting, and existing around the music.”

”At times, it moves in the opposite direction, travelling through a workspace of people listening and going about their day before arriving at the source of the music, The Stones. It was that kind of movement and perspective that we wanted to channel in our own way.”

Read the full article: https://madejournalmag.com/culture/entertainment/the-spikes-sympathy-for-the-devil/