Australia’s alternative music scene would be unrecognisable without the grandeur of Spiderbait’s musical eclecticism. Grunge, alternative metal, power pop—you name it, they’ve done it all so effortlessly. The trio of Janet, Kram and Whitt formed in the small town of Finley, New South Wales back in the dawn of the ‘90s and have amassed both an immense following and prolific catalogue that any artist would beg to have. They’re doing the rounds once more with their latest Australia tour celebrating their seminal 2004 record Tonight Alright, home to their ever popular hard rock reimagining of Lead Belly’s ‘Black Betty’, which attests to their unflinching acclaim on the national rock landscape. Eternally uncompromising, Spiderbait’s enduring appreciation is wholeheartedly deserved.
Their tremendous show at the elegant Forum Theatre was a superb place to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, their greatest hits and Australian rock as a whole. Opening for the alt-rock vanguards were a slew of homegrown bands each with similar impassioned, spirited energy as them: Electric Stardust, The Vovos and Private Function. We were in an unending night of punchy rock songs, that’s for sure. First of the lot was the Electric Stardust trio, three young lads hailing from Geelong who played a few propulsive punk songs—they’re as charming as that description. It was endearing watching such young talent grace the Forum stage with their crunchy guitars and chanty sing-songy delivery. With their hearts so very on fire, racking up hype for the following acts and continually thanking Spiderbait, they’re a group who is going to get far. Swiftly following them was the all-female quintet The Vovos, responsible for indie pop-laden punk songs about things like friendship, unrequited love and even annoying shit that happened during high school. Simply put, they nurture a safe space and have fun on stage with an alluring punk attitude—their ruminative songs, animated stage presence especially from lead vocalist Ada Duffy and glammed up outfits among their cacophony of powering guitar feedback are owed to said notions. The standout was the Western-influenced closing track with Lu Galante taking over vocals, a prolonged harmonica solo and their friend Shelby joining them in cowgirl attire to properly play the part.
The last of the openers was Private Function, who deserve a paragraph of their own for their rocket-fuelled chaos. If the other acts had good musicality going for them, then leaving an impression with their hectic and surreal performance is what Private Function have down pat. They’ve already made waves with piss-filled vinyl records and beholding the world’s first winnable scratch-to-win record sleeve, speaking volumes to their hilarity. To see their antics unfold in a venue as dignified and sanitised as the Forum was nothing short of hilarious. Frontman Chris Penney’s frenzied, drunken trotting was unlike anything else concertgoers saw that night. Instead of passing it normally, bassist Milla Holland would throw her red bass across the stage that would miraculously land in Penney’s palm. On a couple songs, Holland steered the band into screamo with her rapturous growls. Drummer Aidan McDonald laid down vocal duties for a spoken word, country-esque ditty about the NSW town of Holbrook. The band also teased the audience with second-long songs only accompanied by the words “shit” and “fuck”. All of that reads like a non sequitur list of events, I know, but it’s a real glimpse of the captivatingly unhinged Private Function experience.
Finally, out came the star-studded alt-rockers that we’d all been waiting for. The thing is, if an ordinary passerby saw them on the street, I don’t think they’d bat an eye—Spiderbait are just a group of ordinary Aussies, but they have such a diverse and colourful discography under their belt. You’d never have any idea that they’re rock stars or anything of the sort without knowing about them beforehand. That’s why Spiderbait is so interesting to me. There’s their big singles like the ‘Black Betty’ cover (of which opened the show in an acoustic rendition with Kram’s powerful vocals, then closed it with full electric instrumentation), the Triple J Hottest 100’s first chart topper from an Australian artist ‘Buy Me a Pony’ (excitingly played twice with Janet then Kram on drums) and the Janet vocal-led, unsuspectingly pounding ‘Calypso’. Then, there’s their more obscure cuts that show the impressive breadth of their musicianship. ‘Straight Through the Sun’ from their 2013 self-titled record established the entrancing soundstage, where Kram’s habitual, almost-proggy percussion, Janet’s deep bass and Whitt’s noisy guitar lines could all be felt at the pits of your stomach. Their grungier material from their 1996 breakthrough Ivy and the Big Apples such as ‘Chest Hair’ and ‘Hot Water and Milk’ had much more breathing room than their scratchy studio counterparts. The more twee, power pop ‘Outta My Head’ soared loftily with Janet’s impressively lively voice. Something more surprising was Kram bringing out his daughter to play cello on ‘By the Time I Get to Howlong’, a heartwarming display of bonding over music and another marked stretching of Spiderbait’s musical muscles. Above all was the bittersweet rendition of ‘Tonite’, also from Tonight Alright but unjustly overshadowed by the towering success of ‘Black Betty’. Among all the shouty, steamrolling hard rock and loudness, here’s this precious outlier that stood out in the setlist: A longing romantic ballad with a pensive indie rock sensibility, with Janet and Kram sharing vocals. It’s pop rock of the highest soul-soothing calibre—I’m so glad I got to hear it in person. For any completionists, the gorgeous, gentler Janet-led version of ‘Tonite’ appears on the new limited vinyl reissue of Tonight Alright.
Spiderbait’s massive two-and-a-half hour show spanned across their entire career and none of it sounds dated, honestly! Their music continues to strike a chord with everyone—every opener was pinching themselves that Spiderbait lent them a chance to do their thing on one of Melbourne’s most prestigious stages. It’s appropriate that the band opened their encore with the noisy and rackety jam ‘Circle K’, dedicating it to up-and-coming bands (particularly Electric Stardust) because they know what it’s like to come from kicking and screaming from nothing, then making it big. Now, as foundational pillars of the nation’s rock scene, they’re passing the torch to the next generation. That appreciation was a spectacle to witness—and it’s so fucken awesome that our country has a band like Spiderbait to proudly call our own.
Spiderbait performed as part of their Black Betty 20th Anniversary Tour from 13 August to 25 October 2024. You can keep up to date with all things Spiderbait over on their website.
Photography Credit: Ian Laidlaw