Spiderbait

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Spiderbait
Spiderbait playing at the 2008 Australia Day concert in Parramatta.
Spiderbait playing at the 2008 Australia Day concert in Parramatta.
Background information
OriginFinley, New South Wales, Australia
GenresAlternative rock
Hard rock
Electronica
Hardcore punk (early)
Years active1989–present
LabelsAu-Go-Go
Polydor
Interscope
MembersJanet English
Kram
Damian Whitty
Websitespiderbait.com.au

Spiderbait are an Australian rock band formed in Finley, New South Wales in 1989 by singer-drummer Mark Maher (better known as Kram), guitarist Damian Whitty, and bass guitarist Janet English. The group is best known for their version of the song "Black Betty" which reached number one on the ARIA charts in 2004.[1][2]

History

Early years

The three band members, singer-drummer Mark Maher (better known as Kram), Damian Whitty or "Whitt" (guitar), and Janet English (bass/vocals) come from the small town Finley in southern New South Wales where they jammed together in their youth.[citation needed]

The band moved to Melbourne, Australia where Kram was studying at the Victorian College of the Arts School of Music. The band played its first gig at a loungeroom for a friend's party. The band soon became part of Melbourne's punk scene playing gigs at venues like the Tote Hotel in Collingwood, Victoria. They released their first single Circle K on Au-Go-Go Records with an EP titled P'tang Yang Kipper Bang Uh! (named after a Michael Apted movie) following in 1992. The band's first album, Shashavaglava, was released in 1992. "Shashavaglava" means 'crazy head' in Serbian.[citation needed] This album featured the songs "Old Man Sam" and a cover of English comedians The Goodies' song "Run".

Major label signing

Spiderbait were signed to Polydor Records by Craig Kamber—who also worked with acts such as Powderfinger and Underground Lovers—and released their first album with the new label, The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake, in 1995. The album reached number 14 on the Australian charts,[citation needed] with singles "Monty" and "Jesus" receiving extensive airplay on Triple J. The album title refers to an unfinished project by the Finley Rotary Club, which became a venue for teenage drinking in their home town.[citation needed]

Their third album, Ivy and the Big Apples, was released in 1996 and reached number 3, and sold over 180,000 copies in Australia.[citation needed] Their first single "Buy Me a Pony" received extensive airplay on Triple J resulting in listeners voting it as their favourite song in the Hottest 100 of 1998. The second single, "Calypso", also achieved commercial airplay, and reached number 13 in the Australian singles charts in 1997.

In 1998, Janet English and her then-boyfriend Quan Yeomans (of Regurgitator) recorded an album as Happyland. Around the same time, Kram and Richie Lewis of Tumbleweed released their own side-project, The Hot Rollers – so named as both member's mothers were hairdressers.[citation needed] The Hot Rollers' only album (self-titled) was released through Polydor.

Spiderbait returned together in 1999 with the album Grand Slam, which debuted at number 10 on the Australian album charts. One song from the album, "Shazam!", was featured in the an episode of Sex and the City entitled "The Real Me" as part of a fashion show scene. It would later be used in 2009 in promotional advertising for the A-League.

Despite good airplay for the Grand Slam singles "Shazam!" and "Stevie", their 2001 album The Flight of Wally Funk was a commercial flop, only selling 20,000 copies.[citation needed] The album was recorded in Whitt's living room.[citation needed]

Spiderbait recorded the Tonight Alright album in Los Angeles with producer Sylvia Massy, who had worked with acts such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Tool, System of a Down, and Skunk Anansie. The first single, "Black Betty", was a cover version of the old Leadbelly song which became a hit in 1977 when covered by Ram Jam. The single reached number 1 after 10 weeks in the singles chart in May 2004 (after debuting at number 12), and stayed there for three weeks, becoming their biggest selling single ever.[citation needed] The film clip featured a hot rod similar to the car on the cover of the ZZ Top album Eliminator. The song also made the soundtrack to the Electronic Arts video games Need for Speed: Underground 2 and Need for Speed: Underground Rivals for the PSP. Tonight Alright was released on 28 March 2004 and debuted and peaked at number 14. The second single, "Fucken Awesome", debuted in the top 30 on 28 June 2004.[citation needed] Interscope Records signed the band in 2004 to distribute Tonight Alright in the US and UK.[citation needed]

At the 2004 ARIA awards, Kram performed as part of the supergroup The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian rock bands.[citation needed]

In September 2005 they released a greatest hits album title Greatest Hits. The band decided to put out the compilation after discovering newer fans weren't even aware of Spiderbait before "Black Betty". The album debuted at number 6 on the ARIA charts and received a 2x Platinum Accreditation.[citation needed]

The band went on hiatus March 2005 after bassist Janet English gave birth to her daughter and planned a cycling tour across Europe.[citation needed] Kram announced plans for a solo album to be released sometime in the next year.[citation needed]

On 9 October 2005, Spiderbait performed at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, as part of the Coca-Cola Live'n'Local Tour '05 that toured Australia and New Zealand.[citation needed]

On 18 November 2006, the band performed at the Queensland Council of Unions organised Rock the Vote! concert in Brisbane after a nine month hiatus from touring.[citation needed]

The band recorded a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" as the main theme for the film Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage. A small excerpt is played during the film, and it is played in its entirety as the first song when the credits roll.

The band's song "Glokenpop" is featured in the first Australian-themed level of the 2009 game LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation Portable.[citation needed]

Members

Discography

Albums

Main article: Spiderbait discography

Song appearances

Song appearances in the TV miniseries Underbelly

Several Spiderbait songs have been featured in the 2008 Australian TV miniseries Underbelly including:

  • "Black Betty" in the joint episodes "The Black Prince" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice"
  • "Four On The Floor" at the introduction of joint episodes "The Black Prince" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice".
  • "Shazam" in episode 12.
  • "Fucken Awesome".

References

  1. ^ "Spiderbait - Black Betty". australiancharts.com.
  2. ^ "Spiderbait Black Betty @ Top40-Charts.com". top40-charts.com.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spiderbait&oldid=447363562"