Spiderbait

Three piece thrash pop Spiderbait are one of Australia's most distinctive bands of the Nineties, a group that almost has to be seen live to appreciate their uniqueness. Drummer Mark Maher (or "Kram") is the group's main vocalist. His drums are never set up on a rise, but sit on an equal level with the other band members - bass player Janet English, who shares some of the lead vocals; and guitarist Damien Whity ("Whit"). From the very first sight of them they look different to any band you're likely to see. They also sound different to any band you're likely to hear.

All three band members hail from Finley, a small town with a population of about 2200 located in Southern New South Wales. Kram and Whit began jamming together at school before Kram enrolled in the Victorian College Of The Arts School Of Music in Melbourne, studying percussion and guitar. He also plays guitar, bass and a bit of keyboard. Kram quit the course in his third year in 1990 to form what became Spiderbait.

At that point Kram had the choice of either teaching Whit and Janet what he knew about music, or forgetting everything to learn from scratch with the other two. He chose the latter course. As a result, the group's music follows no traditional line, shifting easily from jazzy instrumentals to frantic distortion based rock/pop.

Their first performance was on the porch of a Finley farm, with only the cows for an audience. The first public gig was at a friend's party, playing 'Freak Scene' and an AC/DC cover. They didn't even have a name. Calling themselves the Candy Spuds there was another four song gig, in a shed in Finley to mark Kram and Whitt's 21st birthdays. After toying with Spidersaurus and Spiderbaby they settled on the name Spiderbait.

The group's early performances were rough and chaotic. Their first indie albums 1992's 'P'tangYangPipperBangUh!!' and 1993's 'Shashavaglava' (Yugoslavian for dickhead) were rollercoaster listening. By the time they picked up a major deal in 1995 Spiderbait had found their way to a richly adventurous and confident style. Rather than taking the traditional path to success, the group took the innovative step of fostering an audience by playing predominantly Under 18 gigs. It created a band/audience bond which they carried with them into their acceptance into the mainstream.

The first major label release, 'The Unfinished Galleon Of Finley Lake', brought Spiderbait a whole new audience. They were the Next Big Thing, and in some way Spiderbait were uncomfortable with that, because it changed the happy times they'd always had with that old audience that had grown with them. It was like their parties were being gatecrashed. But its something Spiderbait and their fans have had to learn to live with. They couldn't go back.

On record, each subsequent album has been a sophisticated leap forward, boasting more pop gems than the last. Both 'Ivy And The Big Apples' and 'Grand Slam' were national top ten albums. In 1998 Janet English formed a splinter group Happyland, with Quan Yeomans from Regurgitator. 2001's 'The Flight Of Wally Funk' was essentially recorded "at home" in Wally's livingroom.

On record, subsequent albums were sophisticated leaps forward, boasting more pop gems than the last. Both 'Ivy And The Big Apples' and 'Grand Slam' were national top ten albums. In 1998 Janet English formed a splinter group Happyland, with Quan Yeomans from Regurgitator.

With 2001's 'The Flight Of Wally Funk' Spiderbait began a process to get back to the group's essence, armed with all the experience and skills evolved over the years. 'Wally Funk' was essentially recorded "at home" in Whit's livingroom. 2004's 'Tonight Alright' saw the band set up in a California studio and basically record the album live. The album included the band's first official cover version, recorded from memory - Ram Jam's rendition of Leadbelly's 'Black Betty'. In May 2004 'Black Betty' became Spiderbait's first national No.1 single..