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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..
After
extensively touring behind 'Tonight Tonight', which was released both in
the US and UK Spiderbait went into hiatus to concentrate on solo projects
and lives, releasing a 'Greatest Hits' album in September 2005 and making
the occasional performance together when it suited them. When Kram was in
New York in May 2008 working on a solo album Janet was concentrating on
illustrations for a kids TV series while Whitt was collaborating with
Melbourne techno musician Christopher Coe. Kram's 'Mix Tape' album was
released in March 2009. In December 2010 they couldn’t resist the offer of
opening for Guns N’Roses in Sydney.
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