When you have as big a celebrity fan as Stephen King, you must be doing something right! The three-piece from Finley, New South Wales, Australia, often jump genres from disco-pop (Stevie, Calypso) to mutant dance (Arse Huggin' Pants) - in the course of a single album, no less. And yet, they still manage to rock like mofos (Shazam!, Outta My Head, and - of course - their cover of Black Betty).
The three band members Mark Maher or "Kram" (drums and vocals), Damien Whitty or "Whitt" on guitar and Janet English on bass/vocals come from the small town Finley in southern New South Wales where they jammed together in their youth.
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! following in 1992. The band's first album Shashavaglava was released in 1992. 'Shashavaglava' means 'dickhead' in Croatian. This album featured the songs Old Man Sam and a cover of English comedians The Goodies' song Run.
Spiderbait signed with Polydor Records and released their first album with the new label, their second album overall, named The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake in 1995. The album reached #14 on the Australian charts 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.
Their third album Ivy and the Big Apples was released in 1996, reached #3 and sold over 180,000 copies in Australia. Their first single Buy Me a Pony received extensive airplay on Triple J resulting in listeners voting it as their favourite song of the year. The second single Calypso also achieved commercial airplay, and reached #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. The Hot Rollers only album (self-titled) was released through Polydor.
Spiderbait returned together in 1999 with the album Grand Slam which also debuted at #10 on the Australian album charts.
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. The album was recorded in Whitt's living room.
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 #1 after 10 weeks in the singles chart in May 2004 (after debuting at #12), and stayed there for three weeks, becoming their biggest selling single ever. The film clip featured a hot rod similar to the car on the ZZ Top Eliminator. The song also made the soundtrack to the Electronic Arts video game Need for Speed: Underground 2. Tonight Alright was released on 28 March 2004, and debuted and peaked at #14. The second single Fucken Awesome debuted in the top 30 on June 28 2004. Interscope Records signed the band in 2004 to distribute Tonight Alright in the US and UK.
At the 2004 ARIA awards, Kram performed as part of the supergroup The Wrights, featuring members of many other Australian rock bands.
In September 2005 they released a Greatest Hits collection to reveal their back catalogue to younger fans who were caught up by Black Betty. This debuted at #6 and received a Gold Accreditation.
The band went on hiatus March 2005 after bassist Janet English gave birth to her daughter and planned a cycling tour across Europe. More recently Kram had announced plans of a solo album to be released sometime in 2006. 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.
The band recorded a cover of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" as the main theme for the film Ghost Rider (2007), starring Nicolas Cage. A small excerpt is played during the film, and then in its entirety as the first song when the credits roll. The band's song "Glokenpop" is featured in the 2009 game LittleBigPlanet for the PlayStation Portable. Kram released his debut solo album, Mix Tape, in March 2009. In 2010, Magnapop's album Chase Park featured a cover of Spiderbait's song "Jesus" from The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake. In December of that year, they supported Guns N' Roses at a Sydney gig. The band recorded a cover of "Rock-a-Bye Your Bear" for the compilation ReWiggled - A Tribute to the Wiggles.[41]
2013–present: End of hiatus and self-titled album
In an interview with Triple J in February 2013, Kram announced that Spiderbait were in the studio, working on their first album in seven years, saying "We're doing a new record and we're about halfway through. We're just writing demos at the moment and it's coming along well. We're back in our Motorhead and Metallica metal phase—I'm all double kick at the moment."
The self-titled album, Spiderbait, was released on 15 November 2013. The band played a gig on the same day, for the opening night of the Jam Gallery, a new music venue in Bondi Junction.
On 11 March 2022, the band released "My Car's a A UFO", their first new song in nine years. The song was initially recorded for their fifth album, The Flight of Wally Funk and is the lead single from the band's third compilation album, 'Sounds in the Key of J, scheduled for released on 8 April 2022.
Studio Discography
Shashavaglava (1993)
The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake (1995)
Ivy and the Big Apples (1996)
Grand Slam (1999)
The Flight of Wally Funk (2001)
Tonight Alright (2004)
Spiderbait (2013)
A.D.D
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A gymnast on pseudoephedrine
I'm gonna make a mess gonna cause a scene
They're gonna have to hook me up to their machine
A detonated bomb with PMT
A blood sugar insulin deficiency
An overdose on hyperactivity
Hyped to the hilt on red colouring
Give me what I'm after
I don't wanna stop
Give me what I'm after
Right now, right now
I'm flying round the room like a honey bee
you better not try to keep up with me
A hyper seizure multi-personality a social experimernt in chemistry
I'm bulgin at the eyes with preservatives
I'm scratching at the door for additives
Open up the drawer get the ridalin and ADD supervitamins
Give me what I'm after
I don't wanna stop
Give me what I'm after
Right now, right now
I gotta get what I want
I gotta get what I want yeah
I gotta get what I want
I gotta get what I want and start again
The lyrics of Spiderbait's song A.D.D describe the feeling of hyperactivity and restlessness in someone's body and mind. The singer compares themselves to a jumping bean and a gymnast on pseudoephedrine, indicating that they feel like they have a lot of energy and can't sit still. The singer also expresses a desire to cause a scene, implying a need for attention.
The lyrics then turn to describing physical sensations such as PMT, insulin deficiency, and an overdose of hyperactivity. These lines suggest a feeling of being out of control, as if the singer's body is reacting in extreme ways. The singer also mentions being hyped up on red coloring, which could be a reference to eating too much candy or drinking too many energy drinks.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Give me what I'm after" several times, indicating a sense of urgency and a need for immediate satisfaction. The singer wants to keep going and doesn't want to stop, suggesting a fear of losing momentum or missing out on something.
Overall, the lyrics of A.D.D reflect a chaotic and hyperactive state of mind, and convey a sense of urgency and restlessness.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm bouncing round like a jumping bean
I'm moving around erratically, unable to stay still or focused on any particular thing.
A gymnast on pseudoephedrine
I'm feeling physically energized, similar to an athlete on a performance-enhancing drug.
I'm gonna make a mess gonna cause a scene
I feel reckless and uncontrolled, likely to cause disruption or trouble.
They're gonna have to hook me up to their machine
I'm so out of control that the only way to calm me down might be through some kind of intervention or medical treatment.
A detonated bomb with PMT
I'm feeling explosively angry or agitated, potentially due to premenstrual tension.
A blood sugar insulin deficiency
My body is experiencing low blood sugar levels or an inability to properly manage insulin, leading to physical symptoms like shakiness or confusion.
An overdose on hyperactivity
I feel like my hyperactivity levels are too high, potentially causing physical or mental discomfort.
Hyped to the hilt on red colouring
I'm feeling overstimulated or energized by something, potentially a food or drink that contains a lot of red dye.
Give me what I'm after
I'm demanding that I receive something I want or need without delay.
I don't wanna stop
I feel like I can't slow down or pause, even if I wanted to.
I'm flying round the room like a honey bee
I'm moving quickly and chaotically, similar to the flight pattern of a bee.
you better not try to keep up with me
I'm moving too quickly or unpredictably for anyone to safely or effectively follow me.
A hyper seizure multi-personality a social experimernt in chemistry
I'm experiencing intense and unpredictable mood swings, similar to a seizure, and my behavior or personality may be changing in a way that affects those around me. My body feels like it's responding to different chemical substances or imbalances.
I'm bulgin at the eyes with preservatives
I feel like my eyes are swelling or popping out of my head due to an ingestion of food or drink with a high level of preservatives.
I'm scratching at the door for additives
I feel a desperate urge to consume something, potentially a food or drink additive, that I believe will satisfy me.
Open up the drawer get the ridalin and ADD supervitamins
I'm asking someone to give me medication or supplements that will help me manage my ADD symptoms and focus better.
I gotta get what I want
I'm feeling desperate to obtain something I desire or need, and I'll take whatever steps necessary to make that happen.
I gotta get what I want yeah
I'm emphasizing the urgency and importance of obtaining what I'm seeking.
I gotta get what I want and start again
I'm driven to achieve a particular goal or outcome, and I believe that obtaining what I desire will allow me to begin something new or different.
Contributed by Riley M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.