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)
Riot
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Body two
Skin and bone
Me and you
All the heat
From the street
In a heap
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
You can go right out and buy it
Get away
Here to say
Gotta say
What a day
What a love
Make me cross
(Something)
Let me die
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
You can go right out and buy it
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
Take it out to see the riot
You can go right out and buy it
The lyrics to the song "Riot" by Spiderbait have a repetitive nature, which could indicate an attitude of chaos and rebellion. The first two lines, "Body one, Body two" suggest two people, possibly getting intimate because of the line following it, "Skin and bone, Me and you". But, the following stanza takes the meaning in a different direction, painting a picture of the aggressive, energetic, and violent nature of a riot through imagery, "All the heat, from the street, In a heap, get a seat". The juxtaposition of the lines, "Skin and bone, me and you" and "All the heat from the street in a heap, get a seat" creates a contrast between intimacy and the violence of a riot.
The chorus of the song, "Take it out to see the riot, You can go right out and buy it" could be interpreted in different ways. It could be suggestive of using media like movies to experience the sensation of upheaval and chaos or purchasing items related to the culture of riots, such as t-shirts or posters. This would reinforce the theme of rebellion and suggest an admiration for those who fight the status quo.
In the second verse, the lines "What a love make me cross, (Something), let me die" could indicate a tension in the relationship, with the love stirring negative emotions in the singer. Despite the tension, the singer still seems to be drawn to the violent energy, suggesting a rebellious attitude - "Take it out, Take it out". The final lines of the song, "Take it out to see the riot, You can go right out and buy it" are repeated several times, going from aggressive into a more controlled, authoritative voice, indicating that the repetition is a command.
Line by Line Meaning
Body one
Refers to the physical body of one of the individuals involved
Body two
Refers to the physical body of the other individual involved
Skin and bone
Describes the physical nature of the two bodies, and perhaps the lack of caring for them
Me and you
Refers to the two individuals who are experiencing the events in the song together
All the heat
Refers to the intensity of the moment or situation being experienced
From the street
Describes the origin of the aforementioned heat or intensity
In a heap
Suggests a metaphorical pile-up or a chaotic situation
Get a seat
Perhaps encouraging the listener to relax and enjoy the ride
Take it out to see the riot
Encourages the listener to observe and experience the chaos and mayhem they are witnessing
You can go right out and buy it
Adds a tongue-in-cheek element, implying that chaos and mayhem can be consumable and marketable
Get away
Suggests a desire to escape from the chaos and mayhem being witnessed
Here to say
Indicates the importance of the upcoming message or declaration
Gotta say
Emphasizes the urgency of the upcoming message or declaration
What a day
Perhaps reflecting on the absurdity or outrageousness of the events being observed
What a love
Sarcastic or ironic, commenting on the state of affairs or relationship between the two individuals involved
Make me cross
Refers to feeling angry, frustrated, or annoyed
(Something)
Ambiguous or perhaps intentionally left blank, could be referring to a specific event or situation
Let me die
Hyperbolic or figurative, expressing exasperation or a desire to escape the current situation
Take it out
Reiterating the call to experience or witness the chaos and mayhem
Take it out
Continued emphasis on the need to experience the events of the song
Take it out
Reinforcing the importance and urgency of the message
Take it out
Final reminder to experience and observe the chaos
Contributed by Annabelle P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.