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)
Sam Gribbles
Spiderbait Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So remember this time again
Out of breath - asphyxiation
Thought I'd choke down in the ocean
Now I'm busting up in my mind
So remember this place again
Trust my instincts now that I'm slow
Knowing I'm aware
Feeling all right
Now I gotta say
Touch me up I'll burn your house down
So remember this time again
Out of breath - asphyxiation
Thought I'd choke down in the ocean
Now I'm busting up in my mind
So remember this place again
Trust my instincts now that I'm slow
I forgot that there was time to go
The lyrics to Spiderbait's song Sam Gribbles are cryptic and open to interpretation. The opening line, "Touch me up I'll burn your house down," suggests a warning or a threat from the singer. The line could be interpreted as the singer warning the listener not to mess with them or it could signify the singer's explosive emotions that will lead to destructive outbursts if provoked. The chaotic and disjointed nature of the lyrics and the repetition of the phrase "so remember this time again" indicates that the singer is struggling to keep their thoughts and emotions in check. The lines "Out of breath - asphyxiation / Thought I'd choke down in the ocean" could be interpreted as the singer feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by the pressures of life, possibly to the point of contemplating suicide.
The second verse continues with the theme of mental instability and the struggle to navigate through life. The lines "Now I'm busting up in my mind / So remember this place again" suggest that the singer is experiencing a breakdown or a moment of crisis. The line "Trust my instincts now that I'm slow" could indicate the singer's realization that they need to trust their intuition and inner voice to navigate through life. The final line "I forgot that there was time to go" could refer to the singer's forgetfulness in keeping track of time or their realization that they need to make the most of the time they have left.
Line by Line Meaning
Touch me up I'll burn your house down
If you mess with me, I will cause destruction beyond your imagination
So remember this time again
This event has happened before, and it will happen again
Out of breath - asphyxiation
My breathing is restricted, and I feel like I'm suffocating
Thought I'd choke down in the ocean
Being overwhelmed by a situation that seems to have no escape, like drowning in the ocean
Now I'm busting up in my mind
I am mentally breaking down
So remember this place again
I have been in this situation before and it is causing me to remember past experiences
Trust my instincts now that I'm slow
I am relying on my natural instincts to guide me through this situation, even if I am moving slowly
I forgot that there was time to go
I lost track of time and let myself get caught up in the moment
Knowing I'm aware
I am conscious and present in the moment
Feeling all right
Despite the chaos, I am doing okay
Now I gotta say
It's time for me to speak up or take action
Contributed by Logan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rhysjones9347
Kram. Legend. Anyone that can play drums and sing over it has true talent. ☠️👌🤘
@MrRaymo88
These guys rock! I mean...they really rock.
@ManyColorsOfLight
Fav Spiderbait song of all-time ! Unique Aussie band!!
@martinvictoryx
Thanks for posting this. Spanish Galleon was my favourite Spiderbait album. I could never figure out what Kram was singing about.
@killerbunyip
Geez Spiderbait were great live in the old Ptang Yang days. First saw them at the Prince of Wales in Melbourne, then the Tiv in Adelaide...but my favourite was the front bar of the Holdy pub at Glenelg early 90s. No stage, I stood two feet from Kram swilling Coopers Sparkling Ale while he went mental on drums. Good times.
@zeronova77
I wish I could have seen Spiderbait & Nirvana at one show
@Kantankruz
Fave Aussie Band EVER. Can't wait till they get back together and start touring again.
@GavinSouthern
It was this video that got me hooked onto Spiderbait. Watching this on Recovery channel 2 (ABC) I now have every album
@fanshinchan1995
I hate how this band is so underrated
@charliepassarell8393
Do you have any idea where I can find their album shashavaglava??