Artist: Spiderbait
Venue: The Forum, Melbourne
Date: 9th November 2019
Reviewer: Leanne Haselgrove
Photographer: Sebastian Marino Photography

Saturday November 9th 2019 in Melbourne on a cold November night at the Iconic FORUM, SPIDERBAIT were set to perform all of their singles, played in chronological order, from a career that spans 3 decades.

SPIDERBAIT is a 3 piece alternative rock band, whose genres also include, hard rock, post grunge, electronica and hard-core punk, originally formed in the small town of Finley NSW in 1991, includes KRAM, (Mark Maher), drummer and lead vocalist, JANET ENGLISH, bass and lead vocals and DAMIAN WHITTY guitarist. They have won two ARIA music awards, ‘Best Alternative Release’, 1997 for Ivy And The Big Apples. The second being for ‘Best Cover Art’ for the single Glokenpop. In 2004 the band took a short hiatus, returning in 2013 to release their first studio album SPIDERBAIT.
First to grace the magnificent stage were 3 piece all girl outfit MOODY BEACHES. With a nice mixture of subtle tones and in your face rock, the girls kept the early punters entertained with a solid set. The Melbourne trio have released one EP titled Weird Friends

MADDY JANE followed next blending her soothing voice with a great blend of pop rock original songs, the band played seamlessly with great interaction. Getting the crowd fully involved with an extremely impressive cover of THE FOUR NON BLONDE’S song WHAT’S UP. A big future awaits this quartet.

The scene was set after a quick shuffle of amps and drum kits and the full house was bursting at the seems in readiness of what the night had in stall.
It’s simple to see how the band have amassed such a strong following over the years with short sharp punchy songs.

From the moment they took the stage the crowd was full of energy and instantly bouncing along as the band launched into Circle K, their first released single from 1991’s seven track EP titled P’tang, Yang Kipper Bang. A super high energetic set ensued whilst belting out crowd favourites, Footy, I Gotta Know, Buy Me A Pony, Calypso, Glokenpop, Four On The Floor, Black Betty, Fucken Awesome and It’s Beautiful before closing out with an encore of Alex The Seal and Old Man Sam.

The relentless pounding of the drums ensured Kram took a few minutes to engage with the crowd and catch his breath on a few occasions and couldn’t hide his emotions at times. All in all an outstanding performance that shows after 3 decades together, the love, mutual respect and strong bond keeps this band thriving and will continue to please audiences well into the future.