Beloved Australian rock trio Spiderbait are set to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sixth album, Tonight Alright (and its runaway hit “Black Betty”) with a 10-date national tour between August and October.
Tonight Alright was released during an interesting juncture in Spiderbait’s history.
Formed in their hometown of Finley in 1989 and solidified in Melbourne during the early ‘90s with the evergreen lineup of Kram (vocals/drums), Janet English (vocals/Bass) and Whitt (guitar), Spiderbait were part of the new guard of Australian rock ’n’ roll in the middle of the decade, powering along with the likes of You Am I, Regurgitator, Grinspoon, The Cruel Sea, The Superjesus, Silverchair, and Jebediah. That all these bands still release music and tour to this day says something of the strength and quality of the Australian scene at the time.
Spiderbait’s third album, Ivy & the Big Apples, soared to #3 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart with sales at the time of 170,000 (it has since gone double platinum). They became a non-stop touring and recording machine, but the success of Ivy was so massive that their following albums, Grand Slam (1999) and The Flight Of Wally Funk, could only trail behind with sales of 80,000 and 20,000 respectively.
Bear in mind that these days such physical sales figures could only be dreamt about by Australian bands, but the commercial reality of the time seemed to be that Spiderbait were failing to connect with their audience.
“It’s a drag,” Kram told The Age in 2004 upon the release of Tonight Alright. “The good thing about having a few records that don’t do as well as you want is that after you get through that disappointment, you move on and you stop worrying about that shit. When something good does happen you appreciate it again.”
It’s an attitude that saw the trio reconvene in Melbourne after a few years living on different parts of the East Coast. They were able to work together intimately as they had done in the early days, and the loops, keyboards, and more epic production values of the previous two albums made way for the more straight-up guitar, bass, and drums focus that had propelled them into our hearts in the first place.
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With impressive demos to work from, Tonight Alright was recorded in late 2003 in the small Californian city of Weed (current population approximately 2,800) with producer Sylvia Massy in her studio – a converted 1920s movie theatre near a convenience store with a neon sign that reassuringly stated its ’24 Hour Ammo & Liquor’ status. Massy had worked as an engineer for Prince and Tool and also has credits with Aerosmith, Seal, Skunk Anansie, Ryuchi Sakamoto and more.
To paraphrase Kram from that 20-year-old interview, something good did indeed happen. Tonight Alright was considered a comeback album, peaking at #14 on the ARIA Albums Chart and going Gold in the process.
A huge part of that success came from “Black Betty”, a traditional African American work song recorded by Leadbelly in the 1930s, then covered by US one hit wonders Ram Jam in 1977. Spiderbait’s take echoes Ram Jam’s rockin’ version but with an energy that leaves it in the dust. The single captured the national imagination, reaching #1 on the ARIA Singles Chart in May 2004 and #32 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock Tracks chart later that year.
“Black Betty” has since attained double platinum status in Australia, with 100 million streams on Spotify and 75 million views on YouTube, so it’s a 20-year anniversary that is indeed worth celebrating.
As well as the tour, Spiderbait will issue the album on limited edition red vinyl on July 26th with updated artwork and an alternate version of the single, “Tonite”.
Spiderbait 2024 Australian Tour
Presented by Frontier Touring & New World Artists
Tuesday, August 13th
With special guests Polish Club
The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane, QLD (Lic. All Ages)
ticketmaster.com.au
Friday, August 16th
With special guests Polish Club
Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, SA (18+)
moshtix.com.au
Saturday, August 17th
With special guests Polish Club
Odeon Theatre, Hobart, TAS (Lic. All Ages)
moshtix.com.au
Friday, August 30th
With special guests Polish Club
Bar On The Hill, Newcastle, NSW (Lic. All Ages)
oztix.com.au
Saturday, August 31st
With special guests Polish Club
Waves, Wollongong, NSW (18+)
moshtix.com.au
Saturday, September 14th (SOLD OUT)
With special guest Abbe May
The Astor Theatre, Perth, WA (Lic. All Ages)
ticketek.com.au
Sunday, September 15th
With special guest Abbe May
The Astor Theatre | Perth, WA (Lic. All Ages)
ticketek.com.au
Thursday, September 19th (NEW SHOW)
With special guests Private Function
The Forum, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
ticketek.com.au
Friday, September 20th (SOLD OUT)
With special guests Private Function
Forum, Melbourne, VIC (18+)
ticketek.com.au
Saturday, September 21st
With special guests Polish Club
Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW (Lic. All Ages)
ticketek.com.au
Sunday, October 22nd
With special guest Adalita
Miami Marketta Laneway, Gold Coast, QLD (Lic. All Ages)
oztix.com.au
Friday, October 25th
With special guest Adalita
UC Refectory, Canberra, ACT (Lic. All Ages)
moshtix.com.au
