by Nancy Chang
Daily Lobo
Spiderbait, an Australian band that sprouted out of the little town of Finley, New South Wales, is enjoying the success of their latest CD, Tonight Alright.
The trio began playing together 15 years ago in the barns and backyards of Australia for the attentive ears of cattle. Now Spiderbait has the attention of a much more responsive audience.
The band's music is a combination of punk and metal, but members lend it their own original flare, adding personality to their sound.
Tonight Alright is the band's sixth CD and subtle changes to the group's head-bobbing sound are noticeable. It's cleaner with less use of drum machines and more guitar, tied together with the three chords that made Green Day famous.
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The group is composed of three members. Kram is the man that executes vocals and drums. Janet is responsible for the female vocals and bass, while Whitt works the guitar, sampler and vocals as well.
Together they have created a CD full of weird, spiky songs that are and fun in a satisfying way. They have carefully generated a balance using the vocals of both the males and female. The result is a 36-minute CD with a sense of unity.
Tonight Alright is packed with high energy, pumped-up jams that could serve as a morning cup of coffee or a catalyst for moshing.
Spiderbait began to rise when the group moved out of the barnyard to Melbourne and was introduced to the punk scene, playing at parties and booking gigs in inner city pubs. Their fan base began to grow and record labels took notice.
Now members are making music on their own terms, and the people of the southern hemisphere like what they're hearing. Spiderbait's hit single "Black Betty" was honored with the Australia Record Industry Association No. 1 Chart Award for going double platinum and staying in the No. 1 position for three straight weeks, the first group to accomplish that since 2000. Not bad for a band that says they started making music to escape boredom.
