Spiderbait

Formed in 1991 by three friends from the small town of Finley, New South Wales, Spiderbait arrived on Australia’s alternative-rock scene with an explosive display of fury and attitude. That such a combustible entity has endured for so long and so well has been a welcome surprise to the fanbase that Spiderbait gained thanks to gloriously ragged releases like 1995’s The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake—their first album to go double platinum—and a thrashy take on Ram Jam’s glam stomper “Black Betty” that topped the Australian charts in 2004. One reason for their hardiness is the reliably snarky and sharp-edged sensibility of Spiderbait’s singers Janet English and Mark “Kram” Maher, who do double duty as the band’s bassist and drummer alongside guitarist Damien Whitty. Made after a lengthy recording hiatus, 2013’s Spiderbait saw the band refine their endearingly scrappy blend of melody and aggression without sacrificing any of their bite.