When I think of Spiderbait, two visions come to mind. The first, shared by many, is of the legendary Aussie pub rock band unleashing their growling, hypnotic rendition of Lead Belly’s ‘Black Betty’, an African-American work song. The second, and forever etched in my mind, is seeing Spiderbait at an all-ages event as an impressionable 17-year-old some 32 years ago in the local community hall of the country town where I grew up. In the heady era of grunge, it was my, and I believe, the 50 or so other kids’, first-ever gig. We reveled in jumping around like idiots, moshing, and even stage diving—much to the band’s bemusement. And yes, jumping off a stage with so few people means you land hard on the lemonade-stained floor, not crowd-surfing like a legend.
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross 
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross 
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross 
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross 
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross 
Spiderbait at the Miranda Hotel, Sydney – photo by Mark Ross
It’s remarkable to reflect that this experience was just before Spiderbait released their seminal album, Ivy & The Big Apples. Now, as they undertake a 12-show National Tour marking its 30-year release, it’s striking to consider what hasn’t changed during the intervening years. Sure, stage diving has gone, and the crowds are much, much bigger, but given the opportunity, the crowds are still moshing like idiots with nothing but unbridled joy, despite the advancing average age of the crowd. But perhaps most poignant was the sense of a hint of bemusement remains from the band—that maybe they still can’t quite believe it, pinching themselves to check if it’s real. This is especially true given it’s a Sunday night in suburban Sydney, and for all the talk of people not buying drinks at gigs anymore and instead of the floor being covered in lemonade the floor is decidedly slippery from all the spilt alcohol.
Indeed, in talking to members of the crowd, when asked “what does Spiderbait mean to them,” one response seemed to best summarise things: Spiderbait was their “rite of passage” and a throwback to that era of “cheap cover door charges.”
Performing Ivy & The Big Apples in the order you would play it, including a faux encore before playing the secret track so common of that era, was a reminder of how much the listening experience of albums has changed over the last 30 years. So how would this translate into a gig?
From the opening chords of ‘Chest Hair,’ which for the briefest of moments makes you think you’ve arrived at a U2 concert, to the penultimate track with its shades of Pink Floyd’s Ummagumma, together with some of Spiderbait’s most successful but also most diverse music, you are shown that there is good reason Spiderbait are still here all these years later.
Any doubts I had about the concept were also dispelled just by looking at the crowd. Whenever I thought a more traditional song/set over an instrumental song would have been better received, a look at everyone enthralled in their dancing was enough to convince me of the merits, both for new and long-term fans.
If I had any feelings that playing an entire album constrained the band, that was quickly taken away the moment Spiderbait launched into the closing part of the evening, playing extended versions of ‘Old Man Sam,’ ‘Fucken Awesome,’ and the song for which they have become best known, ‘Black Betty.’ Together with the lyrics shouted to the crowd of “you’re fucking awesome” and the relatively tame moshpit suddenly exploding, it was an electrifying close to the night.
Following the close of ‘Black Betty,’ everyone would have gone home happy, not a care in the world, nor for the consequences they would face come Monday morning, such a great night it was.
With four bands on the setlist—Private Wives, The Gnomes, and Tumbleweed—fans were treated to a veritable degustation. Private Wives was selected as part of a huge national call-out for local female and gender-diverse bands to support each stop on Spiderbait’s National tour. The Wollongong punk trio snagged the sold-out gig at the iconic Enmore Theatre, in addition to this Miranda Hotel set.
Opening some three hours before Spiderbait were due to take the stage, it was no surprise to see relatively few people there for such a great, short, sharp 20-minute set. But engaging they were, with the set nicely mixed up from when I last saw them in February, which obviously worked as more people who entered the venue quickly made their way to watch the trio, nodding their heads in unison to the beats of the drum and bass.
While Spiderbait should be credited for their efforts to publicise and bring female and gender-diverse bands (and for also actually knowing and acknowledging them), for me, this was diminished in part by having a total of three supports on the lineup, reducing the opportunity for bands like Private Wives to actually get in front of people and to get the attention they deserve. Kudos to Tumbleweed singer, Richie Lewis, for wearing a Private Wives shirt during their set.
Upcoming Spiderbait Tour Dates:
July 24, 2026
Melbourne, Australia
The Forum
July 25, 2026
Adelaide, Australia
Hindley Street Music Hall
July 30, 2026
Canberra, Australia
The Baso
July 31, 2026
Sydney, Australia
Enmore Theatre
August 1, 2026
Newcastle, Australia
King Street Hotel
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