Aussie legends Spiderbait have been a strong force in the local music industry for over 25 years and have garnered a strong following, countless awards, and albums that continue to do well. After some significant breaks over the last decade or so the band are performing a one-off show at the Forum in Melbourne and releasing a special vinyl box set of their singles from the last quarter of a century. This will be followed by some coast gigs towards Christmas, including a stop by Torquay at the end of December.
I caught up with drummer Kram recently and he talked with affection about his return to Melbourne (he now lives in Byron Bay) and the changes he’s seen not just to the city but the music scene too.
“I’m enjoying the cold weather really. I still really love it. I’ve definitely noticed a big difference. The city is so big now. There’s lots of energy,” he explains.
“I lived in Carlton for years and the Northside of Melbourne has so much happening. It was a cool place to live, whereas St Kilda seems to have a lot of venues closing and seems a lot quieter than it was.”
Growing up as a band in the Melbourne scene had a profound effect on Kram and he, along with the band, always felt a comradeship with others making music in the garden state. “You always felt like a part of a prosperous music scene.”
The band will release a special box set of singles at the Forum gig on vinyl, a format that has reinvigorated the music listening experience as people shy away from digital listening to a more traditional listening experience.
“I have many records and in lots of ways, it’s taking you back to how music should be listed to. I like it when you can hold a song as a tangible object. It’s nice to hold an album.”
The box set will feature all Spiderbait singles in chronological order and listening back to those early tracks is a nice reminder for Kram of the writing and recording process in those early days.
“A lot of those songs are very Melbourne-orientated. It brings back memories of where they were recorded and where the songs were written. A lot of images keep coming back.”
After the Forum gig wraps the band will gear up for a run of shows along the surf coast, something the band can’t wait to get the teeth into.
“They’ll be a run of coast shows. We haven’t been down that way for a while so around Christmas time it will be a fun little trip”
While the Forum gig sold out within days, there are still tickets remaining for some of their gigs so buy now or regret forever.
You can try and nab a ticket to their sold-out show in Torquay, December 28 via tixel.com
Written by Chris Michaels
Photo by Ian Laidlaw
