Spiderbait sell out first headline tour in a decade

It’s been ten years since their last headline tour and Spiderbait have managed to sell out all seven dates, including three shows at Melbourne’s Corner Hotel.

The perennial Aus rock icons released a self-titled LP last year with Grammy-winning producer Francois Tetaz (Gotye, Bertie Blackman) at the helm, but aside from their surprising support slot at Pink’s final Australian show in Brisbane last September (they were asked to play the full tour but declined due to recording commitments), Kram, Janet English and Damian Whitty have taken a casual approach to any musical triumphs.

Spiderbait’s Manager, Fiona Duncan tells TMN that while longtime zealots are still buying tickets, there has been a heavy presence of a younger demographic standing front-and-centre.

“Whenever Spiderbait has played festivals over the past 10 years they always win the crowd. They are the band that shifts the energy of the day and many promoters have commented on that to me – the gig really got going when Spiderbait played.

“That said, there has definitely been a shift with this tour,” Duncan tells TMN. “Having Secret Sounds on board has been really powerful. The loyal fans are still there but the front rows of the shows are 18-20-year-olds wearing the t-shirt they’ve just bought at the merch stand. Spiderbait are not a ’heritage’ act and this sold out national tour has showed that they are as relevant and amazing as ever.”

Having already taken in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth, performing at the same close-packed haunts as they did in their embryonic years, the Finley trio are set to perform Adelaide’s Governor Hindmarsh Hotel on Thursday before a three-date run in Melbourne, the last of which will see Canadian rockers July Talk join them as support.

Spiderbait topped the triple j Hottest 100 in 1996 with their track Buy Me A Pony, but it wasn’t until 2004 when their cover of Lead Belly’s Black Betty propelled them into national ubiquity at the top of the ARIA chart. They’re yet to hit #1 a second time, or chart inside the Top 10 for that matter, but as Owen Orford, National Agent for Spiderbait tells TMN, the band’s own consistency has been matched by their fanbase.

“Spiderbait remain authentic, relevant and passionate as they ever were, delivering consistent live performances of GREAT original songs,” Orford told TMN. “This sold out tour was a successful team effort partnering with Secret Sounds for the Bait’s first headline lap of the map in a decade. Shazam!”

Tour dates:

Fri 08 Aug – Metro Theatre, Sydney SOLD OUT

Sat 09 Aug – Hi-Fi Bar, Brisbane SOLD OUT

Fri 15 Aug – Astor Theatre, Perth SOLD OUT

Thu 28 Aug – The Governor Hindmarsh Hotel, Adelaide SOLD OUT

Fri 29 Aug – The Corner Hotel – Melbourne SOLD OUT

Sun 31 Aug – The Corner Hotel – Melbourne SOLD OUT

Sat 13 Sep – The Corner Hotel – Melbourne SOLD OUT