There's less of a naivete to Sydney kids Jody (literally, one just turned 20 for crying out loud) and more a carefree exuberance.
They're not bothered with genre semantics or anything specifically-trendy. Jody runs an indie-rock spectrum gauntlet: a Strokes-y dancefloor-filler here, a reggae-tinged bopper there, something slow and slightly sombre, something sprightly and shiny. Jody are growing boys with a growing sound: and, should they keep it up, a growing fanbase.
Click here for photos from Spiderbait's Brisbane show (18 Feb).
Tired Lion are demonstratively ahead of the curve as far as Australian alternative rock is concerned. Having warmed up for the likes of British India and Luca Brasi in what was a stellar 2015, the band are kicking things off nice and proper for the new year with an audience that, although initially indifferent, comes to enthusiastically respond to their sneering, grunge-tinged style.
It's incredibly easy to see what tonight's headliners see in Tired Lion, particularly when they tear through choice-cut singles like 'Suck' and 'I Don't Think You Like Me'.
Twenty five years is a long time to be doing anything, let alone slug away at fuzzy, garage-dwelling rock that has reached the heights of the pop charts and risen from the depths of small-town obscurity. Tonight (27 February), we celebrate the fact that Janet, Kram and Whit – known collectively as Spiderbait – are still standing a quarter-century and change into proceedings.
Click here for photos from Spiderbait's Melbourne show (26 Feb).
The Metro Theatre – a place they have played countless times in the past – heaves as 'Straight To The Sun' kicks into gear, bounces about when 'Out Of My Head' shimmies out of the setlist and completely loses the plot when they head all the way back to their Goodies cover, 'Run'.
For those that have ever considered themselves more than passing fans of what the Finlay-bred trio have to offer, this show's got you covered. Singles like 'Shazam!' and 'Fucken Awesome' still feel fresh and high-energy; while revisiting of the super-early days via 'Circle K' and 'Scenester' allow to reflect on just how far they've come: not to mention just how much fun they still are to play, all hammer-swinging punk beats and crackling distortion.
The home stretch sees some of Spiderbait's most beloved numbers reeled out in a flurry of hits, with the audience singing so loudly that the microphones might as well be turned off.
Fittingly, one of the last lyrics to be belted out is the hook from 'Calypso': “Don't tell me/ You can't see/ What it means to me”. Spiderbait still mean the world to an audience that quite literally grew up with them, and the impact the band have had on their lives is something that simply can't be ignored.
Bands come and go, but Spiderbait is forever.
