WOAH BLACK BETTY bam-ba-lam

Aussie alt-rock legends Spiderbait descend on Darwin to help One Mile Brewing Co. celebrate their 10th year, headlining the Territory BAR-BQ Festival on the Saturday night of the weekend-long birthday bash. 

Tierney White caught up with the band’s front man Kram for a yarn about milestones, their hit track ‘Black Betty’, and why he loves coming to Darwin.

So Kram, you’re coming to party with us! What made you accept One Mile’s birthday party invitation?

The offer came in quite late, and we were like, ‘we haven’t been to Darwin for such a long time’. We thought it was a really good, fun thing to do considering we haven’t been up there for ages. And they were really nice!

It sort of comes at the end of our tour, so I guess it was a way to get up there and bring our tour to Darwin, at the end of it. We’re really excited to come up to the Top End again, it’s been a long time.

We can’t wait to see you! And you mentioned the tour you’re on – your greatest hit of all-time ‘Black Betty’ just celebrated 20 years, and you’re on tour to mark the milestone. Can you believe it’s been that long, and did you expect it to be such a hit, all these years later?

It’s funny, ‘cause it was a real trip for us – first that it was such a hit when it first came out … and then that it’s become a worldwide smash. We’re up to some hundreds-of-millions of views, or hits, or whatever you wanna call it [laughs] on YouTube or Spotify of whatever the f-ck it is – but yeah, it really spins me out that wherever we go in the world, people know the song.

Also, I guess things like TikTok or Instagram, people posting their own things of the song, we found out it’s a big hit in America, Mexico, and the UK – I don’t know, it’s something we’re really very proud of I guess, but amused by. We really love this song and it’s been absolutely going off on this tour, so it’s definitely worth celebrating.

Yeah, I guess technology’s changed a lot since you guys started out in the late eighties, so to see it translate to the kids these days, that must feel pretty good?

Well, yeah, it’s nice. This tour’s been mostly all-ages shows, so right from the very first show in Brisbane, it’s been chockers. Just how many young people are coming along for the first time, that are fans – it’s just interesting. You don’t necessarily start out playing music to appeal to any particular demographic, you just start playing to appeal to yourself. It’s always interesting to see who responds to your music.

Our fans are such a broad range of ages and backgrounds, it’s a real trip, and I noticed it when we played this tour and also recent festivals we’ve played … it’s been a really inspirational time for all three of us, I gotta say.

Lovely. And, of course, you and Janet and Whitt are good mates, you’ve been at it for a long time, what’s the secret to the band’s longevity, do you reckon?

I actually think one of our secrets is our live performance. I do believe that, in Australia in particular, your songwriting and your live performance are two of the most important factors. We sort of pride ourselves on being a good songwriting band, or at least trying to be as good as we can … but I think it’s really important to be as good as you can.

But performing live is such a raw and real way to tap into what the band does … And also, any band, if they keep playing for a long time and they enjoy each other’s company, they develop a certain style of musicianship within each other, within the collective, that’s very special. I think if they manage to stay fit and healthy, they get better with age, and I’d like to think we’re one of those.

Good advice! So, what’s next for Spiderbait? Obviously you’ve been on this tour celebrating 20 years of ‘Black Betty’, are you exhausted?

No, no, we feel good! We’ve got some plans afoot. We’ll knuckle down on this tour and we’ve got some stuff we’re looking forward to putting together next year, but at this point, the tour’s been really great. We’re just blown away by the response and having a really great time!

Perfect! Do you have any downtime while you’re in Darwin, and if so, what will you get up to?

No, I don’t really have as much time! My cousin Nicky [and family] live up there, they really love it up there and there’s some lovely crew … It’s pretty much always a bit of a whirlwind, I’ve gotta plan my trips a bit better! [laughs]

There’s that amazing Thai chilli chicken place, with that lady on the highway, I went to last time. She was really cool, but the chicken had run out by the time I got there, so I had a laksa instead, which was delicious.

But one of the things I really love about Darwin is that it’s such a young city, and there’s people from all over the world, and such an awesome thriving Aboriginal community up there … It’s such a beautiful place. I guess I’m preaching to the converted, but I encourage any bands or people to head up to the Top End and soak it up!

Check out our feature on One Mile Brewing Co. here. 

Territory BAR-BQ Festival
WHEN SAT 5 OCT | 10AM-11PM & SUN 6 OCT | 11AM-6PM
AT DARWIN SHOWGROUNDS
COST $24-$58 | $92-$138 VIP
INFO onemilebrewery.com.au

^{Header, thumbnail & inset: Ian Laidlaw}