SPIDERBAIT ANNOUNCE 20TH ANNIVERSARY ‘BLACK BETTY’ AUSTRALIAN TOUR
The ten-date tour will see the trio playing all their biggest hits.
Image by Ian Laidlaw
Aussie legends Spiderbait are heading on tour later this year to commemorate the 20th anniversary of their sixth album, Tonight Alright.
The ‘Black Betty’ tour, named after the album’s biggest hit, takes in ten dates around the country between August and October. The New South Wales band, comprising Mark “Kram’ Mahe” (vocals, drums), Janet English (bass, vocals) and Damian "Whit" Whitty (guitar), will be playing all their greatest hits throughout the tour.
Kicking off in Brisbane at The Fortitude Music Hall on Tuesday, August 13, the August leg of the tour includes dates at Hindley St Music Hall in Adelaide (Friday, August 16), Odeon Theatre in Hobart (Saturday, August 17), Bar on the Hill in Newcastle (Friday, August 30) and Waves in Wollongon (Saturday, August 31).
The trio take a short two-week break before getting back on the horse for the final five dates across September and October, playing The Astor Theatre in Perth (Saturday, September 14), The Forum in Melbourne (Friday, September 20), the Enmore Theatre in Sydney (Saturday, September 21), Miami Marketta Laneway on the Gold Coast (Sunday, October 22) and UC Refectory in Canberra (Friday, October 25).
Joining Spiderbait on their travels are several of Australia’s top live acts, with Sydney rock duo Polish Club, Magic Dirt frontwoman Adalita, punk upstarts Private Party and Western Australian singer-songwriter Abbe May playing selected shows.
Released in 2004, Tonight Alright isn’t Spiderbait’s most popular release, but it does contain their biggest hit, ‘Black Betty’. Originally performed by American folk singer Leadbelly, Spiderbait’s version is more in line with Ram Jam’s riotous 1977 cover. The song became Spiderbait’s first #1 song on the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart and is certified 2x Platinum.
Speaking on the tour, Kram had this to say: “I can’t believe it’s 20 years since we released ‘Black Betty’ and it went to number #1. Since then, the song has become a bit legendary for us and has racked up over a hundred million streams on Spotify and 75 million views on YouTube which is nuts. The whole ride has been so awesome and was so unexpected.
“So to mark this mad anniversary of our biggest hit we are announcing a very special tour to celebrate ‘Black Betty’ and its 20th anniversary. We’re super pumped and can’t wait to see y’all out there. Come celebrate ‘Black Betty’ with us!”
English adds: “Nothing beats seeing live music, I’m really excited to bring everyone along with us and leave them with a big smile. Feels like we’re throwing a party in the machinery shed on the farm like the old days.”
“I loved touring this album 20 years ago, we went back to a raw guitar, bass and drums. That approach comes naturally to us,” says Whitt.
Along with hitting the road to celebrate the album’s 20th anniversary, Spiderbait is releasing Tonight Alright on vinyl for the very first time. The limited edition red vinyl features a new take on their song ‘Tonite’, along with new cover art and printed sleeves with never-before-seen images of the band. You can pre-order the album here.
Access to pre-sale tickets commences Monday, May 20 at 9:30am local time. You can register here. General sale kicks off at 9:30am Wednesday, May 22 via Frontier Touring.
spiderbait 20th anniversary ‘black betty’ Australian tour
with special guests Polish Club, Abbie May, Private function and Adalita
Tuesday, August 31 – The Fortitude Music Hall, Brisbane
Friday, August 16 – Hindley St Music Hall, Adelaide
Saturday, August 17 – Odeon Theatre, Hobart
Friday, August 30 – Bar on the Hill, Newcastle
Saturday, August 31 – Waves, Wollongong
Saturday, September 14 – The Astor Theatre, Perth
Friday, September 20 – The Forum, Melbourne
Saturday, September 21 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney
Sunday, October 22 – Miami Marketta Laneway, Gold Coast
Friday, October 25 – UC Refectory, Canberra
