Spiderbait 'May Not Have Stayed Together' If Not For The Success Of 'Black Betty'

Spiderbait have been in a reflective space lately as they celebrate their “greatest hit of all,” Black Betty, hitting the road this August, September, and October.

Upon announcing the tour in May, Kram commented that their cover of Black Betty has become “legendary” for the Aussie rockers; Janet English said that the forthcoming tour feels like the band is “throwing a party like the old days,” and Whitt added that he loved touring the album, Tonight Alright, 20 years ago.

But what if Black Betty's impact on Spiderbait was even bigger than we thought? What if it saved them?

In a new interview with The Music, Spiderbait’s Kram described the era of Black Betty as a “comedy of errors” that pieced together to create a “wonderful destiny”.

On the band’s salvation, Kram said, “I think the music Gods really shined on us, and I think if the album hadn’t have been such a big hit – and Black Betty hadn’t have been such a big hit – we may not have stayed together, we might have all gone and done other things.

“So, in a way, we’re celebrating not just the massive hit that Black Betty has become – not just on the charts, it’s racked up hundreds of millions of views on platforms all around the planet – but also that time, looking at it as the rebirth of the band,” Kram continued.

“It’s like the second coming of the band, and we’ve never looked back since. We’ve been this big ever since.”

Spiderbait’s Black Betty 20th anniversary tour will see them joined by special guests Polish Club, Adalita, Private Function, and Abbe May.

In addition to the tour, Spiderbait will release 2004’s Tonight Alright on limited edition vinyl on Friday, 26 July. You can pre-order the vinyl here.