Once Bitten...

Don't try to put a label on Brisbane rock-fusionists The Arachnids – they will simply defy it. Skirting the edges of ska, rock, blues, funk and metal, the fun-loving quartet refuse to fall into any one category or genre, and are proud to do so.

Drummer Sam Oliver explains how the recording process for the group's forthcoming EP Lack Of Control mimics their music style: all over the place. “The first single Daydreaming came out in March, so we recorded that last year at Lush Studios in Clontarf, Airlock Studios, and also in our own in-house studio, Lockdown Studios – that's where we do a lot of overdubs and things like that. Then when we came round to do the last four tracks in June/July we went to Applewood Lane, and we also did some of the guitars and keyboards at the Conservatorium on the Gold Coast. So five various studios for five songs, but it all pulled together really well.”

With producing heavyweight Sean Cook (Big Scary, Go Violets, Babaganouj) on board for the first two singles Daydreaming and Until The Sun – which have been warmly received by fans already – Oliver gives a little insight as to what to expect from the rest of the EP. “We were listening to stuff from The Beatles, particularly the drum track for Tomorrow Never Knows; that's a great inspiration for our new single Until The Sun. There's also a bit of Talking Heads in there, but there are also more rock-based influences as well, like Monsters In The Parasol by Queens Of The Stone Age.”

Lack Of Control's release at the end of August will be accompanied by a promotional tour, where the band's gig at the Transcontinental Hotel in Brisbane boasts some phenomenal support acts: Ashley Farlow, Teapots and Le Suits. “My secondary and tertiary role in the band is booking agent and manager,” Oliver tells, “so I put together all the shows and am responsible for that line-up. Le Suits are a band that I've personally wanted to play with for a while because their style is also quite varied, even though they go by the funk-metal tab. They've got some ska in there, there's a bit of dance as well, so I think they're going to work really well with our music. That's certainly going to be a very fun show.”

Looking further into the future, Oliver says fans will probably have to wait a little longer for a full-length album – with good reason. “There's actually two band babies due at the end of the year, and one of them's mine!” Oliver gushes. “Then our bass player's [Poutama Hobman] wife is expecting in December, so when this tour is over we're all going to step back so we can focus on songwriting. Since we put out our debut EP Vulture last year we've kept up the momentum by releasing singles, and now the second EP. With a full length album on the horizon we'd love to have a lot of new songs instead of recycling old ones from the previous EPs.”