SpiderbaitThe pleasantly crowded atmosphere of the Astor that greeted by pop punk trio, Axe Girl, led by Addison Axe, whose fun and natural stage presence kept the hundreds of mingling onlookers occupied. The three-piece have the angst of bona fide punk rockers and the charisma of seasoned musos. Playing a guitar riff-heavy and bass-driven setlist created with passion and determination, they busted out songs from a diverse repertoire that included WA, Backseat and their real catchy hit, Give Me Your Tee Shirt, which was followed by a playfully clever pun regarding their merchandise, Axe stating, “I hope you love tee shirts as much as I do.”
Blasting Don’t You Want Me by The Human League through the PA and making the most unusually casual entrance, Spiderbait possessed an award-deserving charm that cannot be faked. Snare enthusiast, Mark Maher (Kram), showcased his incredibly loose and edgy drumming skills, followed by his desire to roam the stage wiping sweat off with his towel, leaving the crowd amused.
The band likely scored themselves some international exposure after a sweet American girl who’d never heard of the band before advised me to write that the atmosphere was incredible and everyone had such a fun time, dancing to the groovy beats; and that Spiderbait are a really cool band. Bassist, Janet English, even got on the drums for popular tune, Buy Me A Pony and right at the end of the song, Kram couldn’t seem to contain himself and managed to do an epic jump-roll thing off the drum rostrum. Throughout the performance, Kram reiterated his love for fellow Perthians and described us a fucking beautiful people.
They covered 99 Red Balloons and English sang her heart out. Their set list was well contrasted with a lot of the band’s early heavy garage-style repertoire and the last couple of songs were phenomenal, the band playing more intensely as the songs progressed. Fans were so drunk and indulging in the fact that they were at the show that a couple managed to jump on stage engaging in odd acts of affection, one lady latching onto Kram, another man approaching Kram while he was playing Black Betty, quickly dodging a guard in a desperate attempt to stage dive, while the last two managed to retrieve drum sticks after the show ended. This trio certainly know how to host a crazy night.
