Spiderbait

In this era of truncated careers, it is no small achievement for a band to not only survive 15 years together, but to come out of it still enjoying the experience of writing and playing together.

"There's two main reasons why we've stayed together so long: the first is that we've always remained close and the second is that if we ever made any money we always split it equally," explains Kram. "Everyone's always been willing to compromise in order to keep things running smoothly."

The seeds of that bond were planted in the small southern NSW town of Finley, where all three members of Spiderbait grew up. The band formed in Melbourne in 1990 after all three members had relocated there, and they soon graduated from raucous house parties to the city's stages.

Influential but now defunct independent label Au-go-go issued "Circle K" in 1991 and Spiderbait's debut long player, ShaShaVaGlava, in 1993. Following the cataclysmically catchy "Jesus" single, Spiderbait began their partnership with Universal Music in 1995 with The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake, which brought them to national prominence and earnt them a gold album.

In 1996 enjoyed further success when their authoritative third album, Ivy And The Big Apples, sold over 180,000 copies and earnt the band several ARIA Awards. After extensive touring locally and overseas, Spiderbait recorded their most complex studio creation, 1999's Grand Slam, which was followed by 2001's The Flight Of Wally Funk.

"We have been around quite a while," marvels Kram. "It's crazy, it really is. We're a lot more easygoing these days, just happy to be in a band together, but at the same time, after all the recent touring, we're playing better than ever."