The Midlands we all know is the birthplace of heavy metal but what is it about South Yorkshire that seems to have inspired so many excellent rock bands over the years such as Def Leppard, Saxon, Bring Me The Horizon, While She Sleeps and tonight`s interlopers Black Spiders.
It’s around two years since I last saw the band when they arrived with a new album “Can`t Die, Won`t Die,” this time they`re back with another new album `CVRSES` which has double meanings, on one hand it’s a supernatural punishment, invoked to do harm, and it’s also a very old English swear word. Both of these meanings ring true in every sense of the word in relation to Black Spiders.
The lights dim as what sounds like a theme tune from the film “A Few Dollars More!” is piped through the pa as this quintet snake their way through this packed crowd to reach the stage. The superbly raucous sing along `Never Enough` from the latest release eases us into what will be a fairly blistering hour of what the band themselves describe as a mix of heavy metal, punk, and stoner rock.
Another track from the latest release is given an airing with the more restrained `Sorry Not Sorry` before the
heavy `Fly In The Soup` rings out. We enjoy more new numbers with the catchy `Up All Night`, the wonderfully titled `Tom Petty`s Lips` which includes Petty song titles like `Don`t Come Around No More`, `Won`t Back Down`, `Running Down a Dream` and `Into the Great Wide Open` along with the controlled `No Superman`.
There`s a nod to past glories with the riff laden `Balls` and `Stay Down` which sends this intimate crowd into a frenzy with its “Fuck You and this one horse town “ with fingers raised with the mandatory “Fuck You Black Spiders” screamed at and with the band.
Newbie `Go!` races along and fits in nicely with the more established `A Rat is a Rat` and the Motörheadish speed ball of `Teenage Knife Gang` before sending us home with the delightfully amusing `KISS Tried To Kill Me`. If you get chance to watch the video for this number, a skit on 1979`s The Warriors film, it`ll set you up nicely for the day ahead.
Black Spiders have shared that “As long as that drive is in the tank, we will keep going, because that’s what we need to do,” which is what we all want to hear. At Maximum Volume Music, they`ve been tagged as the most rock ‘n’ roll band in the country—pure, primal, and untamed. Eight dates remain on this tour so you all know what you need to do.
