The hometown hysteria afforded to Def Leppard, the Arctic Monkeys, and Bring Me the Horizon may never extend to the spectacular rock ‘n’ roll machine that is the Black Spiders, but it certainly isn’t down to a lack of formidable hard-rock bangers on their part. It’s more because the Sheffield quintet have unfortunately announced that they are to go on an indefinite hiatus – stating ‘geographical’ reasons – after almost a decade of exporting their ferocious, riff-laden offerings across the globe.
Despite plying their trade within an age-old genre where anything less than pant-shittingly-good soon loses its novelty, Black Spiders – much like Motörhead – are proof that you don’t have to reinvent the wheel, as long as you are, in fact, pant-shittingly-good.
Few will forget the memorable sound of ‘Stay Down’ crashing through their speakers back in 2011, as the band released their long-awaited debut album Sons of the North. It received high praise from critics, and – coupled with the quintet’s ethos of ‘eat thunder/shit lightning’ – would propel them all over Europe, where high profile appearances at festivals such as Download, Rock am Ring and Sonisphere became a regularity –not forgetting a Guns N’ Roses support slot in 2012. Diehard fans who have followed the Spiders since the beginning might even recall the EPs the band released prior to SotN: Cinco Hombres, Diez Cojones (2009) & No Goats in the Omen (2010). The latter of which included ‘Just Like a Woman’ – an AC/DC-esque stomper that proved so popular it was rereleased on the debut album a year later.
A second album came in the form of This Savage Land in 2013, which peaked at a respectable #59 in the UK chart. The band’s thunderous rock ‘n’ roll arsenal was further bolstered by the likes of ‘Balls’, ‘Stick it to the Man’, and the appropriately titled ‘Knock You Out’. But come October 5th, the Spiders announced their impending hiatus in typically medieval fashion…
“After burning the wick and oil all night, and moulding the candle wax into effigies, looking over all the nautical maps and lunar cycles we could find, we have agreed that geographical differences do not allow us to continue with Black Spiders at this current time…”
However, fans can rejoice, as the Dark Riders are to hit the road again for a farewell victory lap; a final tour that culminates at Corporation – the scene of several legendary Spiders shows. On May 2nd, The Spider, The Owl, The Shark, The Fox and The Tiger will descend upon Sheffield’s spiritual home of rock one last time for a blowout of biblical proportions. If you’ve been to a Spiders show previously, you will know what the abbreviation ‘FUBS’ means. The only problem is that, this time, as their hometown audience screams towards the stage with middle fingers raised, the band really will be fucking off.
Black Spiders play their final show at Corporation, May 2nd. For tickets and more info head here.
