We Are Live: Hot Water and Milk

 
Original video located here. Accessed 8th November 2026

Song title: How Water and Milk

Artist: Spiderbait

Year: 1996

Why I like this song:

Last night I went to see Spiderbait live. This was part of their tour that acknowledged the 30th anniversary of the Ivy and the Big Apples and involved playing the whole album in full. 
This not the first time I have seen Spiderbait: The first time was at the 2002 Big Day Out and the second was in 2004 at some bar in Melbourne. I mention this because this latest iteration was at the Odeon Theatre and thus making for three very different live environments. It also meant that I knew what to expect from these three merchants of mischief. 

Upon entering the theatre I was greeted with the first act: local band Glass Media. They were pretty good and gave off the impression they were going for a shoegaze/pop vibe, akin to Best Coast. Well whatever it was, it was certainly working for them. 

Up next was Custard: Again, this was another act I had seen live previously so I knew what to expect. I did spot some repeat songs but I guess that is expected given that the crowd favourites tend to get the popular response. Dave McCormack was in fine form, pointing out tiny cameras held by the audience. And once again, Apartment, the last song in the set, got the crowd going like no other. 

And finally was Spiderbait. As promised, this was the entirety of Ivy and the Big Apples. 
It should be noted that I normally do not go out of my way to see live acts more than once. If anything, seeing an act live presents a thrill that can never be replicated and it's a fool's errand to try. But I am intrigued to hear all of Ivy and the Big Apples because a) it may yield some stuff I haven't heard live previously and b) this is such an important album of my mid-teens. 
And if the crowd was anything to go by, it would seem that I wasn't the only one. 

But yeah: Spiderbait were great. In retrospect I feel that Ivy and the Big Apples is perfect for a teen audience, being the best blend of cute and ferocious. And it seems that the audience agreed responding to the hits (ie Calypso, Buy Me a Pony) and getting a mosh pit going (didn't they go out of fashion in 2001?). But I was impressed with the response to the lesser known numbers: Both Hey & Hawaiian Nights got the crowd worked up and Horshack Army & When Fusion Ruled the Earth showed that Spiderbait can do more that pop numbers.

And for an encore, there was the obligatory mix of hits: Shazam, Old Man Sam (will that ever get old?), Run (yet another crowd-rouser) and Black Betty. 
So yeah, Spiderbait were awesome (again) and proof that they can deliver live like pros. 

We Are Live: Mystery of the artist explained

 

Original video located here. Accessed 2nd October 2026

Song title: The Mystery Of The Artist Explained

Artist: TISM

Year: 1988

Why I like this song:

Last night I went and saw TISM live.

I was informed prior that TISM are one those bands that deliver live and I was not disappointed. I knew what to expect with the costumes, copious amounts of cursing, crazy stage antics and stage diving - and yet I still came away surprised.

Firstly, I counted five songs from Machiavelli and the Four Seasons which is surprising as seeing that would be their best known album. But then again, the setlist was spread out across several albums. 
Secondly, a lot of the setlist had songs with lot's of swearing - obviously gunning for audience-participation. 
Thirdly, there was one (1) diatribe. Unexpected but clearly TISM know they go over well. 
Fourthly, there were some cursing from the audience and even a wanker chant. 
And finally, the highlight of the show came three quarters of the way through. Throughout the show, there was a structure happening at the back of stage where some big silver beach balls were pulled together. Then, the structure was brought forward and spilled out into the audience, who then spent the final quarter tossing them around. 

Ultimately seeing TISM live has been something that has been nearly three decades in the making. It certainly was a wide show and was never once dull. 
Funny thing, I heard some songs I've never heard before. Seems I may have some exploring to do....

Obituary: We Can't Be Beaten

   
Original video located here. Accessed 23rd September 2026

Song title: We Can't Be Beaten

Artist: Rose Tattoo

Year: 1982

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Angry Anderson

I've said previously I'm a sucker for motivational anthems and this is one of them, served with a roar of defiance. 

Nineties Revisited: Immune Deficiency

  
Original video located here. Accessed 16th September 2026

Song title: Immune Deficiency 

Artist: Rail

Year: 1995

Why I like this song:

I first heard this song about thirty years and for some reason it has never left me. 

However I will admit I've been on something of a journey with this song. When I first heard it, I was getting in Triple J and being impressed that they played songs that had curse words and drug references. But within time, I grew tired of it as it was such a downer of a song. 
More time passed however I came to see this song in a different light: It is such an anguished song, with lyrics about regret and some really aggressive instrumentation - particularly that climax. 
It somehow spoke to my teenage mind and I'm sure I'm not alone.

But I realise now that this song has an interesting structure: It starts regretful and quiet, gets angry, leads into the afore-mentioned climax and eventually ends with the quiet passage that started it. And it's that quite end that stands out for me: Because it's the implication that if today (yesterday?) sucked, then tomorrow might be better......

Obituary: I Will Always Love You

  
Original video located here. Accessed 26th August 2026

Song title: I Will Always Love You

Artist: Dolly Parton

Year: 1974

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Dolly Parton
And we will always love you

Obituary: Doubleback

  
Original video located here. Accessed 19th August 2026

Song title: Doubleback

Artist: ZZ Top

Year: 1990

Why I like this song:

R.I.P. Frank Beard
We had the same birthday....

Funny how at the same time I'm getting into ZZ Top, one of them leaves for good....

This Song Rocks: Your God (Not Mine)

 

Original video located here. Accessed 17th August 2026

Song title: Your God (Not Mine)

Artist: Icehouse

Year: 2006

Why I like this song:

I first heard this song twenty years ago and came away impressed. Looking at it now however, it remains a frustration.
When I say that it is, by no means, a slight against the song - far from it. What it means is that this a glimpse of an album that has been worked on since the early 2000s. And according to Iva, said album is, at time of writing, in a state of unfinished - which in turn, makes the delays garnered by the likes of Guns N' Roses and My Bloody Valentine, seem tame by comparison. 

Grumbling aside, there is still some potential here. It sounds like an extension of what was being done on the Big Wheel album, both in production and bitterness. 
Does this mean Iva churns out great stuff when he's pissed off?