NEWS: Lime Spiders Return To The Stage
Words: Matt Innes
Cult, Aussie psych-rock favourites Lime Spiders make a resplendent return to live performance, shaking off the cobwebs of post-COVID lockdown.
Lime Spiders take to stages in King’s Beach, Burleigh Heads and Brisbane at the end of October, breaking a months-long stagnation in the live music industry to give audiences a much-needed reprieve from the negativity that has plagued 2020 thus far.
For Lime Spiders frontman, the illustrious and ominously-named Mick Blood, the upcoming gigs represent something far greater than a return-to-normal.
“Live music is more important than ever at a time like this,” Mick states, “because music, regardless of what genre you’re into, music brings people together.
“It’s the thing I’ve enjoyed most, and to see people enjoying your songs and reacting in a positive way and knowing they’re going home happy, there’s nothing like it. It’s escapism, it’s getting away from the news and the bullshit, enjoying yourself with your friends, enjoying the music you love and going home feeling happy,” he laughs.
Throughout his forty-year tenure at the helm of Lime Spiders, Mick has seen more than his fair share of crazy shit. But nothing has compared to what has thus far been a year of misery for live performers.
After all the uncertainty – closures of venues, restrictions on gatherings and the inevitable loss of revenue – Mick is champing at the bit to strut his stuff onstage and get audiences back into the live music spirit.
“I’m just looking forward to getting out there and gigging again, that’s the bottom line – playing live,” he says.
“Also, with the COVID situation it will be nice to be one of the forerunners, one of the first bands to be getting out there.”
That’s not to say that Mick doesn’t have his own reservations about what to expect.
“Because of that, I’m a bit concerned people will be a bit sheepish about going out and a bit tentative, but these are COVID-friendly shows with reduced capacities and sitting only so it’s going to be very strange.
“It won’t be the frenzied moshpit we’re used to,” Mick laughs.
“It will be far from it, but I’ll have fun with that as a frontman with a sense of humour, I’ll have a lot of fun with that. At the moment, after the year we’ve had, more than anything people need to be entertained and that’s the bottom line: just to hopefully take people somewhere else for an hour or two and have them going home with a smile on their dial, feeling good about life.”
Lime Spiders will be joined by Gold Coast loverboys (and a MADCAP Global favourite), The Daisycutters in a joyous expulsion of South-East Queensland musical excellence.
The Daisycutters join Lime Spiders for shows in late-October.
Despite the challenges this year has presented, Lime Spiders have released an album of rarities entitled ‘LSD’, or ‘Lime Spiders Delirium’.
“It’s a great album I’ve been proud of and it stands the test of time,” Mick says.
“It’s up there with anything we’ve done. It is a compilation of tracks I’ve kept up my sleeve over the years, demos, and some were albums. Some were tracks that didn’t make the cut. God knows who makes these decisions, but there are couple of tracks on this album that didn’t make the ‘Beethoven’s Fist’ album set.”
The upcoming Lime Spiders shows will also showcase a new line-up for the band, featuring one Ray ‘Floyd’ Jones, who Mick says has given him a new lease of life.
“He’s just a fantastic player, a really amazing guitarist,” Mick enthuses.
“Floyd is a Strat player – he’s got five Customs and five standards. He’s a new discovery and for me it’s been a real inspiration.
“When it’s all said and done, regardless of the ‘perennial punk’ tag we get, [Lime Spiders] is a guitar-based rock and roll band. It’s always had great guitarists, so to be inspired by a guitarist at this point just goes to show how good he is,” he laughs.
A showman and entertainer at heart, Mick relishes the opportunity to offer audiences some much-needed escapism.
“I’m sure my sense of humour will kick in and I’m sure people will enjoy the music and have a laugh, what more can you ask for?” he says.
“That’s called entertainment. Music is such an amazing thing for people to get into and lose themselves in the moment.”
Lime Spiders (with The Daisycutters) perform at:
Kings Beach Tavern 23 October
Mo’s Desert Clubhouse (Burleigh Heads) 24 October
The Outpost (Brisbane) 31 October.
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