Lime Spiders
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Mick Blood |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
| Products | Punk rock music, albums, singles |
Lime Spiders emerged as an Australian punk rock group in 1979, founded by lead vocalist Mick Blood, with Richard Lawson on drums and David Sparks handling guitar duties joining subsequently. Their initial album, The Cave Comes Alive! released in June 1987, achieved a position within the top 60 of the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Their standout single, "Weirdo Libido" (January 1987), broke into the top 50 of the Kent Music Report Singles Chart and was notably the first music video broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's program rage. This track was also featured on the soundtrack of the 1988 film Young Einstein. The band dissolved in 1990. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described their sound as a "mutant strain of acid punk that bordered on heavy metal."
Formation and Early Releases: From "25th Hour" to "Slave Girl"
The Lime Spiders were established in 1979, with Mick Blood acknowledging influences from 1960s garage bands and psychedelic rock. Initial members included Eric Roman Grothe on guitar, Dave Guest on bass, and Darryl John Mather also on guitar. Their name was inspired by a lime and vanilla-flavored ice cream soda. Their debut performance occurred in 1979 as support for The Lonely Hearts. By February 1981, the lineup had solidified to include Blood, Guest, Mather, and Geoff Cleary on drums. In August that year, Richard Jakimyszyn joined as lead guitarist. The band performed around Sydney but disbanded early in 1982, only to regroup later that year with Stephen Rawle replacing Cleary on drums.
Winning a Battle of the Bands contest at Southern Cross Hotel secured them a recording contract with Green Records. Their first release was a double single featuring four tracks titled "25th Hour" (June 1983), produced by Rob Younger (formerly of Radio Birdman). This release included covers of The Haunted's "1-2-5" and Liberty Bell's "That's How It Will Be." Due to Guest’s limited experience, Warwick Gilbert (ex-Radio Birdman) played bass during these sessions, while Bruce Tatham contributed keyboards.
Jello Biafra, a prominent figure in American punk, commended Lime Spiders as one of the leading '60s garage revival bands. Nonetheless, Mather departed prior to the single’s release, dissatisfied with the band's musical direction.
By August 1983, Mick Blood and Richard Jakimyszyn reassembled the group with Tony Bambach on bass and Richard Lawson on drums, both formerly of rival act The Most. In March 1984, they recorded "Slave Girl," which was released in October through Citadel Records. Co-written by Blood and Jakimyszyn and co-produced alongside Tom Misner, it became Australia's highest-selling independent single of 1984, reaching the Top 100 on the Kent Music Report Singles Chart with shipments exceeding 5,000 copies. The song also gained radio play across Europe including France, Germany, Spain, and Sweden.
Gerard Corben (ex-The Most) joined as rhythm guitarist in September 1984. Following the success of "Slave Girl," an overseas mini-LP compiling six tracks under the same title was issued. Music critic Stephen Cook from Allmusic praised their fresh fusion of heavy guitars with snarling vocals that created an innovative sound. After Jakimyszyn was diagnosed with schizophrenia and left in January 1985, the band continued as a quartet and released "Out of Control" in December 1985 on Citadel Records, again produced by Rob Younger.
The Breakthrough: The Cave Comes Alive!
In the middle of 1985, Lime Spiders underwent another split, with Mick Blood heading to Europe where he performed alongside Swedish group the Pushtwangers and Greek band Last Drive. Meanwhile, the other members—Bambach, Corben, and Lawson—continued under the name Adolphus, featuring Mark Green as their lead vocalist. Prior to Blood's exit, the band was invited to contribute a song for the 1988 film Young Einstein. Although the producers initially requested "Slave Girl," legal complications prevented its use, prompting a search for a similar alternative. Blood returned to Australia in September 1986, leading to Lime Spiders' reunion and the release of "Weirdo Libido" in January 1987 through Virgin Records. This track, co-written by Blood and original guitarist Mather and produced by Cameron Allan, reached No. 48 on the charts in February. Notably, its music video was the inaugural clip broadcast on rage, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation music show, and the song appeared on the Young Einstein soundtrack.
Jakimyszyn rejoined in May 1987 to participate in Lime Spiders' debut album, The Cave Comes Alive!, produced by David Price. The album attained a peak position of No. 54 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. AllMusic described it as a "snarling debut" with clear influences from 1960s punk rock. The six-track EP Slave Girl reached the top spot on the US college charts, sparking international attention. Following this success, they supported The Cult on a national tour. Shortly after, Jakimyszyn left once more. By the end of that year, Lime Spiders undertook a two-month North American tour opening for Faith No More and subsequently Public Image Ltd, earning acclaim from Rolling Stone, which likened their sound to "the Sex Pistols on acid." Memorable moments included visits from Iggy Pop and Joey Ramone.
Reflecting on their US tour, Blood noted its promising potential aided by Virgin's financial backing and their use of Motörhead's tour bus. Early performances at venues such as LA's Scream Club attracted sizable audiences and generated considerable buzz.
In 1988, Lime Spiders toured across Europe, including an appearance at the Roskilde Festival. Their follow-up album, Volatile, produced by Peter Blyton and released in May, failed to replicate the commercial success or critical praise of its predecessor. Ian McFarlane characterized it as containing solid hard rock numbers but lacking the raw intensity of earlier work; AllMusic referred to it as "More '60s-style punk." A four-track EP from these sessions emerged in March 1989. By this period, Michael Couvret (formerly of The Celibate Rifles) had joined on rhythm guitar alongside Bambach, Blood, Corben, and Lawson.
December 1988 brought lineup changes with Phil Hall (ex-Sardine v, Dropbears) taking over bass duties from Bambach and Mark Wilkinson (The Girlies) replacing Couvret on guitar. This formation supported Iggy Pop during his January 1989 Australian Instinct tour at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion and Newcastle Workers Club (which was later damaged by an earthquake). They also contributed a cover of The Misunderstood's "Children of the Sun" for Timberyard Records' Christmas compilation Rockin Bethlehem. Wilkinson played guitar on their third studio album, Beethoven's Fist, produced by Kevin Shirley and mixed by Michael Brauer in Los Angeles. Released in November 1990, it was regarded as an "underrated hard rock" record. The October single "Cherry Red" featured "Mr Big Mouth," co-written by Wilkinson and Blood, as its B-side. Following a promotional performance at London's Marquee Club as a four-piece ensemble, Lime Spiders disbanded once again.
Throughout their tenure, Lime Spiders delivered an intense blend of piercing vocals and fuzz-drenched guitar riffs that fused acid punk with heavy metal influences. AllMusic described them as a post-punk outfit that revived raucous '60s garage and psychedelic rock with unrestrained energy.
Reunions and reformations: Nine Miles High
In 1992, Blood and Hall reassembled Lime Spiders with fresh additions Luke Mason on drums and Jayne Murphy handling lead guitar duties. The band joined The Black Crowes as support during their Australian tour but dissolved again within half a year. In 1995, the Goo Goo Dolls covered "Slave Girl" on their album A Boy Named Goo. The group reformed once more in 1998, featuring Bambach, Blood, Corben, Lawson, alongside new guitarist Dave Sparks.
September 2002 saw the release of Nine Miles High, a compilation album issued by Raven Records/EMI Records. This collection included 26 tracks comprising rare B-sides and selections from EPs, accompanied by a detailed twelve-page booklet chronicling the band's history. Following this release, Lime Spiders embarked on their first tour in five years. In 2004, they appeared as special guests for Detroit's MC5.
Lime Spiders reunited again for a May 2006 performance at the Annandale Hotel, with early guitarist Jakimyszyn returning to the lineup. The subsequent year featured a national tour with the ensemble of Blood, Corben, Hall, Lawson, and Sparks to promote Live at The Esplanade, a live album recorded in January 1997 at Melbourne’s Esplanade Hotel. This live album functions as a greatest hits compilation and includes two previously unreleased songs: "Society of Soul" and "The Dead Boys".
In December 2008, the band performed three shows with Bambach back in the fold and Tom Corben (Gerard Corben’s son) replacing Lawson on drums. This lineup also took part in the Hoodoo Gurus' Dig It Up event in Sydney in 2013. That same year, their song "Slave Girl" was selected as the theme for ABC-TV's Paper Giants: Magazine Wars.
Following Mick Blood’s brain injury in 2014, Lime Spiders held a benefit concert without him on 23 September in Sydney. The event featured guest singers and was supported by Celibate Rifles, Psychotic Turnbuckles, Hey! Charger, and Dubrovniks.
Plans for another benefit show in November 2015 at Sydney’s Bald Faced Stag Hotel included singer and actor Ripley Hood stepping in for Blood. However, this event was canceled shortly thereafter due to objections raised by Blood himself.
In June 2023, Mick Blood announced that Lime Spiders would be disbanding permanently. He cited difficulties managing intense scrutiny exacerbated by social media platforms. Blood stated: "I've finally given up the rock 'n' roll circus after a highly successful international career... Random people posting dodgy footage & hurtful comments from online trolls were the last straw."
Timeline
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Colors =
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass guitar id:vocals value:red legend:Vocals id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:rhythm value:green legend:Guitar id:keyboards value:purple legend:Keyboards id:lines value:black legend:Albums
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1979 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1982
LineData =
at:01/01/1987 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1988 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1990 color:black layer:back at:01/01/1997 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2003 color:black layer:back at:01/01/2007 color:black layer:back
BarData =
bar:Blood text:"Mick Blood" bar:Mather text:"Darryl Mather" bar:Grothe text:"Eric Grothe" bar:Jakimyszyn text:"Richard Jakimyszyn" bar:Gerard text:"Gerard Corben" bar:Wilkinson text:"Mark Wilkinson" bar:Couvret text:"Mike Couvret" bar:Cann text:"Peter Cann" bar:Mann text:"Brian Mann" bar:Murphy text:"Peter Murphy" bar:Sparks text:"Dave Sparks" bar:Guest text:"Dave Guest" bar:Gilbert text:"Warwick Gilbert" bar:Tony text:"Tony Bambach" bar:Hall text:"Phil Hall" bar:Cleary text:"Jeff Cleary" bar:Rawle text:"Stephen Rawle" bar:Lawson text:"Richard Lawson" bar:Mason text:"Luke Mason" bar:Shepherd text:"Murray Shepherd" bar:Corben text:"Tom Corben" bar:Tatham text:"Bruce Tatham"
PlotData=
width:10 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Blood from:01/01/1979 till:31/12/2008 color:vocals bar:Gerard from:01/01/1984 till:01/01/1985 color:rhythm bar:Gerard from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1991 color:rhythm bar:Gerard from:01/01/1997 till:31/12/1997 color:rhythm bar:Gerard from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2007 color:rhythm bar:Gerard from:01/01/2007 till:31/12/2008 color:rhythm bar:Tony from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1985 color:bass bar:Tony from:01/01/1986 till:01/01/1988 color:bass bar:Tony from:01/01/1997 till:31/12/1997 color:bass bar:Tony from:01/01/2002 till:31/12/2002 color:bass bar:Tony from:01/01/2006 till:31/12/2006 color:bass bar:Tony from:01/01/2008 till:31/12/2008 color:bass bar:Sparks from:01/01/1997 till:end of 2006 color:rhythm bar:C orben from:start 2008 till:end 2008 color :drums bar :Lawson from:start 1983 till:start 1985 color :drums Bar :Lawson till 1992 and in 1997 , 2007 color drums (see dates) Bar Hall bass 1988–97 and 2007 Bar Cleary drums 1981–82 Bar Couvret rhythm 1988 Bar Gilbert bass 1982 Bar Grothe rhythm 1979 Bar Guest bass 1981–82 Bar Jakimyszyn rhythm multiple periods Bar Cann rhythm 1991 Bar Mann rhythm 1992 Bar Mason drums 1992 Bar Mather rhythm 1979–82 Bar Murphy rhythm 1992 Bar Rawle drums 1982–83 Bar Shepherd drums 2002 Bar Tatham keyboards 1982 Bar Wilkinson rhythm 1988–89
</timeline>
Members
- Mick Blood – Lead Vocals (1979–2023)
- Ray Floyd Jones – Lead Guitarist (2019–2023)
- Paul Zoob – Bass Guitar (2023)
- Richard Lawson – Drummer (1983–1985, 1986–1992, 1997, 2007)
- Dave Sparks – Guitarist (1997–2002, 2007–2017)
- Phil Hall – Bass Player (1988–1997, 2007, 2017)
- Jeff Cleary – Drums (1981–1982)
- Mike Couvret – Guitar (1988)
- Warwick Gilbert – Bass Guitar (1982)
- Eric Grothe – Guitarist (1979)
- Dave Guest – Bassist (1981–1982)
- Richard Jakimyszyn – Guitar (1981–1984, 1985, 2007)
- Peter Cann – Guitarist (1991)
- Luke Mason – Drums (1992)
- Darryl Mather – Guitarist (1979–1982)
- Jayne Murphy – Guitar (1992)
- Stephen Rawle – Drummer (1982–1984)
- Murray Shepherd – Drums (2002)
- Clint Mahoney – Bass (2019)
- Paul Mulreany – Drummer (2019)
- Spike Glover – Drums (2020)
- Bruce Tatham – Keyboardist (1982)
- Tom Gorban – Drums (2008–2014)
- Mark Wilkinson – Guitarist (1988–1989)
Studio albums
| Title | Release information | AUS | US CMJ | UK Indie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slave Girl | Released: 1985; Label: Closer (CL0034) | — | — | 18 |
| The Cave Comes Alive! | Released: April 1987; Label: Virgin (VOZ 2006) | 54 | 11 | — |
| Volatile | Released: May 1988; Label: Virgin (VOZ 2015) | — | — | — |
| Beethoven's Fist | Released: 1990; Label: Virgin (VOZ 2043) | — | — | — |
Live albums
| Title | Release information |
|---|---|
| Lime Spiders Live | Released: November 1997; Label: Virgin |
| Live at the Esplanade | Released: 2007; Label: Figtree Words & Music (FT102) |
Compilation albums
| Title | Release information |
|---|---|
| Headcleaner | Released: 1987; Label: Virgin (VOZ 2012) |
| Blood Sugar Sex Lawson | Released: 1992; Label: Virgin (VOZEPCD 003) |
| Nine Miles High 1983-1990 | Released: 2002; Label: Raven (RVCD-144) |
Extended Plays
| Title | Details | Peak Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | UK Indie | ||
| Weirdo Libido |
|
48 | 29 |
ARIA Music Awards
Since its inception in 1987, the ARIA Music Awards have honored outstanding achievements across Australian music genres.
|- | 1988 | Lime Spiders | Best New Talent | |-