You may recall my review of the Black Spiders latest album Cvrses, earlier this year. In it, I said that the band had once again drenched the album in memorable anthemic choruses via a safe and reliable route. Cvrses really sat in the rinse-and-repeat cycle. But that was not to say that it was not a fun and enjoyable record.
Black Spiders / The Cartoon Cartel
The Patriot, Crumlin – 26 April 2025
Words And Photography: Paul Hutchings
Live, Black Spiders bring their A-game. Despite a rather strangely subdued and sparse audience at The Patriot on a warm Spring evening, the quintet refused to go quietly into the night, delivering a solid set over 65 minutes which pleased the diehards in the crowd whilst interesting those who may have been more of the curious disposition.
Whether it is because they have played here not that long ago, as well as making appearances at the local Steelhouse Festival, or if it was because the venue itself was still recovering from the Thrashing it took at the hands of Vio-Lence and Exhorder two nights earlier, who knows.
But the numbers who turned out were limited. Between songs, an eerie silence hung in the air, forcing frontman Pete Spiby to work harder than he might have had to on the rest of this tour.
It is usually a good night with Black Spiders, and tonight is no exception. They plunder deeply from Cvrses. Opener Never Enough already feels classic Black Spiders, whilst others from the new album that stand out include Tom Petty’s Lips, which garners a few strange and confused faces, and the powerful No Superman. 
Of course, like every band, Black Spiders have their speel, their traditional comedic mid-show singalong, which comes as usual with the slightly tired refrain of “Fuck You Black Spiders” during Stay Down. For me, this is something that could be retired.
However, one can’t help feeling there is extra venom in their delivery of the words “fuck you and this one-horse town” tonight.
If you want an anthem, though, it’s set closer to Kiss Tried To Kill Me from This Savage Land that gets the crowd fully onboard. Last time the band were here, The Hot Damn were on stage in full Kiss make-up.
Not tonight, but that final anthem, with the hook that lingers for days, provided a pleasing finale to a set that was not lacking in energy on the stage but which, for whatever reason, was not fully matched on the other side of the barrier.
The Cartoon Cartel
Any band which contains members of Blind River is going to ensure that riffs are front and centre. So it proved, with the trio who comprise The Cartoon Cartel ensuring the good patrons of The Patriot were reaching for their earplugs almost straight away.
This is a band with a pedigree that is playing only their second-ever live show tonight. It wasn’t anything to fear, for Blind River guitarist Dan Edwards and drummer Mark Sharpless alongside long-time friend Tommy Smith are seasoned professionals.
The riffs were expansive and ferocious, providing those with a fragile disposition some tremors in the force, I’m sure. 
Smith leads with vocals and guitar, whilst Edwards works in his own level of riff chaos, which combines with Sharpless’s frightening battery on the limited kit. The songs are still in their infancy, but there is a sludgy power that appeals to those who like it big and boisterous.
Edwards takes the lead vocals on one track before the expansive Doom sees the band deliver an extended and intoxicating workout that leads to the final track, aptly named Going Out on the setlist.
Given that their song titles include Second Song, Third Song and New One, one surmises that The Cartoon Cartel has a lot more to give. On this showing, this power trio are definitely worth keeping tabs on.
