If the bank holidays are not for enjoying that extra day of doing exactly what you want to do amid a warm May spring clutch, then I do not know what they are for. So when Black Spiders announced their show at Cart & Horses, The Birthplace of Iron Maiden, an abundance of fans and I were clicking our knuckles with excitement.
Black Spiders
Cart & Horses, Stratford – 26 May 2024
Words: Monty Sewell
Photography: Ryan Hildrew
The night took on an extra layer of significance as it was the second annual ‘Fanx Club’ show, a special event where club subscribers were granted free entry. This gesture of appreciation from Wyatt Wendels (drums) and Adam Irwin (bass) to their patrons was a testament to their no-fuss, Rock ‘N’ Roll intentions. As expressed by them both before their performance. “The Patreon formed around Covid times when we wanted to put an album together.
“We thought we would see if anyone was interested, and they were. Right from the get-go, we said we would do a free show. We did one last year in Huddersfield and thought we would do two this year. It is also a great opportunity to play some of the deeper cuts. You don’t get a normal Black Spiders setlist at these shows.”
How right they were. The show that night was a relentless onslaught of hard-hitting riffs. A rollercoaster ride of sound that was as in-your-face as it was spectacular. Authentic to their reputation, Black Spiders delivered a heavy rock gruff that only they could pull off with such effortless power.
Opening the night with their debut album title track and salute to their home roots, Sons Of The North, Black Spiders reeled us into their musical ferocity. Then, jumping smoothly into the 2023 race-car riveter Hot Wheels, the band threw in songs from all their current five albums.
Frontman Pete Spiby is unfailing in his dedication to keeping the vocals crisply on point and the venue’s mood unchanging in its beer-swigging, head-shaking, foot-stopping element. The band members swung around each other as one, somehow also leaving ample space for guitar jeers and body swings across the stage.
Their audience drank in every heavy-beat chug from guitar duo led by James Evans, dousing themselves in the Black Spider attack with tracks like Ancient Astronaut, Death Comes Creepin, Cold Dead Hands, Balls, and Stick It to the Man.
What I can only assume to be an ode to actor Matthew McConaughey, Alright Alright Alright, played as smoothly as it sounded, with Wendels bringing the best drummer sneer I have seen in a long time to town.
Their big hit, KISS Tried To Kill Me, played as large as its million-and-some-more stream count. Finishing with Stay Down, Black Spiders truly took Cart & Horses and slam-dunked it into the wild depths of Rock ‘N’ Roll wrath. With a set this good, it would be a sin to say they left the best till last; there is just no way to pinpoint a highlight when the whole show is one.
With their last 2023 album titled Can’t Die, Won’t Die, you would be a fool to assume the band were anything but done. As Wendel confirmed, “There is definitely new material on the horizon which will lead into a tour to accompany that new release. Then maybe an anniversary tour of a certain album…”
In 2026, it will be fifteen years since their debut, so fans will have to wait a couple more years. However, it seems Black Spiders will have more than enough new material and surprises in the meantime.
It was an evening that promised much and delivered even more. But the real beauty was watching a band who were unapologetically themselves. As the guys said, “This is who we are. This is what we do. We are not trying to conform. We are not trying to look a certain way. You either like us or you don’t. It is a bit more of the Motörhead approach.
“We have influences, of course, but it isn’t like we must sound exactly like a certain band and dress like them, like a lot of bands do. Plus, having a killer logo helps as well, you know.” It certainly does.
My biggest piece of advice – apart from seeing a Black Spiders show as soon as you can – is to get your hands on some merch.
