Interview with Shannon Lee, SpiderBaby

SpiderBaby, a four piece from Brighton have weaved their spidery debut album and are preparing for its release in the coming months. The Power Pop/Rock/Electro band released a debut EP last year 'The Death of Spiderbaby' and their fan base has been growing ever since.

We talked to the bands self proclaimed Singer/Rhythm Guitarist/Songwriter/Keyboard player/Bass player/Dancer/ Clearer upper/Fluffer, Shannon Lee:


With your debut album release just around the corner, how are you feeling?
*touches self..* I feel good! (laughs)
No, I feel, as do the rest of the band, very excited! The material on the new record is the best yet! The production blows 'The Death Of SpiderBaby' away totally!


Tell us about the album. Which songs do you think are your best?
The spec was to make an album that you put on before you go out to the sweatiest indie/electro/rock club! It had to be an album that made you dance with lots of throbbing bass & scuzzy guitars. We've always made a very strange type of dance music but with 'Where The Strange Ones Go' we wanted to take it that step further.

It truly is the best material that I've certainly written. As a band we really sweated blood on this thing! Easy cop out to say that all of the material is awesome (which it is!) but personal faves are 'Scream My Name', 'Scary But So Much Fun' & 'Erotic Nymphos In Love' (that you can hear on our MySpace page) but it changes day to day. There are 11 tracks on the record, so plenty for everybody.


How would you describe SpiderBaby’s sound?
Every listener has a different interpretation. We like that.


Where did the name ‘SpiderBaby’ come from?
It's a cult 1960s B-movie. If you get a chance to watch it, do! Its lots of fun!
We are sometimes asked if we're named after the Father Ted sketch. Hahaha!


Which artists do you look up to and get inspiration from?
Each band member has their own influences which probably has a lot to do with the sound. Start off with Prince, Kiss, NIN, Grace Jones & Serge Gainsbourge & you're headed in the right direction.


It’s been a few years since starting SpiderBaby, are you happy with how things have gone so far?
We started in mid-2006 after having played in various bands. We pretty much self released our debut single 'Lovebuzz!Teenage Odyssey' within a month of being together. We had a different female vocallist & Jonti wasn't in the band. Jonti joined in November 2006 & we played our debut gig a month later, with a UK tour in January 2007. It didn't work out with the original singer, we got another girl who remained with us for 3 months before Ashleigh joined in October 2007.
From when Ashleigh joined to now, things blew right through the roof! You could effectively say that SpiderBaby as you know it, have been together since October 2007.
Am I happy with where we're at? Absolutely! I think the industry has changed so much, record labels are no longer as important as they once were. Any band can release their own material & promote to a very good level. SpiderBaby has a rabid fan base (& no, I don't mean they froth at the mouths, folks!) in that they love SpiderBaby with a passion! Our debut EP physically sold out with little to no mainline advertising & our downloads on iTunes still sell brilliantly every month! Our friends don't care about anybody that doesn't 'get it'... they just hunger for everything & anything SpiderBaby!
Even if SpiderBaby never sell a million records, we are blessed to have such a devoted, loyal SpiderBaby family.


Have you hit any stumbling blocks along the way?
Plenty including drug abuse, alcohol dependency, inter-band relationships, clinical depression & even a run in with religious groups (over our song 'Crucify') but the good times far outweigh the bad!


You very recently made a new music video, how did it go?
It was for the song 'Erotic Nymphos In Love', we filmed it this past weekend. It was a long day but with so many scantily clad pretty people walking around, how could I ever complain?


Lastly, what can people going to see SpiderBaby expect?
You can't promise much in this world, but I PROMISE, you come & see SpiderBaby, you'll get more sex, blood, lust, romance, dancers & melodrama than any other band can deliver!! We will make you sweat!!
Oh, & did I mention the dwarfs..?

Check out SpiderBaby's MySpace at www.myspace.com/spiderbabyband

Damon Fowler
Comfort in Sound