The Lime Spiders sound like a 1960s garage band that was cryogenically frozen and thawed out in the middle of a 1980s Sydney pub brawl. Their music is a high-velocity collision of primitive rock and roll, psychedelic swirl, and punk aggression. It is defined by Mick Blood's shredded, high-intensity vocals and a guitar tone that feels like it's physically vibrating the speakers out of their cabinets.
What sets them apart is the 'mutant' quality of their sound. While many garage revivalists aim for a polite retro aesthetic, the Spiders lean into a heavier, almost metal-adjacent grit. They take the organ-driven mystery of psych-rock and inject it with a raw, Australian 'pub rock' muscularity that makes the music feel dangerous and immediate rather than nostalgic.
Start with 'The Cave Comes Alive!' to hear them at their peak. It captures the frantic energy of their live shows while showcasing the songwriting chops that made 'Slave Girl' and 'Weirdo Libido' underground anthems. It is the perfect entry point for anyone who likes their rock and roll loud, fast, and slightly unhinged.
Lime Spiders were an Australian punk rock band who formed in 1979 with Mick Blood on lead vocals. He was later joined by Richard Lawson on drums, and David Sparks on guitar. Their debut studio album, The Cave Comes Alive! was released in June 1987 and reached the top 60 on the Kent Music Report Albums Chart. Their most successful single, "Weirdo Libido", was released in January that year and reached the top 50 on the related Kent Music Report Singles Chart. In April its music video was the first ever shown on Australian Broadcasting Corporation TV music series rage. The track was used on the 1988 feature film Young Einstein's soundtrack. The group disbanded in 1990 and in 1999 Australian musicologist, Ian McFarlane, noted they had provided "raucous sound mixed screaming vocals and wild, fuzz-tone guitar riffs to arrive at a mutant strain of acid punk that bordered on heavy metal".
Shares garage rock, punk rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style)
Shares garage rock, punk rock, hard rock (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style); garage rock, punk rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style); rebellious, energetic, brooding (moods)
Shares garage rock, punk rock, hard rock (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style)
Shares lo fi, analog warmth, live recording (production style); garage rock, punk rock (subgenres)
Shares rebellious, energetic, defiant (moods); garage rock, punk rock, hard rock (subgenres)
Shares garage rock, punk rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres); lo fi, analog warmth, noise textured (production style)
Shares garage rock, punk rock, hard rock (subgenres); rebellious, energetic, defiant (moods)
Shares garage rock, punk rock, psychedelic rock (subgenres); lo fi, noise textured, analog warmth (production style)
Shares garage rock, gritty, punk rock, hard rock (signature)
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