BLACK SPIDERS + GURT - OLBY’S MARGATE, FRIDAY 20TH JUNE 2025
Reviewed by Laura DQ • 25 June 2025
Olby’s, in Margate’s Old Town, is advertised as a soul cafe. But if you’re here this evening in search of smooth grooves and honeyed vocal performances, you’re in for a shock as hard rockers Black Spiders, with support from Gurt, come rolling through on their Sons of Beaches tour. The venue isn’t very busy (well… there’s at least 9 other people!), perhaps the result of Supergrass playing a huge show at the neighbouring Dreamland, but it’s hard to imagine there’s much crossover between their audiences. If you like Supergrass, you’ll almost certainly be horrified by Gurt, who label themselves as 100% premium British sludge, a fairly accurate description that possibly doesn’t prepare you for their vocal approach. Even when introducing the band, frontman Gareth Kelly sounds like he could do with clearing his throat. It’s intentional, of course, and his growls pair nicely with the huge, grooving riffs that are at times reminiscent of Clutch. I particularly enjoy ‘Squidgy Black Slide’, though the lyrics aren’t that easy to decipher (I’m initially convinced they’re singing about a sticky bum slide… whatever that is!). ‘Sludge Puppies’ might have a disarmingly cute title, but is about as cute as an angry Rottweiler who’s hoping to bite your face. Despite a very modest crowd, Gurt play like they mean it, and make an impression with the few of us who have bothered to show up early.
The room fills up a little bit for Black Spiders, though there’s still more space around me than I’m used to. ‘Death Comes Creepin’ gets things underway, a fast-paced rocker that is as no-nonsense as anything from the band’s catalogue. Like many of the greats (think Motörhead, AC/DC, Status Quo), Black Spiders seem to have hit on a formula that works and they’re sticking with it. Powering through sixteen songs in little more than a hour, it’s a relentless riff assault with gang-style choruses that bludgeon you into submission. Impossibly high energy throughout, it’s difficult to know where to look as the band bound around the stage and throw their best rockstar poses. With three guitarists, they make an impressive sight, sometimes lining up with bassist Adam Irwin at the front of the stage for maximum impact.
Frontman Pete Spiby is at his best on ‘Just Like a Woman’, a song that shows off his range perhaps better than any other. Taken from the band’s debut, along with ‘Stay Down’, it’s clear that their identity was established quickly and has only been cemented with the passing of the years. ‘A Rat is a Rat’ is spectacularly frantic, and ‘The Mofo Sauce’ generates a joyful, swear-fest of a singalong. I’ve had my middle finger in the air at gigs a lot recently, and so it is again tonight, Spiby insisting on us shouting ‘F*** you Black Spiders’ as has become tradition.
‘KISS Tried to Kill Me’ brings the set to a raucous, and abrupt conclusion. It’s only 9:30, but there’s no encores and no fuss. Far from feeling short-changed, I feel like I need a bit of a rest after trying to keep up with the energy displayed on stage. Supergrass might have the bigger crowd, but I’d choose to be here every time.
Phone photos by Laura DQ
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