SPIDER set for two‑night support slot with Amyl and The Sniffers at ‘Wider Than Pictures’

You can do whatever the f**k you want, and the only person who can tell you you can’t is yourself,” explains Tallaght artist SPIDER (real name Jennifer Irabor).

SPIDER, who left Ireland at the age of 18 to pursue a music career in London, will support Amyl and The Sniffers for two nights at the ‘Wider Than Pictures’ concert series on August 25 and 26.

Her genre of music is a mixture between punk rock, alternative, and indie, with a recent shift to heavier rock music.

She will be playing a 30-minute set on each of the two nights, consisting of original music from her last two EPs.

SPIDER is looking forward to it, remarking, “It will be a really sick punk show,” while also expressing her admiration for Amyl and the Sniffers as “such an important alternative band right now.”

Music did not feature prominently at home, as her parents were more academic, apart from certain chart hits discovered through the radio, internet and social media.

Nigerian protest music was also a fixture in the household, having a punk sensibility and criticising government corruption, which influenced SPIDER’s political rock music.

Years later, she convinced her parents to move to London to pursue a music degree at BIMM, telling her father, “Do you really think I could be a successful alternative black artist if I stay here, in this house? ”.

This decision was influenced by the lack of diversity in the alternative music scene in Ireland in 2016, with SPIDER stating, “I didn’t feel at the time that I could do what I need to do if I stayed here.”

SPIDER wants to “push the boundaries of what a black female artist is expected to sound like”, particularly to challenge the generalisation that “when you’re a black woman in music, you’re probably going to make R&B or pop”.

She has since grown a strong following, earning over three million streams, a tight-knit social community and a reputation as one of Ireland’s most daring alternative female artists.

Reflecting on this, her ambition is clear: she wishes to “represent Ireland on a world stage” and “be one of the biggest rock stars in the world”.

Her goal has always been to make an impact in the alternative music scene, though success is not always expected; “You’re chugging along for so long that you don’t even realise when things start to really happen.”

It has come with its challenges, though: SPIDER is an independent artist who funds all of her gigs and projects herself, so there are financial and logistical obstacles.

However, this does not deter her, as she remarks that she just has to “roll with the punches” and “you cannot get too hung up on what goes wrong because you’ll probably solve it faster if you just hunker down.”

She is currently working on an album and writing and recording more material; she is also preparing a gig in Portsmouth in October.

SPIDER is also considering taking a break from social media, emphasising the importance of “allowing people to miss you”.

Among the many people SPIDER would like to thank for helping her career reach the point it has, she acknowledges Ms Coughlan, her music teacher from Colaiste Bride in Clondalkin, who wrote her recommendation letter for BIMM London.

SPIDER supports Amyl and The Sniffers on August 25 and 26, as part of the ‘Wider Than Pictures’ concert series at The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks.

Tickets are on sale now from ticketmaster.ie and singularartists.ie.