After 18 long years on the road, both here and abroad, Grinspoon guitarist Pat Davern cites a small festival gig in Brisbane as a career highlight.
“The first time we realised people were interested in the band came around the time of the Livid Festival in Brisbane in 1997 where we played on the small Loudmouth stage and it was packed to the rafters,” he remembers. “People couldn't get in, they were hanging from the rooves. That was a big deal for us because we felt like our hard work had paid off and we were finally moving in the right direction.”
More than a decade later, following seven album releases, thirteen ARIA nominations and over half a million records sold, Grinspoon are about to go on an indefinite hiatus, having made their mark as one of the most enduring bands in Australian rock history. “I think we've achieved a lot over that period of time. There's a lot of stuff that we wanted to do that we have achieved,” Pat says.
“We won our first ARIA in 2004 with ‘Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills’. We went to the US last year to record our most recent album, ‘Black Rabbits’. It's a great achievement to go overseas to record. Getting signed at Universal back in the ‘90s was another achievement. Obviously there are a lot of things we have done that we're proud of, but there are a lot of things we want to do in the future.”
Playing the part of a rock star has not always been smooth sailing for Pat, who describes the last 18 years as a “rollercoaster ride”. He concedes that personal lowlights have been fleeting in the grand scheme of things. “They were often matched with highlights, of amazing people playing amazing gigs. You have to take the highs with the lows.”
He likens the collaborative process of songwriting, producing and recording an album to taking a snapshot of the band's life in time. “You go into every album hoping you make the best album you can possibly make but it depends on what kind of songs you're writing. Sometimes we're into playing hard rock, heavy metal, and if we're not feeling excited by that, we go in a different direction. Variety is more important to us than trying to better something we've done before because what we've done in the past has its merits.”
Along with fellow founding members Phil Jamieson, Joe Hansen and Kristian Hopes, Pat puts the band’s staying power and commercial success down to a long and sometimes arduous schedule, citing the hallmark of their success as “our tenacity when it comes to touring”.
“We make albums for ourselves but we go on tour for our fans,” he says. “We go to places bands don't often go. We'll go from the smallest town to the biggest city. It's been about just getting there and giving people what they want.” Some of these cities include Cairns, Townsville and a run of towns in Far North Queensland. “While the weather isn't always fun, we have also played to some great crowds in the UK. Whenever we play in Los Angeles or New York, it's like a dream come true. We did a lot of gigs at CBGBs before it closed down. That's something you'll never be able to take away from us — legendary venues and some pretty legendary gigs.”
No enduring band tours the world without picking up a few admirers along the way and Grinspoon is no exception, with fan reception having played an undeniable influence on their live gigs. “We have a lot of fans that have been there since the very beginning, ones that bought our first and latest records, and we're still getting songs played on Triple J, so some people coming to our shows are only recently aware of the band. Others have become aware of us through their parents. It's strange, once you've been around for 18 years you move into that territory, but I think that most of our fans, if not all of our fans, are really loyal.”
The loyalty of those fans has been justified by the band’s dedication to their craft. “When we were younger, we used to not take shows as seriously as we did later on in our career. As time went on and we got into our second and third album, we treated our shows with a lot more respect because people were paying a decent amount of money to see us play. So we wouldn't drink beforehand and we'd design our setlist to give people what they wanted, as far as a mix of new songs and old songs. At the beginning of the week we'd take it easy, so that by end of the week we could have a little bit more fun. We tried to pace ourselves. It's all about pacing yourself.”
With well over 1,000 shows under their belt, the Aussie rock legends have earned a well-deserved time out. Grinspoon will play their final show (for now) later this month in Brisbane before going on to pursue individual projects. “I'm focusing on producing different types of music, still continuing with rock & roll, but I’ll also be branching out,” Pat says. “Phil's concentrating on doing some solo shows and a solo album. I think Chris and Joe, our drummer and bass player, will probably both continue on as well. We're mainly focused on how we're going to finish this final show off at Eatons Hill and make the most of it while we have the chance.”
Despite excitement and anticipation for what the future holds for the lads, a sense of melancholy remains. “It's the last opportunity that we will be on stage together as a group. It's been a long time, 18 years on the road, pretty much constantly. I love being on the road and making albums together so there may be feelings of regret that we're doing it, but also feelings of excitement because of the opportunities, moving forward. All ‘round, I think the whole evening will be a real celebration.”
