Grinspoon are touring to support the release of vinyl copies of their classic 1999 and 2002 albums, 'Easy' and 'New Detention'.
The Grinners, as they are known to fans, had already seen significant success in the 1990s, triggered by being Unearthed by triple j. However, the aforementioned two albums pushed the four-piece from their Lismore stomping ground to a new, national level, and certainly warrant the special vinyl release (the first time Grinspoon's music has been released on vinyl), which looking at the local charts has done extremely well.The focus of the event at The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane (16 December) was to run through some of the excellent material from both albums for the fans – and what a night it was!
The crowd had been fully warmed up by two excellent support acts – more on that later – when it was the Grinners' time to perform. They came on, emerging from behind a curtain simply labelled Easy Detention, and surged into their set, kicked off by 'Anyday Anyhow'. This was followed by what I thought was one of the evening's highlights, 'Lost Control'.
Lead singer Phil Jamieson was in his element, and really channelled Michael Hutchence in his appearance, stance, dancing, (and later in the evening did the only non-Grinspoon song of the evening, INXS' 'Don't Change').
Grinspoon - image © Bill Prendergast
The boys moved quickly into 'Rock Show' off 'Easy'. One standout for me in this song, and throughout the evening, was the brilliant driving bass played by Joe Hansen.
'Rock Show' has a bassline reminiscent of the infamous 'Bullet In The Head' by Rage Against The Machine, the song has a similar energy level, and the Grinspoon boys seem to have been influenced by what was coming out of California in the 1990s.
We started to see the first tentative attempts at crowd surfing at this point, and 'No Reason' had the crowd in raptures, and a strong mosh pit was forming. At various points, Jamieson was singing into his mic through a megaphone – this was back for 'Secrets'.
Grinspoon - image © Bill Prendergast
The best-known song for the evening was 'Chemical Heart' from 'New Detention'. This was introduced with some lovely finger-picking on a lovely rosewood-coloured Stratocaster guitar, and again had that lovely underlying bass playing by Hansen.
'1000 Miles' was much heavier, followed by some solo guitar work by Pat Davern.
Little did the crowd know that this allowed Jamieson to exit the stage, relocating himself to the back of The Fortitude Music Hall, to play the solo INXS cover, supported by sparing but haunting guitar on the main stage of the famous melody. His voice sounded fantastic on this; he has not lost any of its range.
Grinspoon - image © Bill Prendergast
A couple more crowd-pleasers were followed by Jamieson asking the crowd: "Is it time for a sing-along?" The sing-along was 'DCX3', better known simply as 'Dead Cat'. I loved this piece, the bass was incredible, and Hansen was playing out on the risers, singing all lyrics with no mic.
After a couple more songs, Jamieson was asking whether the crowd wanted one more? The crowd, who were aware Grinspoon don't do encores, and 90 minutes into the show, knew end was approaching. Grinspoon launched into the high-energy 'Champion', which wasn't my pick of the night, but the crowd loved it.
This left time for one more, and they finished on a huge high. 'More Than You Are' is another of their best-known songs, and did not disappoint. It's a great song, and ended with a huge light show, and confetti dropping from the ceiling, creating a worthy sense of climax.
Grinspoon - image © Bill Prendergast
These guys are still playing huge gigs, with maximum effort, around major Australian venues, to adoring fans. A lot has been written about the band and the members, but in the end what they will eventually leave is a huge legacy of great music and excellent live shows.
Prior to Grinspoon, the show had kicked off with two supports. First was the young and slightly nervous, Ixaras. The nervousness dissipated quickly, and the 16-year-old (!) lead singer dove into a range of music, which has seen her selected as a finalist in the 2023 triple j Unearthed competition.
I really enjoyed the original music, with lovely playing by the guitarist putting some complex, bell-like tones underneath the vocals. These guys have been given a huge platform, playing with the quality of the later acts, and I'm sure they will grasp it and succeed.
Ixaras - image © Bill Prendergast
Which leads me into the second act of the evening, punk band Private Function. Certainly a shift into a much less melodic style of music, but these guys came highly recommended from numerous sources, and did not disappoint.
I'd put the act down to more of a visual experience, rather than stunning music, but they put on an incredible show. To say high energy is a huge understatement, and I think we were lucky not to see any injuries – not always the case at their gigs apparently!
The band was setup as a six-piece, with a core high-quality drummer, lead guitarist and rhythm guitarist. The other three members changed roles, starting on synth, bass and vocals and rotating roles on subsequent songs.
Lead singer Chris Penney was throwing VB cans into the crowd to help them get into the mood, and during 'Grabbing My Butt' actually mooned the crowd, and there was certainly some Bon Scott influence or reverence shown. They are known for much worse antics than this, so the crowd was not shocked, and was fully supportive.
Late in their set, they covered in a very heavy way, ABBA's 'SOS', which was an unexpected choice. I wouldn't say I loved Private Function's music, but I did love the show, and so did the crowd! They really have to be seen to be believed.
Private Function - image © Bill Prendergast
Overall, the evening highlighted to me the strength of Australian music, headlined by one of the key players in the industry for the past 30 years. Go and see Grinspoon if you get the chance – you will absolutely not be disappointed, I found the evening a sensational one!
More photos from the show.
