Melbourne trio The Grogans will soon head out on their biggest headline tour yet, taking in almost 20 dates across Australia between March and April in support of latest album, 2022's 'Which Way Is Out'.
Guitarist Angus Vasic says although the band is looking forward to a proper, lengthy stint back on the road, the tour will require himself and bandmates, Quin Grunden and Jordan Lewis, to adopt some healthier touring practices to ensure they're in top shape for every show."When we first started touring and stuff, just driving in our cars, we'd eat like crap," Vasic laughs. "We're trying to go for healthier options and stuff, but it is tricky because you're always eating at funny times when you're on the road. We're yet to learn and master it. . . maybe one day."
'Which Way Is Out' was recorded in between Melbourne's lockdowns. "We'd been sitting on some of the songs for a little while, and yeah, that whole COVID time was just crazy for everyone," Angus explains, "but we were lucky enough to have that time to get away, so we recorded it down at Ocean Grove.
"My grandparents have a holiday place down there, so that's where we've done most of our records, down in the downstairs area there.
"It's just nice, kind of getting away to do it, and being by the water means we can go out for a surf every morning and then get stuck into it."
Unlike 2020 LP 'Day/To/Day', which was mostly written and recorded during a week-long session, the band already had some songs in the bank when they started recording 'Which Way Is Out'.
"Our main goal is to get as much of our music out as we can," Vasic says. "Like, if we're still writing songs and whatnot we want to record them and get them out there, essentially.
"We've just got to find time to get away and record it all with enough time to mix it, that's the hardest part." COVID also provided challenges for the band as they navigated album promotion with capacity restrictions and lockdowns.
"During that funny time everyone was trying to get real imaginative and creative, so yeah we were doing a lot of livestreams and stuff like that just to stay engaged," Angus says.
"I live just around the corner from the boys, so I think we did a little sneaky a couple of times where I'd go over just to play music," he adds, laughing. "We were being safe – none of us had been out to see anyone or anything – I'd just go over there to play some music and we'd do a few livestreams and stuff every now and then."
When live music returned, though, it presented The Grogans with additional challenges. "It was all limited capacities and stuff, but you just had to do it," Vasic laughs.
"Playing ten half-capacity sit-down shows in a row at The Corner Hotel and stuff like that – you've just got to figure out a way around it."
The band has received multiple requests to perform all-ages shows, Vasic says, which they're trying to accommodate as much as possible, with under-18s matinee shows scheduled for Perth, Brisbane and Melbourne on their upcoming tour.
"The kids love it, and they go even more mental than the 18-plus crowd a lot of the time so we figure why not?" Angus laughs.
"I think playing The Corner Hotel last year was pretty sick. We did an underage show during the day and then an over-age one that night, and they both kind of packed out. That's been a venue we've always been going to see shows at, so that has always been a dream venue to play."
This year's tour will take the band to another iconic Melbourne venue – The Croxton in Thornbury. "That's a bigger venue again," Vasic says. "We're really bloody nervous for that one."
Not that The Grogans have anything to worry about.
After releasing their debut EP 'Grogan Grove' in 2018, the band has gone from strength to strength, including national tours with Hockey Dad, festival appearances and now their most extensive run of headline shows to date, including a festival appearance at Ninch Fest on the Mornington Peninsula.
Playing festivals requires a slightly different mind set, Vasic says. "You kind of go into it not knowing who's going to be watching, or how many people," he explains.
"We always look at it optimistically, in the way of hopefully we're playing to lots of people that haven't seen us and then gain a few more fans, potentially. We love it – just knowing that a lot of the people won't have heard of us before, so it's fresh ears, and you just go and give it your best crack."
The Grogans 2023 Tour Dates
Fri 10 Feb - Ninch Festival (Mornington Peninsula)Fri 10 Mar - Lion Arts Factory (Adelaide)
Sat 11 Mar - Settlers Tavern (Margaret River)
Sun 12 Mar - Y HQ (Perth)*u18 matinee
Sun 12 Mar - Badlands Bar (Perth)
Thu 16 Mar - The Northern (Byron Bay)
Fri 17 Mar - Mo's Desert Clubhouse (Gold Coast)* sold out
Sat 18 Mar - O'Skulligans (Brisbane)*u18 matinee* sold out
Sat 18 Mar - The Brightside (Brisbane)
Sun 19 Mar - Solbar (Sunshine Coast)
Thu 23 Mar - Dicey Riley's (Wollongong)
Fri 24 Mar - Crowbar (Sydney)
Sat 25 Mar - The Cambridge Hotel (Newcastle)
Sun 26 Mar - UC Hub (Canberra)
Fri 31 Mar - The Royal Oak (Launceston)
Sat 1 Apr - Altar Bar (Hobart)
Thu 6 Apr - Torquay Hotel (Torquay)
Fri 14 Apr - The Croxton (Melbourne)
Sat 22 Apr - The Gasometer (Melbourne)*u18 matinee* sold out
Sun 23 Apr - The Gasometer (Melbourne)*u18 matinee
