Having toured relentlessly for a decade with no new music in sight, 2022 is shining a spotlight on one of Australia’s most esteemed frontmen, with the legendary Grinspoon vocalist and guitarist Phil Jamieson today sharing his new single “Lights On” and accompanying music video directed by Arlo Cook (Bob Evans, Gretta Zilla). The third single off his impending first-ever solo full-length album ‘Somebody Else’, due out on Friday July 29, “Lights On” is an affable aural gem that’ll certainly shake the crowds into a shimmering frenzy when Phil and his band hit the road this July and August.
With a horde of 2022 appearances onstage at various Aussie festivals helming Grinspoon, including Spring Loaded, Wallapalooza and, imminently, Splendour In The Grass, Phil’s upcoming solo album celebratory launch tour will see Phil, along with band mates Davey Lane on guitar, Sam Raines on drums and Rob Muiños on bass, kicking off at the Eltham Hotel in New South Wales on Wednesday July 27, before traipsing to the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, Avoca Beach and closing out at Lion Arts Factory in Adelaide on Friday August 12.
Tickets for all album launch shows are available now from www.philjamieson.com.au
Boasting more hooks than a tackle box, “Lights On” launches with a crunchy spring in its step, with deep grooves, airy guitars and Phil’s creamy vocals ever-present throughout the tune. With Jackson McRae stepping in to bust out the driving beats, Phil and co-producer Oscar Dawson, aka guitarist for Aussie indie rockers Holy Holy, deliver a dreamy and jangly delight that went through multiple variations before its final end result; and the single also may or may not be inspired by bank heists and memories, as Phil elaborates, “It’s been a journey for ‘Lights On’, going through many iterations and arrangements and what not. It’s a fun song to move shoulders and hips to – and its release also means I’m closer to releasing the album! The track might be about a bank heist? At its core, it’s about always keeping your heart in place for the person that you love. But it’s also about memories that might have betrayed you in some ways, and maybe about stealing money and maybe about hiding it. Maybe its about a bank heist, Oceans 13, Oceans 8. And it also could be about saying: no matter what, I’m gonna kind of hang in there, I’m gonna be there. So sentimental!”
The themes behind Phil’s forthcoming album ‘Somebody Else’ span time, space and the human experience, traversing everything from time travel to trouble, loneliness, desire, escapism and love. Starting to grow sonic legs a decade ago, Phil initially presented what would eventually become ‘Somebody Else’ to his team in 2019. Phil explains, “Initially I presented something to my management the weekend before Bob Hawke died, I was working on a few projects and presented the album, to Wonderlick; and they said it was close but to keep working. So I went away with Oscar, Davey, Jordan, Ben and we polished it up, this was all pre-pandemic, back in 2019”.
A face and voice that would help shape and define the new wave of Australian alternative music back in the mid 90s, Phil has for over a quarter of a century fronted Lismore’s favourite sons Grinspoon. Phil’s distinctive lyrics and vocal stylings piloted the group’s instantaneous meteoric rise, with Grinspoon becoming the first act ‘Unearthed’ by triple j courtesy of their debut track Sickfest. Going on to command over one thousand live shows, 13 ARIA nominations, six consecutive Top 10 chart debuts and multi-platinum album sales, Grinspoon also continued to be triple j darlings over the years, with a whopping 17 tracks polling in multiple Hottest 100 countdowns, including the iconic anthem “Chemical Heart” which took out the #2 spot in 2002 as well as #63 in 2013’s Hottest 100 of All Time edition. An accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist, Phil’s live prowess hasn’t been strictly limited to a band setting, debuting his theatre chops in the 2017 Australian stage production of the Broadway musical American Idiot. Phil’s starring role in the Green Day-penned musical was extremely well received, as has been his more recent solo ventures, including the recently released singles “Trouble” and the title track from his impending debut solo album Somebody Else.
From his staggering impact on the Australian musical landscape to his continued work as a solo artist, performer and philanthropist extraordinaire, merely labelling Phil a jack-of-all-trades would be entirely a disservice to this accomplished creative, who also has an affinity for watching Judge Judy, coffee and “playing tennis badly”. But undeniably with ‘Somebody Else’, Phil yet again cements his rockstar status, with something for everybody on his maiden solo full-length album, and the album’s live tour celebrations will also feature everything you’d hope for, as Phil concludes, “Keep your expectations low and I will supercede them! I never go to concerts expecting much, I always find that if I go in with low expectations, I come away feeling relatively positive. I know it sounds a bit facetious to say, but you can guarantee that I will be there and also accompanied by a band, which is very exciting to really flesh out these songs. And of course, there will be Grinners songs played too, it would be rude not to. I might even throw in a Powderfinger, Jebediah or Spiderbait song too, just to even out my alt 90s cover set?!”
‘Somebody Else’ the album will be released July 29 on vinyl, CD and digitally through Cheersquad Records & Tapes, the Melbourne-based label run by Wally Kempton from The Meanies and Even.