Phwoar mate, the atmosphere at this show was completely unchained. The crowd were HOT for Grinners, who opened with ‘Anyday, Anyhow’ and of course the massive ‘Lost Control’. Talk about a crowd coming unglued. Props to Phil, the bloke is looking pretty cool up there as he commanded the stage and the crowd. ‘American Party Bombs’ cranked next and the energy with the flashing stage lighting created unmitigated chaos which hit all the senses of the Grinner faithful.
As if we weren’t aware, this was a rock show, and we were reminded of that fact when ‘Rock Show’ was next. Energy, energy, energy. Even if the pace of the song is a little less frantic than the prior tunes. ‘Ready 1′ was up next with a real bad ass tubthumping beat to keep the ladies boppin’ and the fellas swiggin’. ‘Tang’ was next, I assume an homage to some Orange Pop drink, or something far easily consumable on a regular basis.
Ahh, that sweet feeling of nostalgia. ‘No Reason’ was next which brought me back 15 years when I used to crank the ‘Best In Show’ compilation when I would hang out with my old lost friend Mr Green. ‘Better Off Dead’ was next up and that just instigated the continued wild atmosphere at the Astor. Lead Vocalist Phil Jamieson was on point and brother, you are trim and you look younger now than you did 15 years ago. ‘Violent And Lazy’ followed and that was what you call a palette cleanser.
‘Secrets’ and ‘Boltcutter’ were next in line, as Grinners hit the midway point of the set with continued gusto, I double dog dare any Aussie Rock artist to try to keep up with the ferocity of Grinspoon. Also, I know the setlist, so I was preparing myself what was about to come.
‘Chemical Heart’ was next, a sure-fire crowd pleaser, homie. That opening riff made the roof blow off this mother, that wonderful, blissful, sound of happy tipsy lady rockers screaming in happiness. It never gets old!
‘1000 Miles’, ‘Overdriver’ and ‘Hate’ tided us over following this, and I don’t mean to downplay those songs and their importance to this set by skimming, but you’d be here all night ladies and gentlemen if I fine tooth combed this review. They kept this party rockin’. 1000 Miles is actually a super wild time!
Now we got to the business end of the proceedings. One of my favourite ballads was next ‘Better Off Alone’ reminding me of days long gone, when I would break up with old girlfriends because the combinations at the time were just incorrect. They have so many songs that take you back to an old thought, moment, memory, and that’s what makes a band deserve this longevity that Grinspoon have enjoyed. They can tour forever, and those that love and follow them will forever get that dopamine hit every time they see them perform, and bring their stressed out minds in this wicked world back to a place of love and sweet reminiscence.
‘Hard Act to Follow’ lit us up once more, and we all know about those Sundays. It’s only Friday but at this rate some in attendance might still be on the go by then considering the utter elation the venue was enjoying.
Just quietly, I am tearing it up with this review. “There’s magic in the air” Phillyboy said, post Hard Act. We got 4 to go and it’s time to talk about felines. DCx3 is a personal favourite of mine. It really wails. ‘Just Ace’ was definitely what we needed next like we hadn’t been spoiled enough already. Again, as that riff hits, you hear all the excited ladies squeal! That’s a noise that will never get old, just like the dopamine fuelled pace of this cracking tune.
We get to our encore of the evening, as if it couldn’t get any better. ‘Champion’ was the way to go. It was really something something else in that venue brother. Shout out to my boys at Explosive Pro Wrestling as this song was their calling card for a long, long time.
We finish the proceedings up with the intense ‘More Than You Are’ to give us the ‘pop’ we are looking for. That’s the climax, the pop. The moment where you know you have been satisfied because we’ve all been musically shagged senseless.
Setlist: Anyday, Anyhow, Lost Control, American Party Bomb, Rock Show, Ready 1, Tang, No Reason, Better Off Dead, Violent and Lazy, Secrets, Boltcutter, Chemical Heart, 1000 Miles, Overdriver, Hate, Better Off Alone, Hard Act to Follow, DC X 3, Just Ace, Champion, More Than You Are
With thanks to On The Map PR for the media access. Photos by Hunter Brothers Media
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