Ash Grunwald is an amazing story teller, drawing you in with his captivating charm and infectious brand of blues, returning to the newly renovated Indi Bar stage at the Indian Ocean Hotel in Scarborough. Well, a year on and Ash has only continued to best himself. Here he is, another year older, another year wiser. A few more smile lines on his face, a few more songs in his repertoire, singing his stories since last we met.
It was a year ago when I first saw Ash play a sold out show on stage at the Milkbar and wrote my first review, blown away by the raw talent and energy that I saw. Tonight was serendipitous and almost to the day to see him play again, one year later. He brought along incredibly talented friends Beth Chia and Charlie Youngson to open the night. The crowd was treated to a musically delicious dinner for the ears in both of the supports.
Ash Grunwald continues to be an ocean, with all the depth that an endless bottom of water holds. He continues to draw from his life and the world around him to shape his music, singing from the heart and soul. On a warm Sunday night, the packed out Indi Bar were here for it. They couldn’t get enough and ate up every bite of the dish that Ash served. Commentary provided by Ash throughout the night touched on the relatable contrasts of a difficult work life balance: being away from his family while being a professional musician, having to be on the road while doing everything he does for his children. It made his songs hit home all the more harder with each note.
Ash had great crowd engagement right from the get-go, with the crowd responding to his presence as though they were welcoming an old friend back that they hadn’t seen in a while. Everything Ash touches turns to gold, he is a master of his instruments and his instruments are extensions of his hands and his very being. He continuously showed the audience why he is still a blues master as he rotated through his guitars, stomp boxes, bells and loop pedals to deliver a performance of epic proportions throughout his set.
His cheeky personality came through as he improvised his way through getting a guitar tech up on stage to switch his leads around mid-opening songs, to the crowds’ delight. He spoke about being both sad and excited to play the last ever Blues fest happening soon, in the same sence that Johnny Farnham did his last tour. The crowd gave that energy right back to Ash on stage with clap alongs and sing alongs that had everyone in the packed Indi Bar band room whopping with cheers of delight. His soulful melodic voice, fast paced rhythm and ability to capture a crowd and take them along on his musical journey was an absolute pleasure to witness. Ash Grunwald has still got it!
With thanks to Danni & Ash for the media accreditation.
Photos by Mark Diggins
