GRINSPOON - Live in Sydney
Easy Detention Tour - Friday 17th November 2023
Written by: Jimmy Wah - Sense Music Media | Saturday 17th November 2023
Photos by: RA >> FULL GALLERY
For Australians that grew up in the late 90’s and turn of the century, the word GRINSPOON is synonymous with youth and having a good time. That’s definitely the category I fit into… From hearing their tracks featured on video games that we played on the Sony Playstation, to countless parties, beach hangs, to blasting them on the car stereo as I learned to drive. The last time I saw Grinners play live at Enmore Theatre was in 2017 when they marked their return to the stage for the 20th Anniversary of their debut album A Guide To Better Living. Since then they’ve headlined countless Spring Loaded festivals which Sense Music Media has been lucky enough to cover alongside Phil Jamieson’s solo career which Sense Music Media and Moshcam have both covered. As 2023 marks the 20th Anniversary of GRINSPOON’s landmark album New Detention and the re-release of Easy, both with vinyl pressings, what better way to spend a balmy November eve than watch them play one of Sydney’s greatest live music venues once again?
The audience filtered in from the daylight outside and were treated to the high energy fun of a 6-piece broadway-style rock ‘n’ roll band CUPID AND THE STUPIDS from Byron Bay. Dressed in a classy one-piece outfit, frontwoman JuJu had everything from smiles and sparkles to tap dancing and sassy vocals. The band delivered an equally entertaining performance behind every mic, adding to the vitality of the performance donning classy red and black featured outfits. Switching between guitars, keys, assisted drumming, tambourines and syncopated dance moves, I half expected a sax solo to make an entrance at some point. It felt like anything would be a welcome fit, making it a perfect opener for the assembling crowd.
Next up were PRIVATE FUNCTION, a very different beast with arguably even more energy. Vocalist Chris Penney seemed like he’d been let out of a cage as soon as he hit the stage. The only thing keeping him leashed was the cord of his microphone and even then, he made the mic’s future look uncertain. The names of their studio releases such as Six Smokin’ Songs, Rock In Roll and St Anger give a pretty clear indication of what this hard punkin’ ensemble have to offer. Delivering track after track of powerful punk, Penney’s charisma was lost on no-one. Stopping to talk to the crowd on several occasions, he discussed well known songs, social politics and quite literally shared a beer, throwing the empty can into the audience. Perhaps unexpected but utterly brilliant was the closing track, a punk version of COLDPLAY’s iconic song ‘Yellow’. By the time they had finished their set, the audience was well prepared and warmed up for what they’d all been waiting for.
Before we knew it, the stage was covered with a curtain illuminated with a barcode labelled ‘EASY DETENTION’ as the familiar tones of the New Detention opener ‘Anyday, Anyhow’ filled the theatre. The shadows of each of the band members appeared, the curtain dropped and the opening riff kicked in. The adoring energy of the crowd was palpable as Phil belted out his unmistakable vocals while oozing with his rock ‘n’ roll front-man appeal. The band delivered a flawless performance with an energy that fed off the crowd while launching into the fan favourite ‘Lost Control’ before winding back the clock with ‘American Party Bomb’ and ‘Rock Show’ from the sophomore album Easy. Continuing to get lost in a killer mix of songs from both albums, I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who felt like no time had passed. The show’s half way point was marked by the disappearance of Phil who emerged at the sound desk for an acoustic rendition of ‘Hate’ with a special guest vocalist from CATS. The only other thing breaking the momentum was Phil having someone in the moshpit removed by security for behaving inappropriately to female fans. The last GRINSPOON show I was at, he stopped the show so that security could help a fan who had passed out in the crowd. This undying care and concern for his fans is testament to Phil’s quality of character, recognising the music as a two way street and making the strength of unity behind GRINSPOON even stronger.
As the night rolled on the energy intensified. GRINSPOON devoured iconic favourites from both albums like ‘Secrets’, ‘Chemical Heart’ and ‘1000 Miles’ as the crowd absorbed the flavours of the best time of their lives. This was mirrored by the indulgent lunacy of Enmore Theatre’s sold out crowd with shirtless bodies and elation on people’s faces. Pat Davern’s guitar work didn’t miss a note, nor did Kris on the drums or Joe on the bass. The only thing I noticed was world class energy that lifted the crowd. Last year Phil told Sense about how crowd-surfers weren’t really his thing but you’ve just gotta look out for the audience and make sure everyone’s safe. Tonight definitely put that to the test! For the final portion of the show, we were treated to songs A Guide To Better Living. After the unhinged performance of the unmistakable ‘Just Ace’, Phil took a moment to acknowledge the (partially) seated crowd on Enmore Theatre’s mezzanine and saying “I just want to ask you one thing… Do you wanna be a CHAMPION?” before the drums kicked in and crowd went ballistic for the iconic track ‘Champion’. Following that, Phil took another heartfelt moment to thank the crowd for making this the best show of the tour and launching into ‘More Than You Are’ from GRINSPOON’s self-titled EP, which was marked by a seemingly endless rain of red confetti lunched from both sides of the stage. What can I say? All killer, no filler. What a show!
THE SETLIST
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