Grinspoon, Private Function @ Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide 15/12/2023
Wow! Grinspoon in full flight is an incredible thing to watch an experience. One thing is for sure is that Grinspoon have well and truly cemented their spot right at the very top echelon of Australian live acts. I don’t say this lightly but just when you think you have seen their best they find another way to trump what we have seen before. So, this is one for the classics!
It was a packed Friday night crowd at Hindley Street Music Hall and if you’re not there on time it is tough going trying to get a good spot. Walking in to see the band that everyone is talking about in Private Function. They brought chaos and intensity and they definitely can’t be criticised for not putting one hundred percent in to their performance. Their set just had just about everything including seeing to much of the singer’s arse, probably could of done without that from where I was standing. That said he does look a dead ringer for Jay from he Inbetweeners. The crowd loved them and their manic energy in their set that included Dial Before You Dig, I Wish Australia Had Its Guns Again, Duct Tape and an interesting take on an ABBA classic SOS.
Grinspoon were clinical and delivered another one of their very best. This tour was very much about celebrating the release of two classic Grinspoon albums Easy (1999) and New Detention (2002) hence being titled The Easy Detention Tour. Both albums have such a strong legacy that both have big hits that are considered to be set essentials when they tour these days. Straight out of the blocks with Anyday, Anyhow followed by Lost Control and American Party Bomb. Phil Jamieson greeted the crowd with a “Happy Friday” sounding stoked to be playing this venue for the first time. After Rock Show he did say that “this feels really good in here, are you ready?” ploughing through Ready 1.
It was full throttle all the way and was so good hearing the likes of Tang and Violent and Lazy. It wouldn’t be a Grinspoon show without No Reason and Secrets. The only problem that Grinspoon have these days is which songs to play and which ones to leave out because they have so many good ones. Big ticks for Chemical Heart and 1000 Miles topped off by the acoustic version of INXS classic Don’t Change by Phil in amongst the crowd near the sound desk. There were so many great moments in their show but the magic with this one topped my list.
The big hits kept coming with Better Off Alone, Hard Act To Follow and a sing-a-long in DC X 3. Just Ace was next with Phil saying “let’s dance”. Asking Adelaidians up on the balcony “who wants to be a champion” sent the crowd in to overdrive as the band ripped through Champion. There was such a vibe in the venue that Phil said “that’s it, we’re moving here. How about we see you again next Saturday?” leaving Adelaide on another Grinspoon classic More Than You Are. When you’re that good you don’t need an encore and we will all be doing it again next Saturday.
Live Review By Rob Lyon