Barwon Heads’ head-banging Sunday sesh

FOR this 90s baby, Grinspoon’s Barwon Heads Hotel gig perfectly captured the nostalgic sound of bloody good Aussie rock, transporting the head-banging crowd back to the early 2000s for a night of high-energy, raucous fun. The show was one instalment of their national tour, bringing Grinspoon’s first album in 12 years, Whatever, Whatever around Australia in a mega 45-gig run. On a Sunday night that felt like a Friday, Melbourne rockstar openers Daddy Issues and Press Club didn’t come to play around, with both acts prepping the crowd for a ripper set as they screamed, cartwheeled and even waded into the enraptured audience to say hello. The mixed demographic of Grinners in the crowd was unnoticeable when the iconic group appeared through the curtain and onto the stage; old rockers and fresh-faced new fans alike jumping up to meet the thumping riffs and wonderfully crunchy vocals. Despite Whatever, Whatever appearing 12 years after the band’s last album, the foursome is no stranger to playing together, proven by the tight performance and seamless setlist that showcased both past and new tracks in a slap-you-in-the-face approach that OG Grinners love. Songs from the new album sat perfectly next to older tracks, with a familiar anthemic approach to some and a reach back into the heavier and louder side of their sound. Joe Hansen told me so himself last month; “a few tracks have made it out of the archives; puzzle pieces fitting nicely into a high-energy, raucous album that gets you back to the original Grinspoon sound.” For a band on the cusp of its 30th anniversary, frontman Phil Jamieson’s crisp voice, guitarist Pat Davern’s dextrous hands, bassist Joe Hansen’s thrumming fingers and Kristian Hopes wrists clearly haven’t lost any energy over the years. As harsh and belting as the tracks were, with Jamieson’s freshly perfected metal vocals crackling through his megaphone, the cohesion between lead and band is something other groups can only dream of, or maybe they need to be just that good for almost 30 years. When you’re that good, you only need a 36 minute album to remind your fans why they’re buying tickets to a Grinspoon gig 29 years later; the longest track at an easy 3:51, and the 90 minute show was an excellent time capsule for both new and old music to mingle with the sweat of a moshpit. Grinspoon’s adrenaline and classic rockstar approach to their shows is evidence of their love for what they do, you can see it in Jaimeson’s onstage grins and gravity-defying kicks off the foldback amps, and the entire bands camaraderie as they play together. “Touring and playing together is pretty familiar for us; we know what we’re doing and how we do it and, if anything we just tried to relax a bit and enjoy it this time,” Hansen said. Relaxing isn’t a word I’d use to describe my experience at their Barwon Heads show, but enjoy it I sure did and now I’ve got to go nurse my delicious head-banging neck pain…until next time! The tour continues with the November 28 show at Amplifier in Perth, WA sold out, followed by November 29 at Mundaring Weir Hotel in Mundaring, before three shows in Tasmania on December 3, 4, and 6 in Tasmania.

Barwon Heads’ head-banging Sunday sesh

Wangaratta Chronicle, Friday, 23 October, 2026

North East Knights name their Country Cup squads

Partnership forged by timber

Research hope

Most popular stories

Wangaratta Chronicle, Friday, 23 October, 2026

North East Knights name their Country Cup squads

Partnership forged by timber

Research hope