Photos and words: Dameeka Middleton

Yelo Mag photographer and Grinspoon super fan Dameeka captured the Lismore legends at Brisbane’s Iconic Princess Theatre on Saturday. The sold-out show marked stop 19 of their 46-date “Whatever, Whenever, Wherever” Australian tour.

As some of you might know, my love for Grinspoon is like no other.

After waiting 14 years for more music from my childhood rock gods, Grinners finally delivered earlier this year, with their eighth studio album, “Whatever, Whatever”.

With the news of a new album and national tour, I did what any other music nerd would do to celebrate.

I secured tickets to as many of their South-East Queensland shows I could possibly get myself to.

That’s right, I have almost wrapped up my own FIVE-stop tour, having already seen Grinners at Gold Coast’s Miami Marketta, D’Aguilar’s Dag Pub, The Station on the Sunshine Coast, and Princess Theatre in Brisbane.

And tonight I shall see them again at Distillery Road Market, Beenleigh.

From small country pubs to big stage performances, their sold-out show at the Princess on Saturday night hit differently.

It FELT like a pure, god-damn rock show!

The atmosphere of the theatre, the light show, a superbly-balanced sound, and an audience that knew how it’s done, all helped in creating this spectacle.

You’d think the night couldn’t get any better, until they announced the support acts – Melbourne punk-rockers Press Club and Brisbane’s homegrown teenage indie-rockstars IXARAS – and just like that it did.

IXARAS photo gallery

With only 20 minutes to kick off the evening’s entertainment, 17-year-old Filipino/Cambodian front-woman Ixaras Dorizac gets straight to the point.

IXARAS is the embodiment of self-expression and youth today.

With some seriously soothing, yet powerful vocals, you could sense the indie-pop-rock queer artist was very much invested in her music.

Whether it was teenage angst she was drawing on, Ixaras let it all out on stage.

Having seen IXARAS play at The Zoo‘s farewell party in June, I could already see a marked difference in their on-stage presence and audience engagement.

Scanning the crowd, Ixaras notices some people standing at the back with crossed arms and bored looks.

Pointing them out, she decides to win them over, striking right into a head banger of a song, “What The F**k”.

And win them over, she does.

The song, with its heavily-influenced, 90s-sound, was produced through a dial-up telephone, proving the kids these days also yearn for a time when things were less complicated.

It was the perfect song to rile up punters for Press Club.

Press Club photo gallery

Bursting onto the stage, the incredible Natalie Foster takes on a prowling stance.

Like a Cheetah hunting her game, she twists, turns, and rocks between guitarist Greg Rietwyk and bassist Ian McRae, while singing her heart out into the microphone.

Natalie is energetic, confident, and powerful, as she eyes off her audience while conveying the emotional story behind “Headwreck”.

Even the security guard scored a bit of serenading – thought I’m not quite sure he enjoyed, and was possibly scared he’d be prey too!

Restoring a tune from their 2022 album, “Endless Motion”, the boys smash straight into “Cancelled”.

As they draw on their earlier Melbourne punk roots, the crowd begins to clap along to drummer Frank Lees’ drum fill.

Lees seems to be having an absolute ball: his smile covering his face the entire set.

Natalie makes her way into the middle of the crowd sending security stress levels to an all-time high.

They untangle her mic chord as she ventures deeper into the crowd – an act Natalie seems to enjoy immensely.

Making her way back out, she swings her luscious blonde locks around the stage like the true rock icon she is.

With the crowd left buzzing, fans hungrily watch the stage get set-up for the band we’ve all come to see, Grinners.

Grinspoon photo gallery

As smoke covers the audience’s viewing, lead guitarist Pat strums into to the intro of “Unknown Pretenders”, a belter of a song to start on.

Positioning himself to the top ledge of the stage, frontman Phil Jamieson walks out with a beer in one hand, launching himself straight to centre stage just as the song kicks into gear.

The track takes influence from their “Guide to a Better Living” days, rebirthing the iconic debut album released 26 years ago.

After the crowd’s thunderous reaction, it was back to an old-time classic… “DCX3”.

Swaying his hips and burning what I believe would be about 500 calories per set, Phil lashes out in true manic-rockstar fashion, and he starts pouting at the crowd.

With the audience now louder than Phil, it’s evident this one is a crowd favourite.

Later in the set Phil says, “It’s been 12 years since we’ve released a new album, do you mind if we play some new tunes?”

It’s normally a difficult task to win over old-school Grinspoon fans, but not this time.

Phil steers the boys through some heavier tracks, “Never Say Never”, “Nasty”, and “(ILYSM)”, as the boys’ sweaty bodies press together, as they shimmy their way through the setlist.

They were perfect choices from the new album to sit alongside some Grinners classics.

Consulting the crowd, Phil asks “How are we all doing tonight, Brisbane?”

After an exhilarating response from the crowd, he then says, “Are you ready, Brisbane?”

Overriding their enthusiasm, Joe springs into “Ready 1”, while Phil is already in the moment sprinting to either side of the stage.

Having a good old hip-twist during the instrumental, he pounces back onto the mic, but not before sound tech “Gordo” steps in to add another mic.

They give themselves a moment to take in the atmosphere.

Phil takes the time to thank everyone they’ve worked alongside them on the tour, as well as the amazing support acts IXARAS and Press Club.

Intimate acoustic moment before final celebration

He then brings Natalie back onto the stage, introducing her as “one of his favourite front-persons ever!”

Slowing it down, Phil now stands behind an acoustic guitar to perform a ballad of “Underground (Hell On Wheels)”.

It’s an intimate moment, displaying not only Natalie’s incredible vocal range, but the musical chemistry between the pair.

I will be needing a recorded version of this on a streaming platform somewhere ASAP (please?).

Now, if you thought “1000 Miles” was a killer tune… you’ll need to experience it live.

Putting the crowd into overdrive, Pat employs a longer-than-usual intro to the song, as Phil pauses to put the spotlight on each member of the band.

Taking sides each, Phil sections the crowd into teams “Pat”, “Joe”, and “Chris”, with each roar getting louder, until he introduces himself with a boyish charm and friendly wave, and the room erupts with cheers.

They move onto crowd-pleaser, “Chemical Heart”, signalling the night was soon to come to an end.

Seeing the theatre filled with new and old faces, it was obvious just how influential this band from Lismore has been throughout the decades.

As the lights flare between the boys, and the crisp sound complements Pats’ graceful guitar, Phil takes a seat at the end of the stage.

Their audience’s faces say it all as they sing the song’s heartfelt words back at him, with pure lust and passion.

Ending the set on a high with two moshier songs, “Champion” and “More Than You Are”, the crowd appears completely satisfied to have just witnessed Grinners at their finest.

As Phil shows off more killer dance moves, confetti falls from the ceiling and swallows the fans in a final act of celebration for this iconic band who have brought joy to so many.

From raunchy guitars to distorted bass, it was the perfect ending for fans who came to relive their past and experience Grinspoon as they are today.

I’m pretty certain they rocked just as hard as they did 30 years ago… maybe even harder?

If you ever get the chance to see these Australian rock royals live, you must.

Not only did it feel like a first-time experience at each one of their shows, the commitment and energy the boys put into each song is like no other.

Now to do it all over again tonight.

See you soon, guys!