Grinspoon - Easy Detention Tour

Newcastle, NSW - 18/11/23

To a sold-out house, Grinspoon has made it back to Newcastle with their ‘Easy Detention’ tour. Held in the NEX convention centre, eager fans streamed into the venue.

Cupid & The Stupids, a rock band from Byron Bay kicked off the rock spectacular by opening up the night with a poem recited by their Uber driver, whom they had just met an hour before the show. Their eccentric mix of rock and Broadway showmanship made for a unique spin on your typical rock band format. Tap dancing from vocalist JuJu, added a spin to their sound, acting as an extra layer of percussion as well as a visual element of the show. With songs such as "Erection" and "Shimmy Shammawamma", Cupid and the Stupids are a joy to watch, never taking themselves too seriously. If you get the chance to see them, do not miss the opportunity!

Next up was Private Function, a punk rock outfit from Melbourne. High energy from start to finish is the name of the game for Private Function, with frontman Chris Penney bouncing from wall to wall with a bit more edge than their former act. Chaotic and explosive would be an understatement to describe the set delivered by Private Function which wound up with a splendidly delivered garage cover of ABBA's "SOS". Private Function certainly raised the volume and turned up the heat driving the packed house into a frenzy just in time for the headline event.

Finally, the main event: Grinspoon. The lights dimmed, with the packed house going absolutely nuts as band members one by one made their way onto the stage. Their current tour, a late 20th anniversary celebration of their 1999 album "Easy" and 2002 album "New Detention" kicked off with the openers from the respective albums. The band went track by track, bouncing between the two album's deeper cuts to fan delight.

"Chemical Heart" a favourite to many, lit up the room with cheers erupting from the first note of iconic riff. Following an instrumental breakdown, the crowd was joined by frontman Phil Jamieson for an intimate version of "Hate".

Hits such as "Hard Act To Follow" and "DCx3" filled the room with a chorus of voices as the crowd sang, screamed and applauded every song in the punchy and moving set. Grinspoon maintains to manage their place on the throne of Australian Rock Music legends and seem to mature, grow and just get better and better with every time they hit the stage.

With their current supports Cupid and the Stupids and Private Function; Grinspoon completed a trilogy of fabulous live acts that I am sure will be remembered as one the best nights of live music to hit Newcastle in 2024.

Thanks to the Grispoon, Metropolis Touring, Wonderlick, New World Artists, On The Map and NEX for having us along

Review and Photos by Dylan Scott for Music Kingdom Australia

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