Grinspoon: Whatever, Whenever, Wherever
Grinspoon are back and louder than ever on their eighth studio album whatever, whatever. Ahead of their nationwide tour – which includes three SA gigs – legendary frontman Phil Jamieson reveals all on hitting the road and who got the band back together
Words by Tobias Handke | Image by Michelle Grace Hunder
It’s been a long time since Grinspoon released an album. A lot has changed since 2012. But one constant in the chaos of it is this quartet’s flare for writing-balls-to-the- wall rock anthems. Case in point, Grinners’ eighth long overdue LP whatever, whatever hits like a freight train.
Twelve years, 11 tracks and four skits of fist-pumping Aussie rock make what is arguably the band’s best release in two decades. “It’s given us some fresh legs,” says legendary frontman Phil Jamieson over the phone from his budget hotel in Bundaberg. “There’s always going to be favourites and whatnot, but this took 12 years. I really like it.”
The flame for this studio album was first lit in an Adelaide studio in the depths of 2020. Alongside guitarist Pat Davern, bassist Joe Hansen and drummer Kristian Hopes, Phil built the blueprint of their eighth album until creative differences saw the outfit abandon their early recording sessions. Premature tracks sat idle and the Grinners’ future seemed uncertain.
That is, until Joe devised a democratic approach to the album build – a method that ditched the pressure to pen radio-friendly singles or listen to label demands. “Joe was really the mastermind behind it all. Full credit to him,” says Phil “He was the guy that pushed this album. And the thing is, Grinners is whatever the fuck we want it to be because we’re not a ‘genre band’. We do pop. We do punk. We do heavy rock. I think we’re at our best when we’re not homogenised by outside forces.”
It’s a philosophy that’s seen the outfit resist the pull of outside forces and focus on what truly matters – making music. Grinspoon shot to fame after winning triple j’s inaugural Unearthed competition in 1995. Their debut album, Guide To Better Living, arrived two years later. However, when the record got picked up by the US branch of Universal Records, the label wanted the four-piece to scrap ‘Just Ace’ for the American release despite it being the band’s biggest Australian release.
“They were like, ‘That doesn’t work in our radio market’. I’m like, ‘Well, I don’t care what fucking works, it’s the personality of the band’,” recalls Phil. However, the big label sharks won out and ‘Just Ace’ was swapped for ‘Black Friday’. Ever since, doing things their own way – carving out their own definition of music success – has been at the forefront of Grinspoon’s minds.
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In part, that’s why the quartet tapped Holy Holy’s Oscar Dawson to produce whatever, whatever. Phil had worked with the guitarist-producer on his solo release and it felt like a natural evolution to hand him the reins for Grinspoon’s latest. “I think he was a Grinny fan back in the day, so he was like, ‘Let’s get this shit!’,” Phil chuckles. It was decided that the outfit would go back to basics for the album build, with many tracks recorded as a live band.
The result? A 35-minute blast of noise that sees Grinspoon once again unlock its grittier, dirtier and unrefined rock edge. Songs like ‘(ILYSM)’, ‘Never Say Never’ and ‘Live Fast Die Young’ soar with the same energy as classic Grinner anthems.
However, it’s not all crunchy riffs. The album closer, ‘Underground (Hell on Wheels)’, is a tender acoustic track featuring guest singer Ali Barter. “I think it’s a 4am hotel song,” Phil says. “Ali did a beautiful job of singing alongside [me]. She’s fucking awesome. I really love that song. We’re doing that live in the set, which is nice.”
The live shows Phil alludes to include 45 dates in major cities and regional areas across Australia. He says the band could probably just play “Sydney, Melbourne [and] Brisbane every two years and make money,” but they’re intent on bringing rock and roll to struggling country venues most other bands bypass when touring.
“We’re from [Lismore] so we understand,’ Phil explains. “When I was a kid growing up, I got to see the Hoodoo Gurus, Paul Kelly and The Screaming Jets – those kinds of bands.” An extensive multi-date regional tour – which ticks off places like Booval, Ingham and Pooraka – is the singer’s way of paying it forward to the younger kids (plus all-time fans) who are champing at the bit for live rock ‘n’ roll.
As for how the shows are being received, Phil is happy with the reception thus far. “It’s very enthusiastic, especially [playing] the new tracks,” Phil gushes. “I’m still trying to perfect [how] I perform them because some are vocally challenging. But that’s ok. I’m getting better at it. By the time I get to South Australia, things should be running like a well-oiled hybrid engine.”
See Grinspoon perform at Northern Sound System on November 10. Tickets on sale now via Moshtix.
