I’ve been conducting a little survey the past couple of days, and it seems that the wider opinion is that Grinspoon are a better pub act than a larger venue band... and you know what, I freaking agree. I had the mighty pleasure of seeing them perform at Rock Lily (in Star Casino) with Sydney band ‘Strangers’ last Friday night, and it was insane.

The set-up was quite modest with only one corner of the venue abstained for Grinspoon - something I wasn’t used to as the last time I saw them was back in ’05 at the Big Top. Rock Lily reached capacity at 300 people around 9pm, and Strangers emerged from the bar and took up their weapons of choice.

"Strangers from Sydney” go pretty hard, although their music is fairly predictable. One of the first things I noticed about them was their uncanny similarity to the Aussie band Karnivool - those vocals, that guitar... At no fault at all to Strangers, they were very loud - there was possibly an epileptic fit going on behind the sound desk. These dudes will make your ears bleed.

Whilst in my opinion Strangers were a little rhythmically challenged at times and lacking in some concentrated melody, their PJ Harvey cover was flawless. They obviously operate very well as a band; they interact fabulously with the crowd and with each other, it’s simply a joy to watch.

The ropes were drawn at the door, and a swarming crowd had formed trying to find a way into the bar - it seemed as though a Grinspoon pub gig was too good to pass up, and they were right... sucked in. Grinspoon graced the stage around 10pm to an electric crowd keen to hear some kick ass progressions... and they opened with a bang.

Their set list included hits like ‘Lost Control’, ‘Hard Act To Follow’, ‘Chemical Heart’, ‘No Reason’ and ‘1000 Miles’. No matter where Grinspoon perform, there will always - without a doubt - be a mosh; and upon the sweaty, glass scattered ground, the mosh was pulsing. So. Much. Energy. Lead vocalist, Phil Jamieson, was scaling the walls and climbing atop the barriers only to be constantly pulled and tugged at by a blistering crowd, and he loved it.

This gig was outstanding. Strangers were a great support for Grinspoon, and if you’re in the mood for something heavy definitely check them out. Grinspoon couldn’t have played any harder than they did, and the atmosphere was electric. The gig wasn’t promoted or widely advertised, so only die-hard fans constantly checking the bands website would have been aware of this gig, and it’s definitely one of the better pup gigs i’ve been to. If you’ve never seen Grinspoon live before, you seriously need to get on that.