Grinspoon On Their Mighty Return: 'This Is Us Taking It Back To What We Used To Do'

Phil Jamieson has been spending time in Melbourne, ruminating on whether or not to catch Angie McMahon at the Forum or head down to The Tote and see what bands are playing (“Melbourne’s always got such good stuff,” he says).

Jamieson caught up with The Music ahead of Grinspoon’s massive 45-date Australian tour in support of the band’s first album in 12 years, whatever, whatever. Ever the entertaining frontman, he talks with energy, zooming through numerous topics.

The Better Off Alone singer discusses the band’s internal conflicts that came with making whatever, whatever, takes us through the heavy and lighter moments on the record, still creating genuine music the band and fans alike can celebrate, and the tour—which hits regional venues as well as metro—with special guests Press Club, maintaining creative integrity, and more – what more could you ask for?

• Grinspoon's Top Ten Songs Ranked

Grinspoon are feeling good about being back. At first, Jamieson reveals, the band were planning on releasing just one song in 2020, and then they had a “big fight.”

“The beautiful thing about this band, or negative thing, depending on which side of the fence you sit on, is that we all really, really care about what we do,” the singer tells The Music.

All four of Grinspoon’s members—Jamieson, lead guitarist Pat Davern, bassist Joe Hansen, and drummer Kristian Hopes—have been in the band since their beginnings in the 90s and, therefore, all have “incredibly strong opinions” on what their music should sound like, and which directions they should go in, “pushing and pulling” in different directions.

Revealing that Grinspoon wrote Unknown Pretenders, the first single from the recently released whatever, whatever in 2020, Jamieson tells us that the band were going in different directions, making it challenging to put songs together.

Jamieson explains, “There was this more pop thing that I was doing at the time, and then there was some older, riffy style stuff that Grinners did back in the 90s, and then there was more of the rock stuff.

“It was just weird. So, we ended up disagreeing quite a lot in that session in Adelaide, and then the pandemic happened. I went and used my pop songs on a solo record [Somebody Else, released in 2022]. We kind of reconvened and went, ‘Oh, we've got the whole album’. It was really exciting, and it's one of those things where it's actually genuine excitement because it's actually what we wanted to do.

“We didn't get told by an A&R person or record company, ‘You should put these songs on. You should make the song shorter.’ The three songwriters that write for the band [wrote three] or four songs each, and that's what ended up on the record,” Jamieson continues. “If you wanted a 30-minute opera, you could have done that, or you could have written a beautiful pop song. So, it's like… whatever, whatever… it feels incredibly genuine to be able to do that.”

Whatever, whatever has given Grinspoon “incredible amounts” of zest for what comes next, with Jamieson describing the vibe within the band as feeling like they’re “running again.”

Discussing the album’s sound, which, to The Music, retains the band’s early 2000s rock and roll energy. It doesn’t quite come naturally – the band still work hard to make great music that can still surprise you.

The album opens with a “furious blast” of Jamieson screaming, which he’s sure could have puzzled some fans, but it’s not all that different for lifelong listeners. “We did that a lot back in the day, and it kind of oscillates between this little pop song right at the end with strings, with Ali Barter singing a duet with me, which is a really nice way to end the record; I think,” Jamieson says.

Explaining why it took so long to put the album together, the frontman says the band were experiencing a “good problem” with everyone along for the ride, throwing different ideas around. “This record sounds beautiful, but the guitars are loud and drop [here and] there. You know what I mean? It’s like, ‘Oh, this is happening.’”

With whatever, whatever, Grinspoon only had the goal of releasing music they wanted to make. They weren’t thinking about trends, getting on the radio, or scoring playlist spots; it’s simply meant to be an album to be enjoyed.

“I don't know what radio means anymore,” Jamieson quips. “No disrespect to all the CEOs – I think that may be the pull quote, fuck, I better cover myself [laughs] – I think that as the title [suggests], it's whatever, whatever… we're just doing what [we want].”

He adds, “It would be disingenuous of this band, after this many years and after this length of time, to release a record that's a middle-of-the-road thing, you know what I mean? If anything, we're pushing the boat further out than we ever have before.”

And he’s right. As Jamieson explains, Underground (Hell On Wheels) is one of the most beautiful songs in the Grinspoon catalogue, while one of the gnarliest tracks is the very first song (ILYSM). This isn’t an album meant for airplay; it’s what Grinspoon want to play live. “What gives us incredible happiness is that when we were recording it, [we were able to] construct these little interludes in between these moments of madness through the record.”

Before Grinspoon went on the road in 2019 for a Chemical Heart anniversary tour, Pat Davern said that if the band were going to release new music, it had to be “as good as or better than anything we’ve ever done.” Jamieson recalls those conversations coming up in 2020, when the band was tracking Unknown Pretenders.

“He was really adamant about this,” Jamieson says. “He really hung his hat on that quote, you know, he was like, ‘What's the point? We've done seven albums; it has to be the best thing we've ever done, or don't do it at all.’

“As I spoke about and referenced earlier, what everyone considers to be the best in the band is all different. At that stage, we were looking for one song, and then we couldn't agree. So, the internal soap opera will continue through this record.”

Jamieson adds, “But, yes, in some ways, it's true. It is the best, but it's also a true representation of the group, which I think is the most important thing, right? We're not phoning this in. It's really heavy and it's really pretty. We're not doing a genre record. Of course, it's a rock record, but there's beautiful bits of light and shade, in my opinion. It takes a village to get a Grinners record on the same page. It's better to have four members who all give too much of a shit than not enough, right?”

Next week, Grinspoon will begin their 45-date tour in support of whatever, whatever, with Press Club. Admitting that the touring schedule is “a little bit insane,” Jamieson adds that Grinners—and other bands of the era—used to tour like this plenty, and it doesn’t happen all that often anymore.

Outlining the importance of bringing their shows to regional and intimate metro venues, Jamieson explains, “There's a lot of venues—I'm from regional Australia, and the band was formed in regional Australia. When I got to see Paul Kelly as a young kid, I was incredibly grateful. Hoodoo Gurus, Screaming Jets, Chocolate Starfish [and] The Sharp all came through my little neck of the woods. I really valued that.

“A lot of small venues around Australia are really struggling, so in our little way, this is us taking it back to what we used to do. And, yes, we are insane, but I think it's a fun way to finish the year, and we're taking Press Club, who are just absolutely sensational and have agreed to do every date with us.

“Having a band of that ilk with us makes us so happy, and we get to watch them every night. It makes our job easy because Nat [Foster] will pull up any crouchers in front of us. I'm really grateful they said yes because this tour is not for the faint of heart. You can do 49 dates in Europe, but it's a lot simpler than Australia. And, there's a lot of Tuesdays – Tuesday is the new Friday!”

Whatever, whatever is out now – you can listen to/buy the album here.

GRINSPOON

whatever, whenever, wherever tour with special guests Press Club

Presented by Triple M

TUE 17 SEP | BALLINA RSL, NORTHERN RIVERS | NSW

WED 18 SEP |SOPO- SOUTHPORT RSL, GOLD COAST NRTH | QLD

FRI 20 SEP | THE TIVOLI THEATRE, BRISBANE | QLD

SAT 21 SEP | THE POWERHOUSE, TOOWOOMBA | QLD

SUN 22 SEP | MIAMI MARKETTA LANEWAY, GOLD COAST | QLD

TUE 24 SEP | THE DAG PUB, D’AGUILAR | QLD

WED 25 SEP | BROTHERS SPORTS CLUB, BUNDABERG | QLD

FRI 27 SEP | HARVEY RD TAVERN, GLADSTONE | QLD

SAT 28 SEP | GREAT WESTERN HOTEL, ROCKHAMPTON | QLD

TUE 1 OCT | SEABREEZE HOTEL, MACKAY | QLD

WED 2 OCT | MAGNUMS HOTEL, AIRLIE BEACH | QLD

FRI 4 OCT | QUEENS BEACH HOTEL, BOWEN | QLD

SAT 5 OCT | DALRYMPLE HOTEL, TOWNSVILLE | QLD

MON 7 OCT | HINCHINBROOK SHIRE HALL, INGHAM | QLD

FRI 11 OCT | BURDEKIN MEMORIAL HALL, AYR | QLD

SAT 12 OCT | BROTHERS SPORTS CLUB, CAIRNS | QLD

WED 16 OCT | THE STATION, BIRTINYA, SUNSHINE COAST | QLD

FRI 18 OCT | RACEHORSE HOTEL, IPSWICH | QLD

SAT 19 OCT | THE PRINCESS THEATRE, WOOLLOONGABBA | QLD

SUN 20 OCT | DISTILLERY RD, BEENLEIGH | QLD

TUE 22 OCT | METRO THEATRE, SYDNEY | NSW

FRI 25 OCT | SAWTELL RSL, COFFS HARBOUR | NSW

SAT 26 OCT | WEST TAMWORTH LGS, TAMWORTH | NSW

SUN 27 OCT | FINNIAN’S TAVERN, PORT MACQUARIE | NSW

TUE 29 OCT | UNI – BAR ON THE HILL, NEWCASTLE | NSW

WED 30 OCT | DRIFTERS WHARF, GOSFORD | NSW

FRI 1 NOV | SYDNEY COLISEUM, ROOTY HILL | NSW

SAT 2 NOV | THE CUBE, CAMPBELLTOWN | NSW

SUN 3 NOV | WAVES TOWRADGI BCH HTL, WOLLONGONG | NSW

TUE 05 NOV | 170 RUSSELL ST, MELBOURNE | VIC

FRI 8 NOV | BRIDGEWAY HOTEL, POORAKA, ADELAIDE | SA

SAT 9 NOV | THE GOV , ADELAIDE | SA

SUN 10 NOV | NORTHERN SOUND SYSTEM EVENT CENTRE, ELIZABETH | SA

TUE 12 NOV | COMMERCIAL HOTEL, SOUTH MORANG | VIC

WED 13 NOV | VILLAGE GREEN, MULGRAVE | VIC

FRI 15 NOV | PIER BANDROOM, FRANKSTON | VIC

SAT 16 NOV | ALL SEASONS, BENDIGO | VIC

SUN 17 NOV | BARWON HEADS HOTEL, SURF COAST | VIC

THU 21 NOV | DISCOVERY, DARWIN | NT

FRI 22 NOV | NOONAMAH TAVERN BEER GARDEN AMPHITHEATRE | NT

TUE 26 NOV | ASTOR THEATRE, PERTH | WA

FRI 29 NOV | MUNDARING WEIR HTL AMPHITHEATRE, MUNDARING | WA

TUE 05 NOV | COUNTRY CLUB TASMANIA, LAUNCESTON | TAS

WED 4 DEC | FRANKIE J’s, DEVONPORT | TAS

FRI 06 DEC | ODEON THEATRE, HOBART | TAS

Tickets here