Live Review: Grinspoon, Hockey Dad, Good Boy

You could tell very quickly that this one was a sell-out; bars were already stacked five deep and the cue was stretching out front when Good Boy hit the stage. The Brissie three-piece got a solid reception from the room with Poverty Line and Fishing With A Shotgun, the fast-paced indie tracks ended up being the perfect warmer as the drinks flowed.

Hockey Dad had a solid following present before they even hit a note. The pair's sharp-hooked, surf slacker style burst through in Raygun, Laura and A Night Out With. As their set progressed, they never seemed to reach the energetic boiling point that we've seen at previous Hockey Dad shows, but there was little to complain about given how good the pair sound. 

It takes a special kind of event to create the swirling pool of livid bodies that Metro City contained for this one, but Grinspoon seemed to do so effortlessly. 

The night's celebration could have gotten by on the love for their first record Guide To Better Living, which they played to completion, but instead they used it to make a stand and show us that they are still every bit the band that you wouldn't dare miss on a festival bill. Vocalist Phil Jamieson constantly leapt across the stage channelling that angsty Lismore teen as they pounded out the first four tracks without a pause, bringing the crowd further and further along the sweaty ride before dropping into the grinding riff of Railrider.

NBT, Just Ace, Post Enebriated Anxiety and Champion all seemed to put more and more fire into the room with no tiring from the crowd. With Pat Davern in all his drop-D glory, Joe Hansen and Kris Hopes filling the rumblings of the rhythm section, their performance was the sharpest it's sounded for years. Be it Guide To Better Living front to back or the greatest hits set that followed, which was almost equally as long, Grinspoon hit Perth with one for the fans and holy shit did we appreciate.