Words & Photos By: Monika Smith

In some countries people eat bugs as a part of their daily food intake and that’s just what happened in Sydney when Brisbane boys Bugs opened up for Grinspoon. The crowd ate them up like a delicious delicacy starter meal. The pop/punk trio fed the crowd just enough to get them salivating for more and to prepare them for the night ahead. With having scored the opening slot via Triple J Unearthed for Falls Festival I feel that it won’t be long before that these guys will be the main meal (or desert if you’re the kind of person that can make it that far meal wise) headlining at even bigger festivals and venues.

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Up next were The Gooch Palms. This is the first time that I had seen or even heard of this band. If I could compare them to anything; it would be likened to stumbling across and unexpected TV Series on Netflix that you just cannot stop from binge watching. When Netflix asks if you’re still watching; you feel offended and of course you select YES! I could watch and listen to this band forever, on repeat and after a while question how many days/hours in a row that I have been in the Gooch bubble but also not caring that I haven’t showered in what seems like a decade. Not only do their tunes suck you right in with their unique lyrics and make you shake your butt to their sound; Leroy and Kat manage to command a huge presence on stage that will forever keep you entertained. It will always be a YES from me; so please stop asking.

Starting to get a bit full with two more meals to go The Hard Aches were next up with their chilled but enticing tunes which a lot of the crowd vibed and sang along to. They feel like a mixing pot of a lot of different bands from years prior but in taking a piece from each of these have managed to turn their songs into something unexpectedly their own.

As a giant Grinspoon curtain covered the stage before one of Australia’s biggest rock bands came on stage the air felt almost electric and was filled with the murmured/excited conversations between the people in the crowd. Then as the banner dropped that energy was brought forth with an almost deafening roar from the crowd. Being one of my favourite bands, and the fact that they started the show with one of my top 5 favourite Grinners tunes DCX3 (which I loved to play on bass and yell the lyrics for my poor family and neighbours to be tortured to), I was attempting to shoot the show but then would also stop for a moment to enjoy having an unobstructed and close up view of these absolute legends. When you only have three songs to shoot; it seems like a lot, but it can be made worse when you are constantly being drawn in to live in the moment and forget that you are actually working.
From start to finish their performance in my mind was flawless, and to see them; even after all these years playing to a packed room goes to show that the love for the Grinners has not faded and will probably continue until we’re all using walkers and a new generation of rockers gets to be part of the mosh pit where we all once used to stand.