GIG REVIEW – ASH GRUNWALD: JUNE 21 at The Metro, Sydney

“I want it back,” were Ash Grunwald’s opening lyrics as he stared boldly down at the audience in The Metro Theatre. As soon as his unbridled voice and fast-as-a-bullet riffs were heard, everyone knew they weren’t going to be the same.

Performing songs from both past and present, Grunwald delivered all the dirty rhythms of grassroots blues, but at the unremitting pace of rock.

Helping him achieve this were renowned rockers, Scott Owen and Andy Strachan, from The Living End. Together, the trio offered gritty, fast-paced ballads that really made the audience move. They seemed to feed off the energy, interacting with the crowd and each other in a way that created spontaneity, humour and insight into Grunwald as a performer and person.

“My shtick in life is about being real,” he said in reference to the song, Acting Cool, which features on new album, Gargantua. It certainly showed. His music is honest, raw and unrelenting. (MP)