Live Review: Ash Grunwald, Mr Cassidy

Ash Grunwald (or “Grunny” as we hear a passersby outside the venue refer to him) is one lucky guy and today marks the release date of his new album Gargantua. Grunwald recorded this one with two friends who also just so happen to be two-thirds of The Living End: Scott Owen on upright bass and Andy Strachan on drums. The support act is Mr Cassidy, made up of Danni Carr and Emily Owen (Carr, incidentally, is Grunwald's wife).

The sold-out gig sees about 400 people chasing a chilled atmosphere. This is provided by bluegrass/country duo Mr Cassidy, joined by session musicians on acoustic guitar/upright bass and drums. The range of instruments these talented ladies play is impressive, with Carr playing banjo and acoustic guitar and Owen playing violin and mandolin. Carr tells tales of her experiences as a working musician on tracks from the Mountain Side EP. The highlight of the set comes when Carr brings Grunwald onto the stage to play banjo as she sings the title track.

Grunwald's set begins with a documentary he filmed recently about coal seam gas (CSG) mining, focusing on the residents trapped in Australia's gas lands in Central West Queensland. Owen and Strachan take the stage and they're welcomed with screams that only increase once Grunwald joins them. He wastes no time treating the crowd to his sexy brand of bluesy rock with the stomping Mojo from Gargantua. He then launches into a cover of Black And Blue by Aussie blues-rock band Chain, with vocals that would rival the late great Billy Thorpe. Making a connection back to the documentary, Grunwald shows how much the CSG mining issue means to him, performing The Last Stand – an impassioned plea to the Government to stop this harmful mining before the situation worsens. It's clear Grunwald wants to 'par-tay' after that and delivers a world-class rendition of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy. The majority of the set comprises tracks from Gargantua and its predecessor Trouble's Door, but Grunwald doesn't forget what brought him to where he is now. He tells the adoring crowd that he feels like “playing an old one” and performs vintage Grunwald in the form of Just Be Yourself from Introducing Ash Grunwald featuring an enthusiastic (and partially drunk) call-and-response section. He also performs Breakout, off Fish Out Of Water.

It is the double-song encore that is most memorable. It begins with a bluesy take on Ain't No Sunshine followed by a luscious rendition of Longtime. It's no real surprise that this track earned Grunwald and co-writer Craig O'Reilly the 2013 APRA for Blues And Roots Work Of The Year. Grunwald is a showman who rises to another level when backed by Owen and Strachan.