The Thousands

Grong Grong appeared into my life suddenly, without warning. I assume that’s the way they show up in most people’s lives. I know that many others have come across Grong Grong and never looked their parents in the eyes in the same way again.

Formed in Adelaide when the members were told it would give them easy entrance into a club if they said they were a band, Grong Grong have left an imprint on the Australian punk scene. Born into the early 1980s and quickly finding themselves supporting the likes of Public Image Ltd and the Dead Kennedys, their rapid rise was cut short by a near-fatal OD that left singer Michael in a long coma, and subsequently a wheelchair. Yet the naughties saw them return to the open arms of both nostalgic baby boomers and kids wanting something more than cute local folk bands.

The Curse of Grong Grong is a documentary by Rob Wright, who makes a pretty damn fascinating film in the space of ten short minutes. With a sweet opening involving many cats, this short film grabs any doubt you may have about graduate filmmakers and slaps it in the face. It also grabs the smallest amount of interest you may have in Grong Grong and multiplies it tenfold. It’s a charming and absorbing ten minutes. OK, maybe ‘charming’ and ‘absorbing’ aren’t the perfect descriptives for Grong Grong – but the effect will be a lifetime longer.