The Grates
Australian indie rock royalty The Grates officially reunited their original line up – singer Patience Hodgson, guitarist John Patterson, and drummer Alana Skyring – for a special run of shows in November & December 2018, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their seminal album, Teeth Lost, Hearts Won.
The tour was dubbed the ‘Reunited and Excited’ tour, with SELL OUT shows that saw them perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth – playing some of the biggest venues they’d toured in years, where they performed some of the most memorable moments of Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, as well as songs from their breakout, debut LP Gravity Won’t Get You High and some classics from the rest of their extensive and impressive catalogue.
There aren’t many Australian bands in history with as much effervescence and infectiousness as The Grates. Their combination of Hodgson’s extra-extravert persona and inimitable voice, Patterson’s blistering guitar lines, and Skyring’s singular drumming style, made them a stand out from the outset when they first arrived with ‘Trampoline,’ back in 2004.
Their debut album Gravity Won’t Get You High put them on the map in 2006, but it was Teeth Lost, Hearts Won’s release in 2008 that cemented the band as one of the true greats of the 2000s, thanks to stunning songs like ‘Burn Bridges,’ ‘Aw Yeah,’ and ‘Carve Your Name.’
The album debuted at number 6 on the ARIA charts (no mean feat for an indie rock band at a time when you still had to sell big numbers to get on the ARIA charts!), and was universally praised as the record that saw the band mature their sound, while retaining the youthful, unbridled energy that got them there in the first place.
Having captured hearts with their critically-lauded, internationally-received albums “Gravity Won’t Get You High” and “Teeth Lost, Hearts Won”, The Grates relocated to the Big Apple with a slew of accolades under their belts. Emersing themselves in New York culture for 2 years, they emerged with a fresh new sound, line up and attitude.
Secret Rituals, the bands third album was released in 2011 and spawned the Sassy, sexy and bold singles Turn Me ON and Sweet Dreams.
Coming in to the Top Ten of the ARIA charts and the Top Ten of the triple j Hottest 100, the band continued to achieve critical and commercial success. Gracing the covers of Rolling Stone, triple j magazine, Yen magazine, most of the street press in the country and featured across countless publications. Patience’s exhuberant personality made her a natural in television appearances on Talkin’ ‘Bout Your Generation and Rockwiz, as well as a favourite on radio stations nationwide.
At the end of that album campaign the Grates took some time out to have a family and explore some new business ventures. But still managed to write and release their 4th album garage indie rock gem Dream Team.
The Grates are proof in point that there’s no such thing as a typical career in the music industry. Emerging, quite literally, from a garage in Brisbane’s outer-suburbs, the band found worldwide acclaim with their jagged, energetic indie rock. Recent years have seen Patience Hodgson and John Patterson become business owners, raise two children, produce records, run craft classes, helm podcasts and contribute to the city’s independent art scene.