The Grates

The Grates

The Grates are a three-piece band from Brisbane, Australia, comprising Patience Hodgson (vocals), John Patterson (guitar) and Alana Skyring (drums). They have been lauded for their catchy songs and enthusiastic and energetic live shows, as Patience spends much of the time bouncing around, even while singing. Their music is frequently described as "fun": "We just wanna have fun and hope other people do too." (Patience [1]). Their sound has been compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and be your own PET. In March 2006 they played at the South by Southwest trade music fair in Texas.

Biography

Singer Patience Hodgson had known Alana Skyring since they were children, and they met John Patterson in a drama class all three were attending to avoid physical education classes. Patience didn't discover that she had a voice herself until a night at a karaoke bar, when just as a joke, she performed "A Whole New World", from 'Aladdin'. A month or two later, while watching 'rage' together in 2002 she suggested to Alana and John that they form a band together. But just three weeks later, after a handful of rehearsals Patience travelled to Scotland for a year where she planned to form a band with her then-boyfriend. She kept sending back ideas for songs. Alana and John in the meantime played with and formed a number of shortlived bands together and with others.

On her return, Patience started jamming with John and Alana again in John's family garden shed. They started performing under a different name every night. They thought they might trick audiences into thinking they were a new band instead of the same “shitty” one. But the Grates name stuck once people started hearing them. That happened in 2004 mainly through their sending a rough demo of the song "Trampoline", recorded on an 8-track recording with two cheap microphones in John's shed, to national youth network Triple J accompanied by a hand-written bio and press release. The song was well-received, and appeared on the nominations list for Triple J's 2004 Hottest 100 alongside two other Grates songs, "Rock Boys" and "Sukkafish".

The band has a distinctive style. All three members have a background in art and they design their own album artwork, posters, t-shirts and even socks. [2]

They released an array of limited edition recordings before releasing what is referred to as their debut EP, The Ouch. The Touch, in Australia on 14 February 2005. The EP received a United Kingdom release two months later via the Captains of Industry collective.

In 2005 the buzz surrounding the band only grew, with festival performances at the Big Day Out, Meredith, Falls Festival and Homebake.

Their debut album, Gravity Won't Get You High, was released on April 8, 2006. It debuted at #9 in the ARIA charts and reached a peak of #9. It has also been slated for release in the UK and the United States (June 2006). The first single off the album, "19 20 20", was released in March as a 7" and iTunes music download.

They have been growing in popularity since being invited to perform at the 2006 Big Day Out Australian leg. They also launched on a national tour in the first half of 2006 and have supported The Zutons in their 2006 UK tour, The Young Knives in 2006, The Go! Team in 2005 and Arctic Monkeys in their 2006 tour of Australia.

Four of their songs got into the Hottest 100 2006, entering the top 20 and top 10. "Lies Are Much More Fun" was #71, "Inside Outside" was #42, "Science is Golden" was #17 and "19 20 20" reached #10.

Their live DVD 'Til Death Do Us Party' was released on April 30, 2007. It was filmed at the Forum Theatre in Melbourne on October 13, 2006.

Discography

Albums

• Gravity Won't Get You High (2006)

EPs and singles

• Science is Golden CD Single (2006)
• 19-20-20 7" (2006)
• The Ouch. The Touch EP (2005 on Dew Process, and on Captains Of Industry Records in the UK)
• Sukkafish 7" (2005)
• Nightstick + Grates Double A-Side 7" (2004)
• Pyrate Kids EP (2003)
• Black Dog Black Dog EP (2003)
• Crocodile EP (2003)
• The Grates EP (2002)

DVDs

• Til Death Do Us Party: Live At The Forum (2007)

Awards and nominations

Nominations

• 2006 Australian Music Prize - Best contemporary music album (Gravity Won't Get You High)
• 2006 Jack Awards - Best Live Newcomer
• 2006 Triple J J Award
• 2006 ARIA Award - Breakthrough Artist - Album
• 2006 ARIA Award - Best Cover Art

External links

• The Grates (official site)
• Audiojunkies Interview with The Grates
• Interview On Subculture Magazine - November 2006
• The Grates Message Board (official message board)
• Video interview with the band at South by South West festival, 2006
• Indie Interviews podcast interview with the band
• Interview with the band at their Leicester Charlotte gig in June
• The Grates at The Dwarf
• 2006 Interview with Patience Hodgson
• Interview with The Grates on Fuel TV
• PopGurls Interview: Patience Hodgson