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The Grates
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The Grates
The Grates were an Australian indie rock band, which formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 2002 with Patience Hodgson on lead vocals, John Patterson on guitars and backing vocals and Alana Skyring on drums. Their first two albums, Gravity Won't Get You High (2006) and Teeth Lost, Hearts Won (2008), both reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 10. The third studio album, Secret Rituals (2011), peaked at No. 11. Their highest charting singles "Science Is Golden" (2006) and "Burn Bridges" (2008) reached the ARIA top 100. A video album, Til Death Do Us Party: Live at the Forum (2007), peaked in the ARIA Top 40 Music DVDs chart. Hodgson and Patterson married in November 2012 and were proprietors of Southside Tea Room in Morningside from 2012 to 2019. The Grates disbanded in 2020.
The Grates were formed in 2002 in Brisbane by Patience Hodgson on lead vocals, John Patterson on guitars and backing vocals and Alana Skyring on drums. Patterson and Skyring had attended Alexandra Hills State High School. In 1999, they met Cleveland District State High School student, Hodgson, in year 12 at a drama class, which all three attended at the local TAFE to avoid physical education classes. Hodgson discovered her singing voice at a karaoke bar, where she performed "A Whole New World" (from Aladdin). According to Patterson the rendition "was less than stellar". The three were watching rage in 2002 when they decided to form a group. They independently released a limited number of a six-track extended play, The Grates in that year. After several rehearsals Hodgson, with her then-boyfriend, travelled to Scotland for a year where they planned a two-piece band, Prix Divers. Hodgson, Patterson and Skyring kept in contact and swapped ideas for songs. Patterson and Skyring each played in bands, Zombie Crime Boss and Clifton, as well as forming short-lived groups together or with others.
Once back in Australia Hodgson rejoined Patterson and Skyring to rehearse in Patterson's garden shed. Patterson described their band roles, "[Hodgson] couldn't play an instrument, so she was the singer. I was bored of playing keyboards so I started playing guitar, and [Skyring] just drums however she wants." They deliberately chose not to have a regular bass guitarist, according to Craig Mathieson of The Age this indicates "they've shown a disdain for convention." They performed under a different name each night – they might trick regular customers into thinking they were a new band instead of the same "shitty" one. During 2003 they independently issued three more EPs Crocodile, four-track Black Dog Black Dog and Pyrate Kids.
In January 2004 they first performed as the Grates at Ric's bar, Brisbane. Subsequent noise restrictions limited live performances at that venue, Patterson recalled "It's pathetic. Ric's is our favourite place to play in Brisbane... We played our first couple of shows there about a year ago and miss playing there terribly." According to Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, "They name the Pixies and Weezer as influences." Whereas Tammy la Gorce of AllMusic opined their early material were "Ramones and Yeah Yeah Yeahs-influenced songs." Musicologist Ian McFarlane added X-Ray Spex as another influence, whereas the group create "one hell of a racket with their... blasts of indie punk rock."
Later in 2004 they sent a rough demo of "Trampoline" to national youth radio station, Triple J, which was accompanied by a hand-written biography and press release. It was co-written by Hodgson, Patterson and Skyring. They used an 8-track recorder with two cheap microphones in Patterson's shed. The track received high rotation on Triple J. Mathieson described it as "a kinetic pop mantra where Hodgson skewers alternative rock's predilection for sultry female vocalists." "Trampoline" was used for a Just Jeans "Shortcuts" TV ad.
During 2004 they supported tours by Rocket Science, the Tremors, TISM and then Regurgitator. They were signed to Dew Process in 2004 and released a four-track extended play, The Ouch. The Touch. (February 2005). Kathryn Kernohan of FasterLouder felt it was "a perfect taster... you couldn't ask for a stronger selection of tracks. It gives an indication of how good you'd be live, and it leaves me hanging out for an album." The Ouch. The Touch peaked in the top 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
In April 2005 Hodgson explained her song writing style, "My attitude used to be just make up some shit that fits in and we'll be sweet, but now I want to work on the lyrics... I think when Daniel Johns first got some success, he didn't really know about music history, so he studied it, but I don't feel like I need to know. I just pick up stuff as we go along."
In 2005, the band appeared at the Big Day Out, Meredith, Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival and Homebake. They supported the Go! Team on their tour over late 2005 to early 2006.
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The Grates
The Grates were an Australian indie rock band, which formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 2002 with Patience Hodgson on lead vocals, John Patterson on guitars and backing vocals and Alana Skyring on drums. Their first two albums, Gravity Won't Get You High (2006) and Teeth Lost, Hearts Won (2008), both reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 10. The third studio album, Secret Rituals (2011), peaked at No. 11. Their highest charting singles "Science Is Golden" (2006) and "Burn Bridges" (2008) reached the ARIA top 100. A video album, Til Death Do Us Party: Live at the Forum (2007), peaked in the ARIA Top 40 Music DVDs chart. Hodgson and Patterson married in November 2012 and were proprietors of Southside Tea Room in Morningside from 2012 to 2019. The Grates disbanded in 2020.
The Grates were formed in 2002 in Brisbane by Patience Hodgson on lead vocals, John Patterson on guitars and backing vocals and Alana Skyring on drums. Patterson and Skyring had attended Alexandra Hills State High School. In 1999, they met Cleveland District State High School student, Hodgson, in year 12 at a drama class, which all three attended at the local TAFE to avoid physical education classes. Hodgson discovered her singing voice at a karaoke bar, where she performed "A Whole New World" (from Aladdin). According to Patterson the rendition "was less than stellar". The three were watching rage in 2002 when they decided to form a group. They independently released a limited number of a six-track extended play, The Grates in that year. After several rehearsals Hodgson, with her then-boyfriend, travelled to Scotland for a year where they planned a two-piece band, Prix Divers. Hodgson, Patterson and Skyring kept in contact and swapped ideas for songs. Patterson and Skyring each played in bands, Zombie Crime Boss and Clifton, as well as forming short-lived groups together or with others.
Once back in Australia Hodgson rejoined Patterson and Skyring to rehearse in Patterson's garden shed. Patterson described their band roles, "[Hodgson] couldn't play an instrument, so she was the singer. I was bored of playing keyboards so I started playing guitar, and [Skyring] just drums however she wants." They deliberately chose not to have a regular bass guitarist, according to Craig Mathieson of The Age this indicates "they've shown a disdain for convention." They performed under a different name each night – they might trick regular customers into thinking they were a new band instead of the same "shitty" one. During 2003 they independently issued three more EPs Crocodile, four-track Black Dog Black Dog and Pyrate Kids.
In January 2004 they first performed as the Grates at Ric's bar, Brisbane. Subsequent noise restrictions limited live performances at that venue, Patterson recalled "It's pathetic. Ric's is our favourite place to play in Brisbane... We played our first couple of shows there about a year ago and miss playing there terribly." According to Australian music journalist, Ed Nimmervoll, "They name the Pixies and Weezer as influences." Whereas Tammy la Gorce of AllMusic opined their early material were "Ramones and Yeah Yeah Yeahs-influenced songs." Musicologist Ian McFarlane added X-Ray Spex as another influence, whereas the group create "one hell of a racket with their... blasts of indie punk rock."
Later in 2004 they sent a rough demo of "Trampoline" to national youth radio station, Triple J, which was accompanied by a hand-written biography and press release. It was co-written by Hodgson, Patterson and Skyring. They used an 8-track recorder with two cheap microphones in Patterson's shed. The track received high rotation on Triple J. Mathieson described it as "a kinetic pop mantra where Hodgson skewers alternative rock's predilection for sultry female vocalists." "Trampoline" was used for a Just Jeans "Shortcuts" TV ad.
During 2004 they supported tours by Rocket Science, the Tremors, TISM and then Regurgitator. They were signed to Dew Process in 2004 and released a four-track extended play, The Ouch. The Touch. (February 2005). Kathryn Kernohan of FasterLouder felt it was "a perfect taster... you couldn't ask for a stronger selection of tracks. It gives an indication of how good you'd be live, and it leaves me hanging out for an album." The Ouch. The Touch peaked in the top 100 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
In April 2005 Hodgson explained her song writing style, "My attitude used to be just make up some shit that fits in and we'll be sweet, but now I want to work on the lyrics... I think when Daniel Johns first got some success, he didn't really know about music history, so he studied it, but I don't feel like I need to know. I just pick up stuff as we go along."
In 2005, the band appeared at the Big Day Out, Meredith, Splendour in the Grass, Falls Festival and Homebake. They supported the Go! Team on their tour over late 2005 to early 2006.
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