It has been a massive year for The Grates, taken up with touring the US, collecting inspiration and writing new material. “It has been a whirlwind of chaos and fun,” enthuses colourful frontwoman Patience Hodgson. “We have really been using America as a muse for our forthcoming album and simultaneously are on holiday living in Brooklyn which is nice.”
Hodgson is enthusiastic about the great experiences of the past year, and tells of their including tours with bands such as The Thermals and Those Darlins. “Those Darlins are definitely one of our favourite bands and we have been so fortunate to tour with them. They are Tennessee-born ladies who love real old school country rock, but they have a great indie pop sensibility.”
The Grates covered approximately 24,000 kilometres on their tour of America, but with whatever spare time they can find, Hodgson loves to go to independent record stores. “I am such an indecisive person and im forever buying music, so I love to spend time in these little stores, have a beer and relax. It is such an experience; with live music around it is more than a shop.”
Although their time in America was a success, the band did encounter one hiccup. “Well it was big so I guess that’s more than a hiccup, but everyone got swine flu except for me – it was insane!”Hodgson describes that the hype surrounding the swine flu pandemic is out of control in America. “There are segments on the news dedicated to its development and progress. It got us scared for a while but once everyone had it we realised it was heavily sensationalised by the media.”
She also tells how John got “crazy sick” with pneumonia. “It was insane. I have never seen anyone so sick in my life, but he is a real trooper, so luckily we did not have to cancel any shows.”
Hodgson declares that although Australian audiences are smaller in numbers to crowds in America, Americans are far more interactive and more likely to shout things out during their performance and see them for a chat afterwards. She tells of a strange but endearing encounter with a guy who had her name emblazed on his chest. “I saw him a few months later in the front row at one of our shows with a dancing circle forming around him and his friends. Apparently he hardly ever took the shirt off after I signed it for him and it eventually tore, but he just sewed it back together. It was really sweet.”
The Grates have been compared to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a link Hodgson admits that is flattering. She has great respect for them, however they are more of an influence in terms of stage presence than musically. She feels that women do not get enough respect or admiration as musicians or strong figures. “Girls in rock bands are few and far between. Men really dominate the scene and women often get shunned from the praise they deserve. It is both the reason people love us and the reason people don’t understand us; as many cannot identify with the rock image and prefer to see a sexed-up female. Sexy pop stars are the number one stereotype in America, so for Karen O to be recognised and appreciated as a strong and talented woman in this industry, I truly admire her.”
Whilst The Grates may be grateful to America for the experiences they have encountered and inspiration they have gained over the past year, Hodgson reassures me that Australia will always be home. “America has been good to us and we have enjoyed ourselves, but we are so excited to come home and play shows to Australian audiences, especially amongst a lineup of such fine artists.”
As I run through the Solar Music Festival line-up with her, Hodgson releases a shriek of excitement at mention of the Red Riders. “I am so excited about this! These guys are probably the loveliest guys you are ever likely to meet. They are the only band I have had over to my house for dinner, and they were so polite and well mannered, they even brought along a bottle of wine.”
The Grates are also particularly excited about seeing Birds of Tokyo. “We played after them at Big Day Out earlier this year, and they are just really great so it will be nice to catch up with them.”
Aside from the excitement of festivals, Hodgson seems most concerned about controlling herself around the family-sized bag of Allens lollies that is sitting in her cupboard. “I am uncertain about how long they are going to last. I have been trying so hard to make them stretch until we come back home, but I find myself returning to the cupboard three times a day. I can’t help myself.”
While America has taught them a lot, there are still many things she does not agree with. “Alana and I went into a shopping centre the other day and found Tim Tams, except they were not produced by Arnotts. They were in a bag and they were called – œChocolate Sandwiches’. As you can appreciate, I became quite irate over this. I love that Australians would never eat a cookie; they would eat a biscuit, just like they would only ever eat a true Tim Tam.”
Lastly, the age-old question: what animal would The Grates be? “It is a tough question,” Patience “I would say when we released Teeth Lost, Hearts Won we would have been likened to a griffin, which is half eagle and half lion, because we are a friendly bunch but we have strong songs. In the present perhaps we are a Staffordshire terrier.”
You can catch The Grates playing Solar Fest in Victoria on January 3rd – tickets available here
