Wednesday, gig day; this week saw those bundles of relentless energy, The Grates, take the stage at the ANU. The sold out sign was displayed prominently on the door, and punters who had hoped to purchase tickets on the night were walking away with a look of disappointment and despondence on their faces.
By the time I Heart Hiroshima hit the stage, the Uni Bar was already nigh on capacity; for once Canberra’s punters had turned up to see the support acts. I Heart Hiroshima have taken their musical lead from many US indie bands with their poppy beats, supported by simple guitar, and at times almost flat vocals. There were shades of Sonic Youth in their musical style. The assembled crowd enjoyed it, bouncing up and down in time. Their songs were quite short, and I Heart Hiroshima managed to bundle somewhere near ten songs into their thirty minute support slot.
Following on from I Heart Hiroshima were the Panda Band. The Panda Band played a set that could be quite easily pigeon holed as art rock, with sprawling fuzzed out sound scapes and very few vocals. The two support acts spanned the expanse of indie music, one popped up, the other playing sparse almost art rock. The Panda Band appealed more to my sensibilities, as I love seeing what sort of sounds a band can produce from organic instruments.
The Grates came on and played, and yes they were great. Lead singer Patience bounced across the stage like a kid with ADHD who’s had Coke and Coco Pops for breakfast and forgotten their meds. Before The Grates hit the stage, the roadies had brought bunches of helium balloons that were both placed on stage and throughout the venue, combined with the shimmering silver backdrop, it gave the whole place the feel of a trashy high school disco. Patience appeared on stage in a blue satin ball gown, that I’m reliably informed either came from an op shop, was home made, or new, but cost an absolute bomb.
The Grates played a swag of stuff from their debut, Gravity Won’t Get You High, and had the majority female crowd swooning, bouncing, giggling and dancing, and often all at the same time. Their set embodied Patience’s energy, although at times there looked as if their may be a rift in the family, with drummer Alana looking decidedly unimpressed with some of Patience’s antics.
‘19, 20, 20’, The Grates current single received a rapturous response, with the crowd singing along. ‘Trampoline’, ‘Science is Golden’ and ‘Sukkafifh’ also received a great response from the crowd. The Grates have come a long way from the band I saw at a little venue with only a handful of others watching on, developing into something special; with their profile on the rise, they will soon be a force to be reckoned with.
