You could tell that this was going to be a unique gig before you even walked into the doors of the rustic Enmore Theatre. Swanning about on the pavement outside were multitudes of perky high school girls with bright red lipstick, home-made bohemian dresses and colourful bangles, while their indie boyfriends, clad in super tight (and uber-bright) purple and turqoise tsubis spent their time blowing bubbles into the sticky air. It seemed everybody had a grin on their face and a lollipop stuck in their mouth, and that was before the show had even begun.

Following the time-honoured tradition of underage concerts; the one which stipulates that one must squeeze every possible minute of entertainment out of a $30 ticket, the place was packed out just to see support act Faker. While the hyperactive tweens in the centre of the mosh lapped up the boys’ tunes, one couldn’t help noticing that they seemed very mechanical on stage. Except for lead singer Nathan Hudson, that is, who turned the stage into his own personal gymnastics routine; rolling, sliding and jumping at every available opportunity. He managed to match the energy of his infallable audience, and made the songs enjoyable to listen to.

Well, if Faker were enjoyable, The Grates were god damn exciting! The gang were clearly revelling in their phenomenal success, having supported the Arctic Monkeys only a few months before. The stage set-up were ridiculously kitsch, an Alice in Wonderland backdrop adorned with cut-outs of penguins and reindeers. In her typically hyperactive fashion, Patience Hodgson bounced on stage beaming like a kid getting presents on her fifth birthday. Having seen The Grates previously, it would have been oh-so-easy to dismiss this sort of energy as contrived, but Hodgson and her band were genuinely overjoyed at seeing such an enthusiastic audience. Her mood was infectious, and as they launched into Howl, the crowd screamed and bounced along.

From start to finish of their explosive, compact (only 40 minutes!!) set, The Grates held the audience captivated. Hodgson stole the show, with her spasmodic dancing, hilarious between-song ad-libs and truly spectuacular voice, with which she howled, swooned and barked like a woman posessed. Special mention must be made of drummer Alana Skyring who had a perpetual grin on her face even when pulling off some intense punk-pop beats. Hodgson also brought her fair share of props on stage, the most notable being a dude dressed in a panda suit who came in to play keys and banjo. Her trademark ribbon was also there, and as she swirled it about during Rock Boys, italmost made you believe you were at a highschool formal. The incessant screeching of a gaggle of tweens probably aided that image, now that one thinks about it.

Other bands take note, these guys know how to maintain the intensity towards the end of a set! The band set off twin missiles Science is Golden and the lauded 19-20-20 to finish off the night, leaving everybody on a high. Forget the rabid ‘red cordial’ comments, these guys probably wash their teeth with it. Five Red Bulls wouldn’t even bring you close to their natural energy levels.
 
The Grates are truly a wonderful Australian owned product, one which we should all be proud of. They’re probably even better than Cottees cordial…