The Grates, Big Scary, Guineafowl @ The Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane (01/07/2011)
Opening to the sell-out Hi-Fi crowd was Guineafowl, who arrived with face paint mimicking their album cover. The tracks of theirs I'd heard on the radio, 'In Our Circles' and 'Botanist', sound like an over-polished version of The Smiths, however live, this Sydney troupe showed their raw and gritty side which gave the music much more feeling and intensity. If anything, it's disappointing that this fervour and potency is lost in the recording process.
Next up was Big Scary, a Melbourne two piece of guitar/keys and drums. After a bit of a slow start, the duo ended up winning the crowd over with tracks like the nostalgic ‘Autumn’ and ‘Falling Away’ that are really reminiscent of Arcade Fire. Drummer Jo Syme was particularly entertaining and it’s rare that a drummer commands so much attention from the crowd.
But now it was time for what we all turned out for. This was the 7th time I'd seen The Grates play, the first being at the launch of their first EP in 2002, and over the years I've witnessed some pretty spectacular performances from the band. But with line-up changes and expansions, as well as a new album release, this gig was bound to be a departure from previous performances. Where former live shows have looked and felt like a five year olds birthday party, this stage set up was simple, decorated only with large spotlights and strobes.
However, there seems to be no subduing Patience Hodgeson, who rocketed onto the stage and proceeded to spend the entire set jumping, skipping, somersaulting and climbing, a feature of a Grates live show that people have now come to expect.
Opening with a few older favourites like ‘19-20-20’, you could tell the band were relishing the home town crowd. Despite the album Secret Rituals only dropping a few days before the gig, by the time the band introduced ‘Young Pricks’, the crowd were eagerly singing along, which really highlights the catchiness of the new material. The band then launched into 'Change' in which patience croons 'I don't wanna ch-ch-change, but I don't wanna stay the same,' an impossible situation but I actually think they might have achieved it. The new Grates, while being far more mature both musically and lyrically, also feature a much fuller sound achieved by the expanded line-up, however they are still undoubtedly The Grates, just somehow more so. They are now the band that they were always bound to become and for this reason the change still feels familiar.
During perennial crowd favourite 'Feels Like Pain', Patience leapt from the stage and was sent sailing across the sea of punters in some of the most graceful crowd surfing I've ever witnessed. After being deposited back on stage the band retired for a costume change and returned for the encore. ‘Turn Me On’ is bound to become a classic for The Grates and the live rendition makes me love it even more. Then, Patience, decked out in a furry monster jumper, the shouted the words the crowd was waiting for 'Use your bed like a trampoline, I said HIGHER!' and proceeded to pull an endless amount of confetti from the monsters mouth.
It seems that there is still a bit of the five year old left in The Grates and I left the venue with a smile on my face and confetti in my hair, thinking they should perscribe Patience Hodgeson as an anti-depressant.
Kirsty Visman
Next up was Big Scary, a Melbourne two piece of guitar/keys and drums. After a bit of a slow start, the duo ended up winning the crowd over with tracks like the nostalgic ‘Autumn’ and ‘Falling Away’ that are really reminiscent of Arcade Fire. Drummer Jo Syme was particularly entertaining and it’s rare that a drummer commands so much attention from the crowd.
But now it was time for what we all turned out for. This was the 7th time I'd seen The Grates play, the first being at the launch of their first EP in 2002, and over the years I've witnessed some pretty spectacular performances from the band. But with line-up changes and expansions, as well as a new album release, this gig was bound to be a departure from previous performances. Where former live shows have looked and felt like a five year olds birthday party, this stage set up was simple, decorated only with large spotlights and strobes.
However, there seems to be no subduing Patience Hodgeson, who rocketed onto the stage and proceeded to spend the entire set jumping, skipping, somersaulting and climbing, a feature of a Grates live show that people have now come to expect.
Opening with a few older favourites like ‘19-20-20’, you could tell the band were relishing the home town crowd. Despite the album Secret Rituals only dropping a few days before the gig, by the time the band introduced ‘Young Pricks’, the crowd were eagerly singing along, which really highlights the catchiness of the new material. The band then launched into 'Change' in which patience croons 'I don't wanna ch-ch-change, but I don't wanna stay the same,' an impossible situation but I actually think they might have achieved it. The new Grates, while being far more mature both musically and lyrically, also feature a much fuller sound achieved by the expanded line-up, however they are still undoubtedly The Grates, just somehow more so. They are now the band that they were always bound to become and for this reason the change still feels familiar.
During perennial crowd favourite 'Feels Like Pain', Patience leapt from the stage and was sent sailing across the sea of punters in some of the most graceful crowd surfing I've ever witnessed. After being deposited back on stage the band retired for a costume change and returned for the encore. ‘Turn Me On’ is bound to become a classic for The Grates and the live rendition makes me love it even more. Then, Patience, decked out in a furry monster jumper, the shouted the words the crowd was waiting for 'Use your bed like a trampoline, I said HIGHER!' and proceeded to pull an endless amount of confetti from the monsters mouth.
It seems that there is still a bit of the five year old left in The Grates and I left the venue with a smile on my face and confetti in my hair, thinking they should perscribe Patience Hodgeson as an anti-depressant.
Kirsty Visman