The Grates Tickets

Australian indie rock royalty The Grates are back in a big way! 

The Brisbane stalwarts are officially reuniting their original line up – singer Patience Hodgson, guitarist John Patterson, and drummer Alana Skyring – for a special run of shows this November/December, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their seminal album, Teeth Lost, Hearts Won.

The tour has been dubbed the ‘Reunited and Excited’ tour, with shows that will see them perform in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth – playing some of the biggest venues they’ve toured in years, where they’ll be performing some of the most memorable moments of Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, as well as songs from their breakout, debut LP Gravity Won’t Get You High and some classics from the rest of their extensive and impressive catalogue.

There aren’t many Australian bands in history with as much effervescence and infectiousness as The Grates. Their combination of Hodgson’s extra-extravert persona and inimitable voice, Patterson’s blistering guitar lines, and Skyring’s singular drumming style, made them a stand out from the outset when they first arrived with ‘Trampoline,’ back in 2004.

Their debut album Gravity Won’t Get You High put them on the map in 2006, but it was Teeth Lost, Hearts Won’s release in 2008 that cemented the band as one of the true greats of the 2000s, thanks to stunning songs like ‘Burn Bridges,’ ‘Aw Yeah,’ and ‘Carve Your Name.’

The album debuted at number 6 on the ARIA charts (no mean feat for an indie rock band at a time when you still had to sell big numbers to get on the ARIA charts!), and was universally praised as the record that saw the band mature their sound, while retaining the youthful, unbridled energy that got them there in the first place.

Skyring is set to return from her home base in New York City especially for the tour, rejoining Hodgson and Patterson, who as well as being rock stars, married and arguably the coolest parents in the world, have spent recent years carving names for themselves as entrepreneurs and owners of the Southside Tea Room in Brisbane.

“When we first broke up as a band we sought council from a psychologist because we wanted to do it without regret,” says Hodgson. “He suggested we spend a good length of time apart, so when we came back together, it would be as three different people. The psychologist was right. We missed each other’s weddings. We missed each other’s birthdays. Finally, we missed each other. International phone calls went from once a year to more, then once a month to more, and we’d be chatting for hours and hours like high schoolers. I met Alana and John while I was in high school. They have had the biggest influence on my life. They introduced me to triple j, they made me mix tapes of local bands, they invited me into music. I can’t wait until we are all back on the stage together – a joyous celebration of people who changed my life, Alana, John & the audience.”

“Always looking for our next big project,” adds Patterson. “We’ve never spent much time looking back, but this feels like the perfect time in our lives to reflect and celebrate the music we’ve made together and a friendship that spans decades.

“More than anything I’m looking forward to playing really loud.” 

“That paths can move apart and come together again is so exciting,” says Skyring. “I can't wait to play these songs again with a new energy and perspective.”