It’s a rainy, but warm Saturday night (15 December) in Brisbane as I make my way to The Tivoli Theatre to catch a band I have loved for many moons – The Grates.
The Grates ‘Reunited And Excited' tour (that kicked off in Sydney, then travelled to Melbourne and Perth before finishing up in their home town) ended with a bang as Patience, John and original drummer Alana graced the stage and gave fans a beautifully faultless and brilliantly energetic set.
Five-piece alternative, indie rockers FRITZ, the first tasty offering of the night, sound like a beautiful blend of The Clouds, The Cure and Magic Dirt. They have a definite '90s sound with a modern twist.
FRITZ - image © Erin Taylor
Vocalist and guitarist, Tilly Murphy announced that she and her keys player Hannah Dunn had literally just got off the plane and had to rush straight to the venue after their flight had been delayed. Taking that in their stride and playing like they hadn’t just had to dash to get to their gig on time, they delivered a fun and sweet-sounding set.
Click here for more photos from the show.
Next up were alternative rockers Good Boy. Last time I reviewed these guys was when they played with Grinspoon on their ‘Guide To Better Living' tour and while they were amazing then, I felt this performance was even better.
Opening with their hit ‘Poverty Line’ they had the crowd eating out of their hands from the get go. With the recent addition of Marli Smales on bass and frontman Rian King’s unique and funky style of moving and dancing around the stage, Good Boy are always a good time.
Good Boy - image © Erin Taylor
To add even more fun to the line-up, next was Pub Choir. Now if you haven’t heard of these lovely ladies, you really need to. With their motto of ‘everybody can sing and Pub Choir is here to prove it’, the creative three-piece made up of Astrid Jorgensen, Waveney Yasso and Meg Bartholomew have created a magical thing with Pub Choir.
They teach hundreds of strangers a song in three-part harmony in 90 minutes and then on this occasion we got to sing along with The Grates to their opening song ‘Science Is Golden’. What a trip!
These three ladies are hilarious, talented and fun, and I am sure this was a highlight of the night for many punters.
Pub Choir - image © Erin Taylor
Finally, The Grates graced the stage belting out ‘Science Is Golden’ along with the crowd; the smile on Patience’s face was just so beautiful, she was clearly loving the moment.
Wearing one of her infamous glittery, tinsel jackets, she was shining like some kind of angelic goddess and her performance completely matched her outfit.
The Grates - image © Erin Taylor
Delivering a stellar set filled with all their most-loved tracks including ‘Rock Boys’, ‘Seek Me’ and more, the fans sung along, word for word to almost every song. The room was full of beaming smiles from both the band and fans.
Before breaking into ‘Milk Eyes’, Patience commented: “We wrote this one before we even had kids, this one goes out to all the parents… I mean like how tasty is Combantrin? I mean, I have had worse chocolate than that!”
Patience interacted with the crowd throughout the night; she crowd surfed a few times and was full of bubbles and joy throughout the entire performance.
The Grates - image © Erin Taylor
Saving their first big hit until last, ‘19 20 20’ was well received; the perfect ending to what was a brilliant performance and one of the stand-out shows of the year.
