The Grates

Every time home grown talent ventures beyond our girt shores, a bittersweet anxiety is felt by fans and fellow musicians. Will they no longer be our local darlings, producing music that we as Australians can own and enjoy? Or will they return with something so profound that we as Australians can boast it around the world?

Either way, when these schoolyard pals of ours take that step onto the world stage, into the global music machine; a sense of disbelief often overcomes us. “I didn’t realise they were that big,” we’d mutter.

After five long years of touring for their first two albums, Brisbane band, The Grates said “see yalater mate” to their close friends and family for an exploration of inspiration in the streets of New York. With the absence of drummer Alana Skyring, the now duo concluded that a new methodology was needed in order to generate a newer and edgier sound for their new album Secret Rituals.

Back here in Australia, we curiously wondered whether we would witness the return of a greater and more New York sounding Grates, or be forgotten like a once functioning and dearly reliable pair of tracksuit pants. And so it was that the duo would return with not only a new album, but also an entirely new script.

Guitarist John Patterson relived the New York experience after returning to his home town earlier this year. “There are so many things happening at one time, we had to really put restrictions on ourselves because you could go over there, not work and come back two years later without anything done.”

Patterson and vocalist Patience Hodgson utilised this experience to come together on song writing and focus their ideas in a daily routine completely removed from their personal lives. This, they said, forced them to write something every day.

Their ritual process is reflected throughout the new album as each track functions independently and creates a sort of continuum which explores each and every possible motive as a whole.

“Removing ourselves from our lives in Brisbane and removing the song writing process from our lives for six or seven hours every day, it became a habit. We were much more aloof about it in the past and let songs just come to us whenever we wanted. But this time it was much more focussed.”

It was a strict regime they had created for themselves, each day exploring new verses, new melodies, new beats or new curiosities. Nevertheless Patterson admitted that, “this way we knew we had that window each day to write songs in, and even if we didn’t come up with anything within that time, at lease you knew you tried.”

The new found process of writing and composing provided both positive and negatives. It allowed the two to watch as the depth of their new album grew steadily over time. However, the two also suggested that without their typically percussion driven sound to back them up, the entire procedure was initially a lot more nerve-racking.

I guess to put it simply; the two attacked this album during business hours and enjoyed New York in the afterhours. Patterson suggested that it took the magic out of the song writing process, however at the same time made the magic happened more often.

Patterson also alluded to a suspicious collection of rituals (ironically) which would be carried out during these long hours of writing. One could only assume that these rituals were of a bizarre, witch doctor kind of nature, body paint and all. Hmm?

As they meandered and rode their fixies through the blizzard winters, the humid summers, the florescent lights, and the intoxicating sounds and smells of The Big Apple, their words and bearings eventually fell into place; The Grates were making sweet New York rock n roll.

With Patterson’s iconic fun, fast and energetic guitar spraying behind the alluring voice of Patience in the hallowed Electric Lady Studios, the whole experience proved to be productive, inventive and downright eccentric.

The new video clip for Turn Me On, illustrates the new albums newly focused content. An erotically experimental montage portrays the duos ability to evolve their writing, and frankly, mature their outlook. “It felt like we were making a sixties experimental short film,” Patterson described.

The song itself is, simply, at its core about dissatisfaction and failing expectations. “After coming back to Australia and it being so vibrant, then going back to the bleak New York winter, Patience was expecting inspiration to hit her, but it just didn’t… It was a plea for change.”

Patterson is confident in the group’s evolution and experience beyond their comfort zone, intrigued by the idea of approaching things in a different way and constantly learning about new things.

As Australians we are both privileged and disadvantaged by our geographical existence. The music industry is our darling, and we are proud to have built it from the ground up. Our land mass may be immense, however at heart we are just a bunch of small town locals. In a big city like New York, cloaked in greys and blacks, we still find our inspiration from the colours of home.

As humans, ritual and routine are our keep sakes. Rituals give us closure, imagination and comfort. Routines give us longevity and courage. As The Grates stare down the barrel of the circus that is, Splendour In The Grass, Patterson is excited about the prospect of new routines and rituals. “I love recording and writing songs, but I am just so excited about playing some shows. It’s our bread and butter after all.”

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