If you have trouble defining the difference between reality and delusion, this is quite possibly the band for you.  Sometimes I wonder if they are actually a cartoon come to quirky life.

Do you remember when you were smaller than you are now? 

Remember how excited you’d feel going to some kid’s party knowing that the red-head kid you despised wasn’t invited? 

Remember getting up extra early on Christmas morning to go and tear open your presents from Santa while drinking his left over Brandy?

Walking into The Grates exclusive surprise party last night brought a fond rekindling of that feeling that I had totally forgotten existed.  There’s something about getting the details of the party only days before that makes you buzz!

Hopping from one foot to the other in the cold as we waited for the doors to open made it all the more exciting. When we got inside Ormond Hall we were greeted by a modest but cool stage, set up at the front the classic old building.

Many beers and drunken conversations later (there was no support band), the small but buzzing crowd cheered as The Grates bounced their way onto the stage, huge smiles on their faces.

The Grate’s singer Patience smiled and said “wow there’s so many of you” and with no further introduction needed, began to sing as the band started playing.  I was loving the music and found myself carried away by their songs, dancing and not even knowing it. 

In spite of this, I couldn’t help but inquisitively watch Patience trying to pinpoint what it was that was different. 

Don’t get me wrong, she still has that aire of carefree playfulness and is super enthusiastic, jumping, hopping, skipping and generally going bezerk for the entire time she sings.  There is a charisma about her that makes you smile and go wild, but there was something else going on…

It took me a while to realise what it was, but I think it is simply that she has grown-up.  She has mastered the art of continually jumping and going nuts, whilst her singing sounds as if she’s standing still.  Older Grates gigs got bad reviews due to Patience’s voice sounding crap because of all the jumping, but that’s in her childhood now.

Every now and then when I looked carefully over the top of the drum kit, I’d catch a glimpse of little Alana Skyring, the cutest drummer ever, with her cartoon square cut bob hairdo grinning with glee as she whips up a frenzy on the drums.

This band is tight and despite the high ceilings, the sound was really good, which is funny coming from me, I usually find myself hating most sound systems.

Towards the end of the gig, Patience cleared a circle in the crowd and came down off stage doing her pretty ribbon twirling routine whilst singing Rock Boys.  She finished off the performance by crowd surfing from the stage all the way to the back of the room.  

She then proceeded to walk through the crowd, hugging pretty much everyone in the room (except that red-head that no body likes).  I was near the front of the stage at this stage and saw Alana Skyring mingling in the crowd, she was so cute and little I just had to give her a hug, just to check if she was actually a walking comic character. 

This was definitely a party, not a gig.  As we walked out at the end of the night, they handed out little paper party bags, complete with a lollypop and a grates merchandise goodies. 

I still haven’t worked out if they are a real life cartoon or a figment of my imagination but I don’t really care, it was the best party I’ve been to in a long while.