Grates expectations

The Grates support the Arctic Monkeys at the St James tomorrow night.

Brisbane band the Grates have been compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but they sound more like the Pixies on Prozac.

"Shake it like you don't know what you're waitin' for!" hollers singer Patience Hodgson on Inside Outside.

"I feel like music's got a bit happier," says guitarist John Patterson. "I'm looking forward to the Arctic Monkeys tour because it's not about dirty rock'n'roll, it's more about jumping around, having a good time."

Patterson, Hodgson and drummer Alana Skyring have been doing a bit of that, joining upbeat bands like the Go! Team on tour in Britain.

Tomorrow they support the Monkeys, where they will likely wear something that looks as though it came out of a dress-up box, and Hodgson will probably live up to her reputation for bouncing up and down on stage.

"Oh, she doesn't stop," says Patterson. "She bought some insoles for her shoes and they made her feet even more sore so she's searching for a pair of shoes to do it in."

Don't believe the Grates' album title, Gravity Won't Get You High. It debuted in Australia in the top 10. Kiwis will probably recognise their two singles 19-20-20 and Trampoline, an ode to having sex in naughty places.

Yet three years ago, Hodgson didn't sing, Patterson didn't play guitar and Skyring was better known for playing clarinet at school than the skins. Hodgson met the high-school friends at a drama class held at the local university, where the soon-to-be singer was also studying aquarium and rocket building.

"The first time I heard Patience sing was at karaoke when she did A Whole New World from Aladdin," says Patterson.

"She screeched it out and it was the most gross thing I'd ever heard. So our band started out really rough and trashy but slowly we started learning how to work together."

The Grates didn't wait for success to come to them - the name Patience apparently doesn't apply to its owner. Instead, they got airplay after sending a demo of Trampoline to Aussie youth radio network Triple J, and record label the Dew Process offered them a contract.

The band do their own artwork, such as the ripped album cover, and try to keep things playful

"Every time we do a new poster or T-shirt we learn something, so I guess that's childlike," says Patterson. "We hate being told what to do."