Patience is a virtue
Like
many who have come before me, I’m here to exclaim that Patience
Hodgson is one of the best damn performers ever. The Grates played
a special Christmas show at The Annandale on December 19 and it
was amazing.
She came out bouncing and didn’t stop bouncing.
She jumps around like a crazed fan and genuinely gets into her
own music. It’s brilliant. With her having so much fun up
on stage, it’s pretty hard not to get involved. Her enthusiasm
is infectious. For those who find her voice slightly annoying
(I was one of them), I’m telling you, it pales in comparison
to the energy of their live show. You’d have to be pretty
cynical to watch them and not to have a great big smile on your
face.
While Patience undoubtedly steals the show, I was
impressed by the band as a whole. They had quite a bit of new
material to show off, but rather than shoving it down our throats,
they played it sparingly, making sure to give the fans what they
wanted. Still, my initial impressions of these new songs are pretty
favourable and I can see the next Grates album being just as big
as the last.
If you’re yet to see The Grates live, I recommend
you do it as soon as you can, regardless of how you feel about
their music.
Peter Watts
For
more of Peter Watts' music reviews, check out his blog at Open
Your Eyes
