It seemed rather apt that Adelaide’s temperature had decided to bump it up a few degrees tonight for The Grates’ Summer’s Breath tour. With a handful of extra tickets released only a few hours before the doors opened, all signs pointed towards a packed and heated show.

Adelaide favourites, 20th Century Graduates took to the stage first, before a small but enthusiastic group of people. I’d reviewed these guys a few months back, when it was Alex Ciaravalo’s last gig, and was surprised to see that he’d taken up a new post as the band’s sound tech for tonight. The ensemble kicked things off, perhaps too loudly initially, with some lovely sounds and once again, I was a bit disappointed that more people hadn’t shown up to catch the band doing their thing. One thing I always enjoy about this band is the fact that they are totally aware of how sweet and catchy their material is and completely embrace it.

Next up was another band that I’d seen previously, Last Dinosaurs. On tour with Papa vs Pretty last time, the Brisbane boys put on a decent show. Tonight, it was evident that the band had benefited greatly from being on the live circuit; the energy and professionalism that they brought with each delivery was that of a group of musicians who had clearly learned lessons on being captivating live performers from their experiences in front of ever-growing crowds (it also helped that they no longer look 15). Both Sean and Lachlan Caskey excelled on guitar duties tonight, whilst Dan Koyama kept the percussion tight. Acknowledging that Adelaide had brought one of the best crowds on their last tour went down especially well for Last Dinosaurs, and tonight’s crowd were more than happy to show these boys some love.

When The Grates emerged, the anticipation which had been steadily building spilled over into masses of cheers. After spending time in the U.S then returning home with the acclaimed Secret Rituals record, Patience Hodgson wasted no time in showing the crowd what her band is about. Following the classic “Science Is Golden” was “Like You Could Have It All”, one of my favourite tracks off the new record. Definitely a sign of a more matured and ballsy sound for The Grates, Hodgson manoeuvred her way through the song in her usual frenetic and vibrant way. John Patterson’s riff-work during this particular performance was brilliant to witness, especially from where I was positioned, rather close to the stage.

Through the entire set, it was like the crowd was trying to keep up with the level of energy being projected from the stage... and vice versa. People in the front row were treated to the full Hodgson experience, as she’d sing into their faces or simply get in their faces to let them know that she was aware they existed. Watching this woman scream, bound and crowd surf her way through a set and appear to not be worn out at any point, was amazing. Churning out hits including “19 20 20”, “Aw Yeah” and “Turn Me On”, the front woman seemed to go into some sort of trance and let her body take over the performance. This isn’t to say that her vocals were affected any, rather, she had a great grasp on her range; “Sweet Dreams”, which came at the end of the set was performed just as delicately as it sounds on the record.

New material seemed to go down just as well as the songs from The Grates’ previous two releases and both the crowd and band vibed off each other really well. Between Hodgson’s improved live-vocal work and Patterson’s great guitar work (not overcrowded with effects), it’s clear that The Grates are able to carry themselves off just as well as they did with their old line-up.