We decided to skip BOAT and Math and Physics Club at Vera last night in favor of sexy lady rockers at Neumos. (Sorry, guys, but Australians, alcohol, and Rachel Flotard trump an all ages show every time.)

We arrived in time for Village Green, who I wanted to see because I keep missing them. They looked like refugees from a wedding party, dressed in tuxedo vests, and they took the stage cranky because Neumos wouldn’t let them drink beer on stage. This is probably the part where I should tell you that I didn’t have Josh with me to keep track of set lists, and I personally keep song titles wherever it is that I keep the names of people I just met. So no song titles for you. The band sounded fine, like the “alternative” bands I listened to in high school, and they’d make a pretty good sound track for a road trip or at least a road trip movie. I was distracted by the bass player, who was impressively solid and struck me as the best one of the bunch.

I want to be as cool as Rachel Flotard someday. Every time I see her play I’m impressed all over again, and Visqueen consistently rocks. She made jokes about Mars Hill and the genital endowment of the drummer, and they played a bunch of new songs. The new bass player should be in my fantasy muppet band with the drummer from The Helio Sequence. I will always go with you to see Visqueen play. In case you need me.

And then it was time for The Grates. Holy mother of dance party! I’m pretty sure that all Australian bands are batshit crazy [mb], and that’s just awesome. Patience Hodgson never stopped moving, jumping and twirling and dancing and pointing. How does she jump and sing at the same time so well? Must have a great lung capacity. The crowd responded in kind, with a good dozen people in front of the stage dancing and sweating and dancing some more. It was a small crowd but a very loyal one, and one girl even gave Patience a doll. The Grates fans seemed to want an encore, but Neumos was having none of it–they turned the house music on the second the band left the stage.