Hungry Kids of Hungary took on the East Brunswick club for the second time this year, playing to a full house with the last tickets snapped up before the doors to the bandroom opened. Playing the final leg of theirShady Haze of Winter tour, the challenge was on to see if the boys could warm up the crowd and make them forget the freezing tundra that is Melbourne in Winter.
First on the billing were Artisan Guns, a four piece from New Zealand. Their music was full of lovely harmonies and soaring guitar moments, with their general approach seeming to be start off slow and then end the song in a massive mess of noise. The crowd seemed to really enjoy their take on melodramatic pop and were dancing along with the band, who were thoroughly enjoying themselves onstage.
Next up were Sydney-siders The Holidays, who walked onstage to a haze of smoke as the-oh-so cheesy “Take My Breath Away” blared over the PA. The band did a great job capturing the crowds attention as the set consisted mostly of new material from their forthcoming debut LP, Post Paradise. Singer Simon Jones gave his all to the performance as the band got hot and sweaty belting out a number of glorious funk infused pop songs, highlights of which included “6AM”, “Moonlight Hours” and their self-described ‘baggy pants rock and roll number’ “Slimeface”. They had an interesting dynamic with the expanded percussion section which included electronic drums and a set of tall bongos, that the entire band took delight in playing. Their set was a lot of fun and ended on a high with Jones falling into the front row to give the crowd some loving, before their final song of the evening “Golden Sky”.
Things were starting to heat up with the audience packed in like sardines, eager to catch a glimpse of the headliners. The bandroom erupted as the curtains opened to reveal the charming lads from Hungry Kids of Hungary, who kicked things off on an energetic note with the delightful “Set It Right”. The Hungry Kids looked very pleased with themselves and thanked the crowd for being a part of their first ever sold out headlining show in Melbourne, which also completely sold out of their trademark merchandise – Frisbees.
The boys were in fine form and amped up the crowd with their fantastic stage presence and superb ‘ooh-ooh doo-doo’ harmonies. Singer Dean McGrath stole moments between songs to chat up the crowd, who responded with a lot of excited screaming. The band played an even mix of new and old material with highlights of the set being crowd favourite “Scattered Diamonds”, “Two Stones” and a cracking rendition of their new single “Wristwatch”, which came close to turning the EBC into a mosh pit with the audience clearly loving Hungry Kids new material. The songs from their forthcoming debut LP featured the same splendid harmonies, with a few of them heading off in a alt. country direction that left a little to be desired. On the whole their new material seems to be more of the solid guitar driven pop that Hungry Kids have become renowned for, and was well received by the crowd, who seemed to love every moment. Hungry Kids invited the audience to join them up onstage, and had their own mini dance party as they ended the night surrounded by their fans singing and dancing along as they rounded out the set with “Lenny” and “Good Times”.
Hungry Kids of Hungary have come a long way this year and their overseas touring experience has done wonders for their live show. Their set was engaging and fun and things seem set to explode for the boys from Brisbane with sold-out shows across the nation and the impending album release, one can only hope that they bring more Frisbees with them next time they’re in town to rock your socks off with their endearing indie pop sensibilities.
