As far as first live music experiences go, Hungry Kids of Hungary’s Dean McGrath hit the Aussie music jackpot.
“It was the Gold Coast Homebake in 1999. Think of every great Australian band from that era and they were there – Powderfinger, Silverchair, Custard. It was crazy.”
Even for a music-obsessed teen like McGrath, it seems unfathomable that, thirteen years on, he’d be working with Wayne Connolly, the man behind some of the best music these iconic bands produced.
“His pedigree is something to be taken very seriously,” McGrath laughs. “We’re very grateful that the offer came through to work with him. He’s our absolute hero.”
As a legend amongst rock legends, Connolly’s repertoire boasts production credits with the aforementioned acts, as well as The Vines, The Living End, Grinspoon and Jimmy Barnes.
Add this to his experience in his own group Knievel and McGrath thinks the band couldn’t have dreamed up a better partner for their second album, You’re A Shadow.
“We knew we had to make another record and between the four of us we established an idea of what we wanted it to be and sound like,” explains McGrath. “Wayne understood and I think our approach meant that this album has a rockier feel.”
The Hungry Kid concedes that “it’s not brutally heavy – essentially we’re still writing pop songs – but it does have that edge. There was a sheen over our first album but this one is raw.”
“It’s very real,” he concludes, adding worryingly, “I don’t know whether that sounds wanky or not.”
It must’ve been quite an attractive sheen, because Hungry Kids of Hungary’s Escapades was met with critical and public acclaim when it was released in 2010. But while McGrath is proud of the release, the crafting of You’re A Shadow has been a more unified experience.“The new album’s not brutally heavy – essentially we’re still writing pop songs – but it does have that edge.”
“With Escapades, it was more of a compilation than something we sat down and had a specific vision for. Kane [Mazlin] and I, being the songwriters of the band, we usually write quite separately from each other. But we seem to be on the same wavelength this time, so the album sounds really cohesive, like a whole piece of work.”
While the Brisbane quartet always had a strong vision for their second major release, the collaboration with Connolly very nearly didn’t happen.
On a trip to Berlin, McGrath, Mazlin, Ben Dalton (bass) and Ryan Strathie (drums) met up with Simon “Berkfinger” Berckelman, most notably of Philadelphia Grand Jury fame, and “mucked about” with some mixing. But limited time together meant the Hungry Kids had to look elsewhere for a producer.
“It’s a really difficult thing working over distance,” says McGrath, reflecting on the experience.
“Different time zones; approving stuff over the Internet; trying to communicate your ideas without being able to tap someone on the shoulder and say, ‘Hey, can you turn this up a bit’ – it’s hard. But we had an amazing time in Berlin. Simon showed us around, we ate some burgers. It’s a cool place.”
From one cool place to the next, and the next, The Hungry Kids of Hungary left Berlin to begin a full tour of the UK and Europe, including a slot at Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands.
With little knowledge of the scale and popularity of the festival, McGrath says the band “lost their shit” a little when they stepped on stage.
“We went over there with no real idea of what [Pinkpop] was or how many people know who we were, let alone care. We thought we’d be playing to a couple of hundred people, so when we walked out and saw the massive crowd… I can’t even begin to describe how mind blowing it was.”“It seems the level of interest in music in Australia, particularly what’s happening locally, is back.”
Rather than resorting to self-promotion to snare a spot on the bill, the Hungry Kids of Hungary have simply reaped the benefits of overseas connections.
“It took very little effort on our part,” McGrath laughs. “We have a guy [in Europe] who is giving us a lot of love, spreading the word about the first record. Some really great people have rallied behind us and we’ve just grabbed the opportunities with both hands.”
The ease with which music can be accessed and distributed, both locally and internationally, is having positive repercussions for the industry, says McGrath.
“It seems the level of interest in music in Australia, particularly what’s happening locally, is back. It petered off for a while there, maybe in like the early 2000s, but it’s of such high quality and is finally getting the recognition it deserves.”
As former Triple J Unearthed winners, the Hungry Kids of Hungary credit initiatives like this with reigniting this interest in local acts.
“It’s given that spotlight to what’s happening locally,” affirms McGrah. “The Internet is such a huge resource for bands now. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the quality of bands that people recommend to me who I’ve never heard of.”
It was only five years ago that Hungry Kids of Hungary were one of those unknowns. Now with their second album on the way, and a successful east coast-focused tour under their belt, McGrath spares a thought for those neglected in the process.
“We put out an apology on Facebook to the citizens of Perth. Those guys always seem to get left out. And legitimately, Perth is one of our favourite places to tour as a band. We’ll get back there one day.
The prospect of playing songs off the new record is an exciting one, particularly for the band’s “repressed metal drummer” Ryan Strathie. The rockier vibe will lend itself to his style well, says McGrath.
“It’s not that anyone’s holding him back, Ryan just has an incredible amount of self restraint that I’m always so impressed by. But when we do our live shows he gets a chance to drop some ridiculous metal fills and go berserk if he wants.”
McGrath pauses and laughs, “I can’t wait to start playing shows again.”
You’re A Shadow is expected for release March 2013.
