Much-loved indie-pop rockers Hungry Kids Of Hungary finished off their current national tour by stopping off at The Corner Hotel in Richmond for a fun-filled Friday night show.
With solid support slots by Melbourne’s Them Swoops, a band you should really check out, and Sydney’s The Preatures, the night was off to a good start before the main attraction had played a single note.
The Brisbane natives walked onstage to rapturous applause from a sold-out Corner Hotel. The band wasted little time soaking up the love, immediately getting stuck into the “What In The World”, the opening track from their recent sophomore album You’re A Shadow.
In live music you often find artists and bands simply going through the motions. Perhaps it was due to it being the last gig of the tour, but Hungry Kids Of Hungary really gave it their all. The band’s energy was boundless, co-vocalists Dean McGrath and Kane Mazlin exhibiting a real chemistry as they exchanged banter with each other and the crowd. McGrath almost had trouble singing due to how much he was smiling. When bands are visibly having a brilliant time, it transfers to the crowd in a contagious fashion.
“Sharp Shooter”, the first single off their new record was up next. Having enjoyed considerable airplay in recent times, it really got the crowd up and moving. The palpable excitement of the audience was clear to the band, who again fed off their energy. This mutually beneficial back and forth contributed a great deal to making the night an enjoyable one.
It wasn’t easy to pick out highlights due to every song receiving an encouragingly strong crowd reaction, but slower track “Wasting Away”, again a new album song, impressively showed off McGrath and Mazlin’s considerable vocal talents.
While the first half of the set was heavy on new album material, most tracks were greeted like “Start Me Up” at a Stones concert. That said, it wasn’t surprising that older jam “Scattered Diamonds” – arguably the band’s best song and undoubtedly their most well-known – was the indisputable focal point of the evening’s proceedings.
The band sound incredibly slick in a live setting, the Corner fitting them like a glove. Big enough for a decent crowd and atmosphere, the venue is still intimate enough to allow the intricacies of a group to shine through. Which is ideal, as while Hungry Kids… recordings are a treat, the live arena is where they really come into their own.
Beyond “Scattered Diamonds”, many of the more popular songs were off the new record. Older material is often preferred by an audience, which made the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the new songs all the more refreshing.
The band finished their regular set with “Coming Around” from debut album Escapades, before coming back onstage for the obligatory encore. This kicked off with a stunning rendition of Tame Impala’s “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards”, a song they recently covered for Triple J’s Like A Version.
Coincidentally, Tame Impala were also playing only a few kilometres away at Festival Hall, and they no doubt would have been proud of the way the song was so carefully considered and performed.
Before bidding the adoring crowd farewell, Hungry Kids played “Let You Down” as the second and final song of their brief encore. Sensing that this was the their last chance to dance like crazy and sing at the top of their lungs, many audience members did exactly that, with several joining the band and crew onstage.
The band finished manic and sweaty, wholeheartedly thanking the crowd and professing their love for Melbourne. McGrath cheekily admitted the band say that everywhere, but they especially meant it this time. Given the way they played and how much the band and the crowd enjoyed the night, you could tell they were being genuine.
