“I love short stages because I’m eye level with the audience,” remarks singer Dean McGrath during Hungry Kids Of Hungary’s 70 minute set at The Spiegeltent. Playing as part of Brisbane Festival after finishing a national tour, the local lads calmly graced the stage to play to a sold out crowd.
Minutes in and it was obvious that the pleasant social atmosphere wasn’t going to abate even for the music. The line from their song “Twin Cities” summed up the band’s attitude: “I really don’t mind if you’re having a good time.”
The Hungry Kids wasted no time in launching into their upbeat ‘60s-style pop songs and the crowd lapped up every second of it. McGrath and Kane Mazlin took on the joint role of front man, with Mazlin on keyboard to match McGrath’s guitar. The pair alternated the songs as they slammed out the hits, but the true power of the show was in the effortless vocal harmonies provided by the other players.
Drummer Ryan Strathie was the unsung hero of the night, introducing the set with pounding toms that made the whole place shake. He almost caressed the hi-hats for the softer moments, but could thrash out when the band leaned more towards rock, seemingly making the whole venue shake. His dynamic drumming in the hit song “When Yesterday’s Gone” especially showed off his talent.
Stage lights reflected off the coloured windows of the tent as McGrath ruefully admitted that they’d messed up their set list. “We played the wrong song in the wrong place. So here’s the right song in the wrong place,” he joked. That style of genuine, humorous banter recurred throughout the night, exposing why they have such a loyal fan base.
Songs like the soulful ‘You Ain’t Always There’ with its airy guitars were calmly subduing, but the night was dominated by groovy tracks that the Spiegeltent could dance to. “Set It Right” made it feel like the Beach Boys were on the stage, and a flawless rendition of the playful “Wasting Away” gave Mazlin the chance to shake his tambourine like a boss.
A surprise highlight was the song “Someone Else’s Fool,” from the group’s second album You’re A Shadow. Jazzy organ sounds supported the high reaching vocals during the intro, as lead singer duties were taken up by McGrath. A punchy bass line and cool little piano notes truly worked wonders in such an intimate venue.
Despite the lighting guy being over-zealous with the blinding, rotating LEDs, the strong enthusiasm never died. “Twin Cities” was announced to a resounding cheer, and one hundred voices rose from the crowd to sing the chorus of “Let You Down.” There was such a buzz in the venue at this point, that even the bar was deserted in favour of staring at the stage shenanigans.
Heading towards the final song, a perturbed Mazlin warily asked the crowd to keep an eye on a spider that was web-building near his head. McGrath caused a mass groan for the awful quip: “What is this, the spider-tent?’ He was soundly reproached by the drummer with a perfectly timed ‘ba-dum-ch,’ demonstrating that the group are fully aware that people should be entertained, not just performed at.
After a brief discussion onstage about whether they had one or two songs left, the audience certainly left no room for argument about the number they wanted to hear. Although the final song had great guitar rhythm, it was a bit of a lacklustre choice for the end of such a long, energetic set.
Overall though, Hungry Kids Of Hungary delivered a stunning performance that proves that they are still in top musical form. The band never lost their energy, and the intimacy of The Spiegeltent made for some funny interactions with the audience. If Brisbane Festival’s goal was to showcase the best of local music, then Hungry Kids Of Hungary were a fine choice indeed.
