Philadelphia Grand Jury,Washington, Hungry Kids ofHungary @ Yah Yahs, Melbourne(3/04/09)

Sun 5th Apr, 2009 in Gig Reviews

First on stage were Brisbane boys, Hungry Kids of Hungary. This was their first ever Melbourne show and with their Shins style indie-pop with a touch of Vampire Weekend flair and fun kept the packed room at Yah Yah’s engaged from start to finish. With lead vocals split between guitarist Dean and keyboardist Kane and backing vocals provided by bassist Ben and drummer Ryan, the interplay between all four band members further added to the energy that the group generated. Songs included the country-tinged All You Need To Know, the upbeat Scattered Diamonds and Triple J favourite Set It Right.

Brisbane born and now Melbourne-based Megan Washington was next on stage and, after the energy that Hungry Kids of Hungary had created, made the rather odd choice of starting alone on stage with just her keyboard. This meant that her beautiful, soulful voice could not be heard over the crowd, of whom about half talked through the entire song. This was soon forgotten however when she was joined by her 5-piece band that squished their way onto the smallish stage.

Whilst the set still included the slower, piano-led soulful pop numbers that she has gained a reputation for through her Clementime EP, Washington and her band played a charming and lively set that jumped from jazz to blues to even a bit of rock n roll.

About mid-way through the set the band walked off the front of the stage, leaving Washington to perform three songs by herself. Now having the crowd’s attention, this proved to much more successful than her opening song and once again showcased her skills as a songwriter and singer, her delicate almost haunting voice keeping the crowd’s attention the whole time. Washington was joined on stage by her band once again and after being forced to restart Clementine due to a mid-intro cough, closed her set with a bang, performing ‘a song about having sex’ titled Sunday Best.

At one point during their set, The Philadelphia Grand Jury aka The Philly Jays, informed the crowd that they were meant to perform before Washington, however due to some mishaps were now required to close the night. I don’t know what the reasons were, but if I had my choice I would have The Philly Jays closing every night.

Guitarist and lead vocalist, Berkfinger, bass and keys player, MC Bad Genius and drummer Dan W Sweat, played an explosive set that left this reviewer with a grin from ear-to-ear. With their own brand of garage rock that sounds like a mixture of The Mess Hall with a bit of The Hives tongue in cheek fun, the boys literally throw themselves into the set which includes alternative radio hits, Ready to Roll and Going to The Casino, with the crowd lapping up every moment.

With his thick beard and imposing stature and a death stare that would deadset burn a hole in the back of your head, MC Bad Genius looks like a Russian Mobster mixed with a Lumberjack. Dan W Sweat looks like he is about to burst, almost propelling himself off his seat, such is the intensity that he plays with.

Closing with the pure anthemic fun of We Don’t Want To Party, the band proved that the stage was literally too small to hold them, with MC Bad Genius joining the crowd whilst continuing to play and screaming ‘WE DON’T WANT TO PARTY’. Whilst this was all going on, Berkfinger jumped behind the drum kit and due to the absence of a microphone stand decided the best solution was to literally shove the microphone into his mouth to sing along with Bad Genius, slowing the beat down to a stand still, before also leaving the stage to a stunned and cheering crowd.

Tonight, Triple J Unearthed and Yah Yah’s served up a highly enjoyable showcase of up and coming Australian artists. This was the first Melbourne show for both Hungry Kids of Hungary and The Philly Jays and I am assuming for many in the crowd tonight the first time many of them will have seen Washington. Based on the performances off all three acts, I can guarantee they won many new fans.