Hungry Kids of Hungary, TheChemist, Andy Bull, Daniel LeeKendall @ The Hi-Fi, Brisbane(28/05/11)

Mon 30th May, 2011 in Gig Reviews

To say Brisbane quintet Hungry Kids of Hungary have had a frenetic year is an understatement. After winning over Austin’s South by Southwest as well as introducing themselves to Canada, they came back to Australia to trek around the country in their largest home tour, The Final Escapade.

Kicking off the show, New South Welshman Daniel Lee Kendell delivered a short set of acoustic folk pop tunes, laden with his quirky attitude and brutal honesty. Although the shift to keyboard complete with synth loops may have seemed a little unnecessary, the crowd’s reaction begged to differ. The final track Lost In The Moment, was a seamless way to close the set.

Next up was Andy Bull as a full band. Joined on stage by Tara Simmons he delivered a half hour of classic pop tunes with the crowd obviously waiting for the Like a Version cover of Everybody Wants To Rule The World.

Thirdly to grace the stage was Western Australia’s The Chemist. Impressing the audiences with their extreme vocal range, the Beatles and Radiohead influences shined through their complex melodies.

The vibe soon changed as Slayer belted out over the P.A before the curtains opened to reveal Hungry Kids of Hungary. Quickly reinstating the pop mood they graced the audience with a fresh track Grizzly Gulch, to be released on their forthcoming album. Immediately plunging into crowd favourite Scattered Diamonds and Closer Apart, The band infect the audience with their never wavering vivacious attitude and the highlight of the evening came when they were joined onstage by Andy Bull to belt through Bull’s track, Last Waltz.

With the launch and finale of this tour at The Hi-Fi the crowd welcomed back the band to their home town with open arms. Judging by the dancing going on, the crowd was obviously keen to keep this party going well into the night. Playing the majority of tracks off their debut Escapades they continued the show with their exultant nature and popular tracks Eat Your Heart Out, Wristwatch and Coming Around, with a wrap up of Let You Down. The encore entailed a cover of Smashing Pumpkins 1979 before the grand finale of Set It Right.

Whilst the night may not have provided any ground-breaking moments in music, these masters of the pop tune and full band harmonies were enough to make the sold out The Hi-Fi the place to come and celebrate the end of an ambitious and successful tour.