The musicians of the hot, up and coming band the Hungry Kids of Hungary take time out from their sun-drenched and carefree pop-crafting to share their band experiences.
For those of you out of the loop, the Hungry Kids are a four piece indie pop band from the cultural epicentre that is Brisbane. Since their self-titled EP practically materialized out of thin air in 2007, the Hungry Kids have been steadily garnering an impressive fan base both locally and internationally. Their second EP Mega Mountain further cemented their immediate popularity, which was then amplified tenfold by the incessant touring that followed. Dean Mcgrath (vocals, guitar), Kane Mazlin (vocals, keys) and Ben Dalton (bass, backup vocals) give us some insight into the past, present and future of their widely acclaimed quartet.
“We've all been playing since a young age and have grown up loving music,” Dean said, “I met Ryan and Ben through playing in different bands in high school, and Kane and Ryan played in a band together for a while. Eventually we decided to start a project together without any real idea of how far it would go, but it's all escalated pretty quickly and we've been very lucky to have received so much support.”
Ben continues, “We first started the band with no real ambitions, so we were just jamming, throwing around ideas and having fun. We played a few shows in Brisbane and figured it would be a good idea to record a decent EP so that we could get our music out there and play at more venues. Then we got together with our management and Triple J picked up a couple of tracks which gave us a window to really get off our arses and push ourselves. Initially, it is very hard to get your music out there but we just kept at it because we all enjoy it so much. There are plenty of ways to be heard, what with that internet thing everyone keeps going on about, going to local gigs and talking to people and driving around singing your songs to people at red lights. Sure it might piss them off, but if it’s a good enough song someone is bound to ask you for a copy sooner or later.”
It’s hard describing the Hungry Kid’s sound without the obligatory Beatles and Beach Boys reference, both influences which become apparent with every shimmering harmony and summery strum. However, this 60s nostalgia only applies to the band to an extent, as the collision of jangly pop and more modern production and composition have formed something truly unique. The band shakes off attempts to categorize their sound, jokingly referring to themselves as a modern day R&B band, which they are certainly not.
Thematically, the lyrics cover light issues of young love, summer days and, strangely enough, declining newspaper sales. “Personally I’ll just write about something that's on my mind at the time, or a line of melody will somehow get into my head and the lyrics will kind of develop around it,” Dean comments in regards to his song writing, “For the most part Kane or I will write a song and the rest is constructed around those in the jam room with all four of us. More recently things have been a bit more collaborative, with Benny contributing the guitar part for a song and all of us working on it together with Kane writing the verses and me writing the chorus.”
In terms of national success, the Hungry Kids have had ample, supporting big names like The Boat People, The Seabellies and Kid Confucius. They also blitzed the summer festivals of late 2009 and early 2010, with Woodford, Big Day Out and Sunset Sounds being inundated with hardcore Hungry fans. “We’ve been very lucky to play on some big stages.” Says Ben, “They can be really hard to compare to other shows because they’re completely different but they are still just as crazy which is nice. We tend to feed off each other’s energy and have a bit more fun when we’re closer together on stage at the smaller shows. But playing in front of the crowds you get at those bigger shows is something else to behold and it still kinda freaks me out to be honest! It’s hard to concentrate and play a tight show when there are so many people jumping around right in front of you, you kind of feel like going out there and partying. But we try to have our own party on stage so it’s ok. We have fairy bread and everything. My favourite would probably be our first gig at Ric’s in Brisbane. My Nanna was there.”
The future looks just as bright as their music, with many of their short term aspirations already met. In a few weeks the band will embark on a tour of the US and the UK, playing at the famous Viper Room in LA, venues in New York, festivals in Brighton and showcases in London. Considering only a few short years ago the band hadn’t ventured further than their home town, this recent flood of prominent gigs has the band a little overwhelmed. After their international escapades, the band will put the finishing touches on their newest record, ‘Eat your heart out’. Following its release in January, the group will head out on an extensive national tour to support it.
So what do starving Hungarian youth have to do with the band? Nothing more than the name, according to Kane. “The name is pretty ridiculous so we do get asked about it often. It came about from a friend of ours who also has several other funny band name suggestions, if anyone wants one. We liked it enough to keep using it after our first show. The name has also been known to start arguments on YouTube. There was one between Romanians and Hungarians. We certainly aren't a political band, haha.”
