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 Rave’s JOHANNA LIDDLE satisfies her hunger for rhythmic melodies by taking a bite out of HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY’s BEN DALTON – who explains how the eager foursome are winning Australia’s hearts.
Do you have an appetite? If the hunger is for a catchy and soulful, yet rhythmic mix of blues, rock and 1960s pop-rock, then look no further than the Hungry Kids Of Hungary. Forming back in early 2007, the Brisbane natives have been taking Australia by storm. Their self-titled debut, released last July, received major radio rotation, and this year – having already played at the Big Day Out, released their new EP Mega Mountain and embarking on a national tour – we can’t help but wonder what comes next for the remarkable foursome.
Chatting to bassist Ben Dalton, he seems only too happy to shed some light on what lies ahead for the Brissie boys.
"Last year was cool, slogging it out playing as many shows as we could. We got a little bit of radio play, which became more and more rotated, so that was really good news," he relates modestly. "This year is panning out to be quite nice. We’ve never played in Melbourne before so we are looking forward to that. It’s really good because basically we would rather be playing music than anything else. It’s going really well."
With a massive string of shows alongside acts such as The Boat People, The Seabellies, The Devoted Few and Kid Confucius under their belt, these starving children have been doing a great deal of "basically playing music". Yet they refuse to take themselves too seriously.
"We like to have a lot of fun with it and people like that we don’t take ourselves too seriously." Ben says.
In fact, these indie lads also find it a compliment that even your Nan might enjoy their pleasant tunes. "My Grandma came to our first show at Ric’s all the way from Toowoomba," says Ben, laughing. "She loved it."
Although I can’t imagine my Nan (who oddly enough also lives in Toowoomba) trading in her André Rieu and marching-band music for these Hungry Kids, it was this first night at Ric’s, in front of Grandma, that had particular significance for the band. It was the night they debuted their rather quirky trademark name, which along with their sensational melodic pop sound has gained them both local and international recognition.
"Basically we were looking to get a show at Ric’s, and we just needed a name. We played with a couple and Kane actually mentioned that his friend had a dream about the name Hungry Kids Of Hungary, but I think it was more grammatically correct like Hungry Kids From Hungary," Ben explains. "We were like ‘it’s a bit silly’, but we kept it in our minds and we ended up really liking it, cause it’s just really hard to forget."
So are they unforgettable? Only time will tell, but there’s no doubt that 2009 looks to be an exciting year for the Brisbane Kids, as they embark on The International Relations Tour with fellow Triple J Unearthed discoveries Washington and Philadelphia Grand Jury.
"We came up with the idea for the tour … well, it wasn’t us personally, but we had approached the idea of doing something with Philadelphia Grand Jury and Washington, an Unearthed thing…" says Ben. "We really like each others music, so it’s a really good opportunity."
To feast with the HUNGRY KIDS OF HUNGARY, join them as they play The International Relations Tour with Washington and Philadelphia Grand Jury at The Valley Studios on Friday Apr 10; and at The Airport Tavern, Gold Coast on Saturday April 11. The MEGA MOUNTAIN EP is out now through MGM. Check out www.myspace.com/hungrykidsofhungary for more information.
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