Central Coast singer-songwriter Daniel Lee Kendall opened the night to a mostly packed crowd. Performing a mostly acoustic set, with a little bit of help from some pre-recorded beats on his lap top, Kendall seemed slightly dwarfed on the big stage but managed to hold himself fairly well. There were moments when the crowd’s chatter could be heard above the softer moments, but for the most part Kendall was well received. ‘Gone’ proved to be a gorgeous moment and set closer ‘Lost in the Moment’ was of course a favourite and met with a round of applause.
Sydneysider Andy Bull was up next, with a guitarist and drummer to fill out his live sound. Bull proved to be an enigmatic frontman showing fantastic stage banter with the audience. Local songstress Tara Simmons was brought out to perform ‘Dog’, but the real highlight of the set though was their Triple J’s Like a Version rendition of Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’.
Perth’s The Chemist were next to take the stage. The four-piece delivered some impressive musical moments, particularly in a few songs containing piano accordion. However both the lead vocals and backing vocals were grating after a few songs, sometimes sounding out of place or simply of out of tune. A group that could have some really fantastic potential, but seem to be trying to fit in too much at once.
The Hi Fi was completely packed out for when Hungry Kids of Hungary took the stage for the final show of their ‘Final Escapade’ tour. Looking relaxed and confident, the five-piece opened the set with a new song before a seamless transition into ‘Scattered Diamonds’. Touring has obviously been good for the boys, who have always been a highly enjoyable act, but are now coming across even tighter and more capable performers than before. The addition of a fifth member has helped to fill out the sound musically as well as adding to the vocal harmonies.
Guest performances were popular in the middle of the set, with Andy Bull coming out to perform their collaboration of ‘Last Waltz’ and Mel Tickle from Little Scout doing backing vocals for ‘Eat Your Heart Out’. ‘Wristwatch’ and ‘Coming Around’ were massive crowd favourites, but ‘Let You Down’ was surprisingly the only song that got a real sing along for the night. As usual with a Hungry Kids set, it was high energy throughout.
The crowd was left begging for an encore, and after a short interlude the boys came back onstage. Dean nervously admitted that the next song hasn’t always been popular on this tour, before they launched into a cover of Smashing Pumpkin’s ‘1979’. It was definitely a risky cover, but the Hungry Kids managed to pull it off with great finesse. They closed their set with their hit ‘Set it Right’, ending another Hungry Kids of Hungary show that continues to cement them as one of Brisbane best live acts around at the moment.
Music For The Laundromat 