Hungary Kids Of Hungary

Signed to EMI, are the indie-four piece from Australia whose myspace states : 'We're not hungry or hungarian - we are a band, we're Australian and quite full from dinner, thank you. ' I go to meet keyboard player and vocalist, Kane Mazlin, to erm.. find out more.

'Hungry Kids of Hungary’ – what a great name... Are you actually hungry Australian kids on a determined quest for frankfurters, strutting around Hungary or did something else inspire you with the name?

A friend of ours spends his downtime coming up with ridiculous names for bands, brands of cereal, that kinda thing. He offered the name to us when we came to play out first show and realised we needed something..well it was either Hungry Kid or Neck Hole. But Neck Hole was far too speed metal sounding.

Having stalked you lot on YouTube, I came across the video for ‘Set it right’ which really grabbed my attention. I was bemused by the puppet monkeys, adorned in waistcoats and all sorts, furiously vibrating in what seemed like some attempt to play the guitar and dance? What brought you to do that and how did you mean that idea for the video to fit with the song?

We have a friend who is obsessed with sock monkeys. She makes them and has them all through her house. It’s quite haunting. We wondered what it would be like when a guy sock monkey falls in love with a girl sock monkey. It’s a beautiful story. The bouncy vibe of the song seemed to suit crazy monkeys jumping around

Kane: Spending too much time in your bedroom warps your mind.

Anything you’d advise others looking to get into the music industry to watch out for?

One thing we have found that is important is to just get out and see lots of local bands, make friends, network, and identify where you might fit in with respect to the masses of musical scenes tear days. Don’t spend too much time in your bedroom making demos. Cabin fever can really warp your sense of what is great and what is terrible tripe.

Where do you think music is heading in the future, and how are you adapting your music to fit that prediction?

I have no idea really. Fusions of genres seem to be happening more and more. I’d like to mix barbershop harmonies and speed metal, perhaps that would be fun! In our band we don’t tend to think too much about it, we’re already quite eclectic and will probably keep it that way.

I see you’ve done several gigs in the past, and are performing alongside Cypress Hill later this month, how do you keep yourselves so entertaining to watch playing some of your best songs over and over again?

Changing around intros to songs, even arrangements sometimes too. That keeps you on your toes and keeps you interested. Plus the crowd often appreciates a bit of warped version of a song. Well sometimes…haha.

Your album, ‘Escapades’ is being released October 1st. What was involved in the whole album making process? Did you enjoy it as much as hate it and what were the highlights of making it?

We recorded Escapades over 6 months this year. There was a pool at the studio so we worked on our bomb dives and holding our breath for dangerous amounts of time. It was quite an exciting recording to tape, something we hadn’t really done before. We also had the time to experiment with different instruments a bit more and colour the record accordingly. It was a very smooth process and we all enjoyed ourselves.

What’s the most peculiar type of porn you’ve ever come across? – did you secretly enjoy it afterwards?

Someone informed me of ‘Brazilian fart porn’. Let’s just say it didn’t turn me on.

If you had to live the rest of your life without either cheese or chocolate, which one would it be?

Probably cheese. Chocolate DOES turn me on.