Hunky Punks have been playing the traps around Adelaide over the last year or so, gaining an enthusiastic following, and look like heading interstate. Telling you now: see them. The sheer breadth of improvement over such a short space of time is somewhat gobsmacking. Get "Fly High".
Unlike those bands who practice twice before their next gig, the Hunkies are well-tight, snappy, light, powerful, strong and basically "Fly High" is going to get well and truly into your head. I love the way each song veers away from the last; there’s so much rich variety here, so much gritty eloquence you’re dancing way before you know it. Matt Hills’ production is damn fine, and if the world were a bit fairer, the majors should be crawling up the arses of Messrs Simpson, Omsby, Becker and Grasel.
The band share songwriting duties, with the exception of the ginormously talented Anton Becker, whose ripping guitar seems to ride the Hunky’s wave like a surfer on meth. Vocals alternate between guitarist/ bassist Janet Simpson and guitarist/ bassist Dave Omsby, which has your ears twitching right away.
If there’s an Adelaide band they remind me of, it would be early Lizard Train; for those that don’t know, the Train were a world-class act who never got back overseas to boot U2 into the bin. Grasel’s drums even remind me a little of early Davy Creese. Fly High reminds me a little of that brief moment when the Train seemed to be on the precipice of greater things.
I played this first in the car with predictable inattentive driving resulting in … no, you don’t want to know. Hunky Punks need to tour your town; if you see them advertised, see them. If you don’t, contact them and demand their presence.
In the meantime, put "Fly High" on your car stereo and see if you can’t run some hipsters up a telephone pole. There’s a lot going on here but you’ll be too busy scaring the cat with bad dancing you won’t care.
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