Show Review: Hunx @ the Mohawk (4/18)

The last trip for Hunx in town was a little underwhelming, at least so far as the live show, so I was hoping he could redeem himself on this particular evening, backed by a strong supporting cast of openers.

Read on for my thoughts and the excellent images of one Brian Gray.

When the Vomettes took to the stage just after ten, I originally liked their pummeling sound; it was sort of snotty and grimy, but also a little bit unfocused.  But, the longer they went on, the more I seem to have lost the plot so to speak.  I’m not sure why the vocalist just sort of swayed back and forth, rather than controlling the stage like one would expect.  I don’t know, for me I just kept thinking of the group as a brattier version of a punk rock Moldy Peaches…but hey, just one man’s thoughts.

Austin’s own Grape Street hit up the stage at Mohawk next, and you know we love them.  I guess if I had a suggestion for improvment it would be maybe some rearrangement of the songs in the set.  Sometimes I feel like the more upbeat gems are hiding in the front of the set, and so the mellower gems get pushed to the back of the set.  Regardless, I love it, but you know, mix it up a little more.  Still, the band’s killing it all over town, and if you haven’t caught them yet, then you’re priorities aren’t in check.

I was really excited to see Natural Child, one of the recent exports from Nashville.  These dudes had the crowd rocking from the minute they took to the set, with everyone jumping and shaking about.  They’re blending bits of classic rock, punk and country…pounding it all out in a fashion that’s built to make audiences sweat.  Surprisingly, the band’s got a huge following here already (relatively speaking) which included local friends OBN IIIs and an unnamed stage dancer.  They mixed their set with efforts from the past, as well as their new record, For The Love Of The Game; they all sounded excellent, so I’ll definitely sign on right now to see the band in the future.

And to close off the night we were treated to the extrvagant Hunx and His Punx.  Last time around, perhaps too much alcohol was involved in his performance, but his newest effort, Hairdress Blues, is such a sweet record that I hoped he’d make up for it.  So he did; he took to the stage with his usual swagger, and the crowd erupted.  Brian said it was posisbly one of the rowdiest shows he’s seen at the inside of Mohawk, and I can definitely say Hunx was more than at his best.  He coyly taunted the sound man, he stalked the stage whilst interacting with fans and he sounded great; you can’t ask for much more than that from a rock show.  His set included Hunx solo and with his Punx tracks, and I like his focus when he’s got a guitar in hand…definitely gives him a sharper edge.  If this show is coming to your town, get out there and watch because Hunx always entertains.

Photog’s Note: These pics are a hot mess and I don’t care. It was insanely fun up front and I had to leave by going up on stage and ducking into the stairwell, which was also packed. I hope these at least convey the energy of this crowd.

There are a few more pics at the photo site…