Mudhoney @ The Corner Hotel
BASKING IN THE AURA OF GRUNGE ROYALTY.
Review and photos by Brittney McCarthy of BM Images
I jumped at the chance to attend Mudhoney’s show at Corner Hotel, a band that has been a staple of the way the grunge scene evolved and has managed to maintain their significance in the ever-changing music landscape we live in. With a new album, Plastic Eternity, recently released, the anticipation was high for their return to Australia. But before Mudhoney took the stage, the night kicked off with sets from Penny Ikinger and the Paul Kidney Experience, each offering a unique sound.
Penny Ikinger a self described antipodean rock maestro, kicked off the night with Tsunami a track heavy with jangly guitars, the opening track from her 2018 album Tokyo. In this six-song setlist, Pieces of Glass stood out as the only song not featured on Tokyo, it hailed from her 2010 album Penelope. The dark folk blues set was characterised by fuzzy guitars, Penny’s matured timbre and an overall a gritty sound.
Following Penny was Melbourne free jazz noise band Paul Kidney Experience. Birthed by Paul Wadsworth in 2009 Paul Kidney Experience has put out a slew of tracks averaging around 15 minutes long a pop. I wasn’t sure what experience I was in for but patiently I allowed myself to be assaulted by sound and then taken on a journey of psychedelic awakening via wailing violin, effect pedals, and dissonant drums; their seismic and chaotic freak-sound only amplified by Paul’s screeching, grunting and thrashing.
Mudhoney launched into When Tomorrow Hits from their 1989 self-titled album, a slow building track with fuzzy guitars and Mark Arm’s incredible drawling vocals filled us with anticipation for the long set ahead. Their set was balanced with new and old tracks and their new album is unsurprisingly… magic. With solid tracks Little Dog, Move Under and Almost Everything from their 2023 album Plastic Eternity does not feel out of place with the rest of their set or sound too ‘modern’ which is sometimes the case when a band with over 3 decades of music is still releasing work. Their music continues to be just as relevant and powerful as it was over 30 years ago. Mudhoney last came to Australia in 2014 to play 8 shows in major cities. This time they are playing 14 shows heavily including our regional towns which I know is a rarity from international acts.
As the band played on through their set the eclectic crowd became more and more passionate about yelling the words back to the band, it was quite clear that Mudhoney have not lost their potency. Undeniably, Mudhoney’s debut single Touch Me I’m Sick is their most popular track, and even after 30+ years, it remains an integral part of their set.. We eagerly lapped up Steve Turner’s fuzzy and distorted guitar riffs, Dan Peters energetic and punchy drum fills, and Guy Maddison’s dynamic bass. Wrapping up with a 5 song encore they left us basking in the aura of grunge royalty.
