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The last time this Hungarian group (now a foursome after the departure of guitarist Ádám Bajor in July) played in New York, in May 2010 supporting their excellent second LP Razzmatazz Orfeum, I had to miss them because of a Buzzcocks show on the same night. So I was glad to have this second chance to see them, even if I had to wait over two years for it. As Big T scribe Marcel Feldmar noted in his issue 71 short take, the band recently moved from Budapest to L.A., and landed a choice opening slot touring with The B-52’s. Still, I wasn’t expecting iconic singer Fred Schneider would be introducing the band to the modest crowd of 25 or so, causing me to do a double-take when I heard his familiar voice! But once the band launched into Razzmatazz’s bracing “Panic,” it was easy to understand what made Schneider such a fan.
Frontman Tonyó Szabó, with his stylish jacket and heart-throbby good looks, reminded me a little of Maxïmo Park’s Paul Smith. Throughout, he energetically worked the stage, using hand gestures to punctuate his lines, wrapping his mic around his neck while manning his keyboard, and occasionally jumping on top of a monitor. He even ventured into the audience once, so fascinated was he with one fan’s unique, Ian Curtis-like dancing style (I saw the same guy displaying his dance moves at Exit Clov’s Rockwood Music Hall show last February, so he definitely has great taste in music!). Though Szabó was the focal point, his tightly-wound bandmates matched his own enthusiasm. Despite the loss of Bajor, now lone guitarist Miguel György’s gnashing leads still roared, and were consistently pushed to the limits by the formidable, long-haired rhythm section of bassist Csaba Szabó and shirtless drummer Gergő Dorozsmai.
Though I’d been digging their two new singles on YouTube, “Seasons Change in the Underground” and “I Wanna Take You to Paris,” I was not otherwise familiar with their new LP Seasons in the Underground prior to the show. But that hardly mattered, as they played only the aforementioned “Paris” and “No Time to Turn Around” from it, as well as one brand new song, “So You Wanna Be In Love?” In fact, they only did a couple from Razzmatazz too, focusing most on their 2007 debut Sold for Tomorrow. Along with its singles “I Like You” and “Everybody Wants,” that LP provided perhaps the night’s biggest highlight, the fantastic set-closing “Survive.” Here’s hoping that with their newly minted status as SoCal residents, The Moog will play shows in our neck of the woods more often.
