And this was at the Espy. Yah! I’d last seen them play there in March 2020 moments before the very 1st lockdown in Melbourne. The band has changed line-up but there were still 3 singers: Steve Lucas, Dave and Jerome Smith. They’ve added a keyboard player, Bruce Haymes & for the 2nd set a young sax player was also in the mix.

The Hounds style was the same as before. One of the vocalists calls a song & the key & off they go. Steve sang songs like Little Sister, Candle in the Wind, Little Queenie. Jerome Shake, Rattle & Roll, Hoochie Coochie Man, Bless My Soul. And some of the songs Dave sang on Sunday were Don’t You Lie to Me, C’Est La Vie and a fast, high energy version of Hounddog. The spontaneity is great. As Dave observed in the break, without that in-the-moment approach the band wouldn’t work.

The basement was packed. Lots of people danced in the space in front of the band. Some danced with a partner. Others danced alone. It got hot. But all there enjoyed the show.