Anyone who spends any time in the inner city will know the pain of staring at the vacant lot on the corner of Fitzgerald & Bulwer.
It sticks out like the tooth-gap of an especially heinous carnie mocking you in front of your family at some festering regional Agriculture show. It wasn’t always like this.
See, when one thinks about legendary night spot/feed combinations the mind tends to turn to Freo & its infamous HJs, Clubba/HJs, or the City & Fast Eddies. All worthy contenders for the crown.
Alas, the O.G Hydey & KFC combo seems to be overlooked which is an injustice. Here we can see a photo of the era ending. Pre 2010, the Hydey wasn’t the gentrified nest for fur-mums and inner City Aperol sippers.
No, the Hydey used to be the best place to see live music, throw a barstool, and maybe catch a cheeky bitta hepatitis through a variety of methods. Simply put, it was perfection and a true cultural icon of the time.
After a heavy night of pint spilling, mosh pitting and shittalking over a few darts, one could find much of the same next door while waiting for a Zinger burger to soak up to regret.
Unless of course, you were a fan of the early 2000’s DnB night, then you could be excused for being sickened by the very mention of food at the time. Not to say you couldn’t grab a 1.25L Pepsi to help keep your mouth moist as you sat on the grass at Hyde Park until the sun came up.
Some say there are romances still alive today that had their roots in that KFC line. Likewise, probably some deeply held grudges remain over the usual line-cutting hooliganism one can expect at fast food venue next to a raging pub.
Sadly, it’s very unlikely the area will ever have that kind of heart & soul again as we wait for another yuppie nest apartment block to be built or whatever plans they have for that sacred site.
Documenting the Human Zoo is thirsty work, so if you enjoyed what you read how about buying Belle a beer, ay?
