Live Review: The Jungle Giants @ The Triffid
The hype was real in Newstead Friday night as The Triffid flooded with ‘Jungle Giants fans. The Jungle Giants’ second album ‘Speakerzoid’ was the perfect demonstration that the 4-piece could back it up after the success of their excellent debut album ‘Learn to Exist’. And so with the subtle shift from indie-pop into indie-rock, the ‘Together We Can Work Together’ Tour was sure to be excellent.
The night was exactly what you’d expect from the kooky Brissie band: plenty of fun, happiness, and energy. The tracks were delivered with wonderful indie gusto, their stage presence was ace, and the show was lit, genuinely! (there was a fire engine and everything)
They played a couple of oldies but goodies, Anywhere Else and Mr Polite for us and The Triffid came alive with a sweeping sensation of blissful joy. The mix of the cheerful tempos matched with the nostalgic value of their earlier tracks was plenty to get the crowd amped up and ready.
The clunky percussions and deeper tones of Creepy Cool washed over us and we held onto every lyric out of frontman Sam Hales’ mouth, and the party-inducing rhythms of ‘Speakerzoid’ were just getting started. Everyone was already pumped and dancing along and the blissful vibes only got better when Hales ordered that we “f**king move!” before diving into Kooky Eyes. The track kept everyone bobbing along and singing back “Do you want to be my girl?”.
Together We Can Work Together was next and the chill feeling of the song was a nice break, though it raised the hype right up with those catchy lines “together we can work/together we can work”. They kept the bright atmosphere up playing their fast and fun classic She’s a Riot. The fast-paced percussions and happy-go-lucky feel kept our spirits high while we watched the charismatic quartet in awe.
Hales’ finally succumbed to the audience’s chanting and skulled his beer before declaring, “It’s a Jungle Giants show, let this sh*t fly.” Devil’s Play echoed through the venue and the brilliance of the track, combined with the strobing lights and the abundance of grooving fans, filled the room with an aura of complete happiness.
They were just about to kick off I Am What You Want Me to Be when the mic cut out, the lights came on, and we were being led out through the beer garden. Stratton Street flooded with ‘Jungle Giants fans and we waited patiently, entertaining ourselves by (drunkenly) singing Hey Baby (If You’ll Be My Girl) together.
After what felt like a lengthy wait, we piled back into The Triffid…with a slightly more intimate audience. “Whoever set that fire, that was fucking badass,” laughed Hales as we all eagerly push towards the stage. “This one goes out to the guys that came back post-fire.”
The cool and catchy You’ve Got Something was up and The Jungle Giants had come back with even more energy and stage bravado than before. The second instalment of the gig more than made up for the impromptu intermission and the remainder of the audience showed their appreciation by partying along hard.
They finished up with the lead single of ‘Speakerzoid’, and already-established crowd-favourite, Every Kind of Way. The quirky instrumentals, the build of tension throughout the song, and the eccentric vocals were all intensified as they washed over us. The Jungle Giants can definitely put on a show, and Brisbane was just the beginning. Can’t wait to catch them at Splendour!
Check out our live Photo Gallery HERE
The Jungle Giants ‘Together We Can Work Together’ National Tour
FRI 24 JUN
170 Russell, Melbourne
SAT 25 JUN
The Metro, Sydney
FRI 8 JUL
Players Bar, Mandurah
Sat 9 JUL
Jack Rabbit Slim’s, Perth
Get Tickets HERE
