Brisbane indie-rockers The Jungle Giants returned to Sydney this week as part of their Trippin Up Tour, which is currently taking place across Australia & New Zealand in honour of their recent single release. Tonight’s instalment featured a sold-out Enmore Theatre packed to the brim with heavy hearted fans ready for a night of high-energy hits.
Opening their set with ‘Something Got Between Us’, the band emerged on stage to hundreds of riled-up fans, ready to immerse themselves in the dance beats. Keeping on the Love Signs train, they followed up with their hit single ‘Sending Me Ur Loving’ which hit #8 on Triple J’s Hottest 100 of 2020, and had us all singing every word. In classic Jungle Giants fashion, the crowd were flying a variety of cowboy hats to the stage, with vocalist Sam Hales collecting to wear throughout the show.
As guitarist Cesira Aitken began strumming the opening chords to ‘Bad Dream’, the party really began to get started, with an eruption of cheers from the crowd. The band then proceeded to take us back to 2017 with ‘On Your Way Down’, another vibrant hit from their hugely successful album, Quiet Ferocity, before reminding us where our love for them began, with ‘She’s A Riot’.
“Are those ducks!?” Sam called to the audience as a range of colourful objects were being hurled at the stage. “They are ducks!” he shouted excitedly as he collected the rubber toys and began to throw some out to the audience, before keeping one for himself. He then threw a disposable camera to the crowd, instructing us to take photos with our friends and pass it on, so the band could have a great memento to document their tour. ‘Feel The Way I Do’ was a great caveat from the moment, reinforcing the loving atmosphere of the night.
In light of their recent tour of Mexico, the band returned from their trip with their brand-new single ‘Rakata’ giving us insight into their offshore experience & providing Sam with a great opportunity to display his Spanish-speaking skills, before the band finished their main set on a high with ‘Trippin Up’ & ‘Love Signs’.
After a short break, Sam returned to the stage alone with his guitar in hand to play us a special, stripped-back rendition of ‘You’ve Got Something’. His melodic voice filled the theatre and encouraged the crowd to sing along.
As the rest of the band reappeared on stage, we reluctantly accepted that the night was drawing to a close, but not before a great burst of energy graced the room with the synth-fuelled track ‘Heavy Hearted’ and guitar-powered ‘Used To Be In Love’. The band thanked the crowd for an amazing night and wished us all the best before heading backstage.
Energetic as ever, The Jungle Giants delivered a cracking performance for Sydney tonight, before they head off to continue their tour in Brisbane, Gold Coast, New Zealand & Melbourne over the coming weeks. Our love for their eclectic mix of dance beats & indie power-pop was reignited tonight, reinforcing that we wouldn’t wanna be Anywhere Else.
(Photos & Review by Meg Taylor)
