Artist info
Genre
Indie
Sounds like
The Jungle Giants
band members
Sam Hales - vocals/guitar Cesira Aitken - Guitar Andrew Dooris - Bass/vocals Keelan Bijker - Drums
Website
Bio
It happened like this:
It was 6am.
Cesira said the party was dead so they drove towards the city but halfway across the Story Bridge Sam veered left and they crashed off the side.
Dooris said: I don’t want to die but if I have to then at least I will die in the greatest river on earthhhhhhhhhh.
Keelan said: Ahhhhhhhh.
Cesira stared out the window, grinning in a sort of unfazed way.
Sam said: Don’t worry. I just want to take you to this secret spot for two years to make an album.
Then everyone nodded like: yeah, that’s chill.
They landed on the Brown Snake and a couple jet skis lassoed their car with ropes.
They pulled them inland to the space where bush becomes jungle.
Night fell.
They made a fire and lay on their backs reciting satanic verses.
Lovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelovelove.
Eventually Satan’s little helpers materialised from the fire and began clapping.
They were like: Well done. Very satanic.
Cesira said: Are you being sarcastic?
But they shook their heads and promised they weren’t.
They gave them: watermelon, chicken, corn, lettuce, Sriracha sauce, apple pie, avocado, Brie cheese.
Everyone made faces like: shit yeah, because it was their first time practicing Satanism.
Satan for president! Keelan yelled when he realised it was enough food to eat for two years while they made their album.
Food fight! Dooris yelled, throwing a Sriracha sauce bottle directly into Keelan’s eye, which killed him.
So yeah, Keelan was dead.
Poor Keelan.
But their Satanism was so strong that Satan’s little helpers said: We’ll bring Keelan back to life if you dedicate the album to our devil daddy.
Devil daddy, Dooris said. Sounds like a nightclub for… like … horny dads.
Hehe, went Satan’s little helpers.
Well, they flirted and seduced each other for three hours but then they sort of lost momentum and decided to be friends.
Okay, the band said. We’ll dedicate the album to your devil daddy.
So Satan’s little helpers were like: oh gosh, you guys, thank you, like, so, so much, and then Keelan was brought back to life.
Well, Keelan looked magnificent.
Everyone said so.
It’s true.
There were no fence sitters regarding this subject.
Everyone was in 100% agreeance, although he did look a lot paler, except everyone also agreed that made him look even more magnificent, kind of like Edward Cullen.
Then Sam said if The Jungle Giants were gonna dedicate the album to their devil daddy, they’d need a studio.
Satan’s little helpers said: Sure. Whatever you want. We’re pretty rich. It’s gravy, baby. It’s gravy, while winking a lot.
So Sam told them about the studio he wanted, the studio that existed beneath a pool with a glass ceiling, and then he told them how in the middle of the pool there would be a portal, and how you would swim to the portal, go down a ladder, dry off in the dry room, and then you’d be in the studio.
So then Satan’s little helpers fingered their belly buttons and the studio appeared.
The Jungle Giants swam across the pool, went down the portal, dried off in the dry room and then were in their studio.
Sam put the drum kit on its side like a saucepan and began adding the things he remembered from long ago.
He added the hellos and goodbyes and don’t leave mes and I love yous.
He added the Queensland sun in the backyards of houses and the storms that became floods in the Brisbane streets.
He added the people he remembered who were no longer here and the bad dreams that hide in the future for us all.
And in the pool glass ceiling above their heads future memories projected like movies announcing who they truly were.
Who were they?
They were the ones who made the kids dance.
Who made them believe.
They were the ones who brought everyone together so they’d never be alone.
Featured Artist
2011
3
Oct
The Jungle Giants
(- The Jungle Giants ,
- Rock ,
- Indie , ...
Brisbane, QLD
The Jungle Giants are a young Brisbane 4-piece already turning heads with their catchy indie-pop tunes.
Tell us about your music. How did you develop your sound?
Our sound is based on a combination of things. I began writing as an acoustic artist, and am really into melodies and chordal harmonies. I start writing a song on an acoustic, but when I bring a song to the band the other guys sort of melt their own style into it with electric guitars, bass and drums. We turn that sound into something that will translate well in a live setting. Essentially give it dynamics, riffs and sonic layers to build energy and tension in the songs.
What’s The Jungle Giants live show like?
It's pretty fun, and we always end up having the best time. We have heaps of energy to unleash at our shows because our lives outside the band are pretty boring. Andrew (bass & backing vocals) and I have ended up piggybacking each other a few times now. Keelan (drums) even joined in when we made a three person stack during a live show. That said, we are always thinking of our sound sonically. We're at this cool stage where we are discovering different sounds and ways to improve while we're performing.
What was it like transitioning from being a “high school band” to gigging and touring post-graduation?
It was absolutely great. We didn't really know what to expect, as we'd never played to more than 50 people before. I sort of tried to pick the brain of everyone could to find, to get some insight. It's been absolutely great so far and we are really digging the opportunities we've been given to play to bigger and amazing crowds in venues we've never visited before.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given and who was it from?
I remember chatting to Sam from Ball Park Music right before we left for our first tour a few months ago. He said to just do your thing, have fun and people will love it. I guess that sort of brought things down to a simpler level. It also helped to make it clear that no matter if touring new to us or not, if we made a great sound and had fun, people would be none the wiser.
Tell us about the bands, producers and people in the Brisbane music community that inspire you.
There are so many people. The best and worst thing about Brisbane is that it's so small. There are so many muso's and industry people in such a small area, and they are always ready to share stories, so it's easy to make relationships. Our champion manager Stu McCullough has given us an incredible amount of direction and support. We have also become really close with the friendly people at Mucho-Bravado, especially Ben Preece, who has given us endless amounts of guidance. Yanto Browning produced our debut EP and he has pretty much become our band bestie. It's a great environment, and there must be something in the water, because there are so many great Brissy acts out and about at the moment.
What’s coming up for you in the rest of 2011 and looking to 2012?
We're super excited to be playing at Valley Fiesta on the 8th of October alongside Hungry Kids of Hungry, Nina Las Vegas and New Navy on the main stage. Then we hit the road to support Ball Park Music on their debut Album tour... we are stoked that they are taking us along. Over the next month we are looking forward to demoing some new music, and then heading back interstate to play some great shows with some wicked bands. By early 2012 we should have a new EP to unleash, as well as some more touring hopefully!
Australian music is…?
...nearly mullet free.
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Great sense of rhythm here, nimble guitar lines and all. Really keeps the track going through the bouncy chorus. Like
Great sense of rhythm here, nimble guitar lines and all. Really keeps the track going through the bouncy chorus. Like
Review
Got the jangly Afrobeat thing down pat, and some cool rhyming meter. Not quite to the standard of a Jinja Safari or Hungry Kids of Hungary, but some punch in the production would raise their weight class.
Got the jangly Afrobeat thing down pat, and some cool rhyming meter. Not quite to the standard of a Jinja Safari or Hungry Kids of Hungary, but some punch in the production would raise their weight class.