The Jungle Giants transformed The Gov into their own personal echo chamber for the second Adelaide leg of their ‘Quiet Ferocity’ album tour on Friday night in a display of true musical showmanship.
With a sold-out crowd that seemed to shout every single word along with lead singer Sam Hales, it’s no wonder the band say they always feel at home when coming to our fair city.
Fresh from an added show at Fat Controller the previous night, the Brisbane four-piece could almost be forgiven for being a little lacklustre – or even just appearing a little fatigued.
In fact, though, they gave a sensationally enthusiastic performance.
Opening with fan favourite ‘She’s A Riot’ from their 2013 debut album was a power move; the audience started jumping right off the bat and never seemed to stop.
Out with the old, in with the new as one of their first releases was followed by one of their latest.
Hales’ dulcet tones reverberated out across the ocean of eager faces as he quickly became the focal point for the show; he didn’t seem to tire, nor strain his voice which is extremely impressive due to the key in which he sings.
The album track, ‘Quiet Ferocity’, broke the quintessential Jungle Giants pop style when it arrived earlier this year, and it did exactly the same on Friday night – in the best possible way.
An LCD Soundsystem-esque sonic anthem and perhaps the ensemble’s most explorative tune to date, the title jam was met with a ruckus as, once again, the entire crowd chanted every last word.
The band couldn’t leave without dropping another couple of their absolute hits; ‘Kooky Eyes’ and ‘You’ve Got Something’ once again turned the venue’s volume up to 11 as the crowd wished lead guitarist Cesira Aitken a belated happy birthday for the previous day.
Aitken and Hales proceeded to exit the stage for a song towards the end of the set, allowing the spotlight to fall solely on bassist Andrew Dooris and drummer Keelan Bijker.
Dooris and Bijker produced a slightly stripped-down, yet still dangerously punchy version of the largely instrumental ‘In The Garage’ from the album.
An encore was, as in most cases, inevitable, but also extremely welcome; the highlight of which being a hugely energetic rendition of one of the ‘Quiet Ferocity’ singles, ‘On Your Way Down’, further showcasing just how proud this wonderful young band is of their equally wonderful third studio record.
A rare quality in a vocalist is a voice which is even more impressive in a live setting than on the record, and this is one trait the 25-year-old Queenslander certainly has going for him.
Crowd engagement is also something the Jungle Giants do so very well; whether it be the conversational tone with which they interact, their jokes and gags, or just the brief little anecdotes Hales regales between songs, you can see these guys are grateful for the support – they really love their job and they really want to be on that stage.
The Jungle Giants don’t need the dazzling light show or the over-the-top visuals. They ARE the show, and they know it.
