With only a few minutes left, everyone was hastening to grab a drink and find a spot on the floor. All of a sudden, the lights dimmed and at this moment, everyone knew that it was time. One second the crowd was silent and then the next they were cheering. Members of The Jungle Giants were in position, the crowd was again immediately silenced as blue lights reflected off each member. Then the next two words began the night, “Baby, I.”
The Jungle Giants opened up their show electrifying the crowd at the Troubadour in West Hollywood on Feb. 26.
The Jungle Giants, a four-piece band, is made up of guitarist and vocalist Sam Hales, lead guitarist Cesira Aitken, bassist Andrew Dooris and drummer Keelan Bijker. They have released three albums, “Learn to Exist” (2013), “Speakerzoid” (2015) and “Quiet Ferocity” (2017), which generated the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) certified platinum single “Feel The Way I Do.”
Upon arriving at the venue, the parking was terrible — street parking only allowed for 2 hours maximum and there wasn’t much to offer. There was, however, a small little parking lot in the back of the venue where they charged $15 per car, accepting cash or Venmo. The Jungle Giants definitely knew how to put on a show and make the night unforgettable, which made up for the awful parking situation.
The Australian indie-pop rock band, The Jungle Giants, started off the night with the song “Quiet Ferocity” and immediately went on to one of their popular all-time singles “She’s A Riot.” They recognized what the audience wanted and kept the energy continuously rising from the beginning.
“I loved their energy and interactions with the crowd. Troubadour is an awesome venue that created a really intimate concert,” said Anna Burtea, a new Jungle Giants fan.
After an incredible two-song start, Hales introduced each member one by one and topped it off by saying how incredible it was to be back in America again.
“This is a dream tour. We’ve made a second home in America,” said Hales.
The band was interacting and getting the crowd more and more involved. At one point, Hales even asked Jason, an audience member, to help play guitar for him. Even though Jason didn’t know how to play, Hales was guiding him throughout.
They proceeded to play “On Your Way Down” and “Used To Be In Love,” two of their three ARIA-certified gold singles. Then after they went on to play “Heavy Hearted,” a new single from their upcoming album.
Most bands run off the stage after their “last” performance and ask the crowd to cheer for an encore. However, The Jungle Giants did exactly the opposite, performing their final song “Bad Dreams” while Dooris jumped into the audience for a crowd surf.
“Instead of running off and doing an encore, let’s keep the tsunami going,” said Hales.
As they are finishing up their World Tour, The Jungle Giants are also working on dropping another album sometime later this year.
“2020 equals ‘stuff.’ And when it’s ready it’ll be dropped on you,” said Cesira, when interviewed by WTBU.
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