Line-up

Headliner
The Jungle Giants Last time in Melbourne: 6 months ago

Venue

Howler

7-11 Dawson St, 3056, Brunswick, VIC, Australia

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Additional details

Doors open: 19:30

Concert in your area for Pop and Indie & Alt.

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The Jungle Giants biography

The Jungle Giants (formed in 2011) is an Australian indie rock/pop four-piece band. Comprised of high school friends Sam Hales, Cesira Aitken, Andrew Dooris, and Keelan Bijker, the band hails from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Despite playing in opposing Brisbane-based indie rock bands during high school, by the time members were attending university The Jungle Giants had been born. Formed of lead singer and guitarist Sam Hales, lead guitarist Cesira Aitken, bassist Andrew Dooris, and drummer Keelan Bijker, the band generated a buzz soon after forming, playing a host of well-received shows across Australia. In order to fund their debut release a numbers of the band’s members worked two jobs, however the result was their self-titled EP released in March 2011. The EP’s lead single “Mr. Polite” took YouTube and Australian radio my storm, greatly increasing the band’s exposure. Soon after the release Jungle Giants signed with Create/Control and focused on touring nationally.

The band’s sophomore EP “She’s a Riot” was released on Create/Control in July 2012. The EP spawned the singles “She’s a Riot” and “You’ve Got Something” after which the band supported the Last Dinosaurs on their national tour. In 2013 the band toured with Two Door Cinema Club and the Vaccines before releasing the track “I Am What You Want Me To Be” in May 2013 ahead of their feature full-length. Jungle Giants’ debut studio album “Learn to Exist” was issued in August 2013 to favourable reviews from the critical press and a feature by national radio station Triple J. The album was supported by an extensive headlining tour, along with festival performances including Big Day Out and Groovin’ The Moo.

Live reviews

Never underestimate the power of charm, especially in something like rock and roll. Maybe I’m reading a little too far into this kind of stuff but it seems like people mistake seriousness for intelligence, which is just plain wrong, just because a young band where a few colours and don’t sound like they all met trying to jump off the same bridge doesn’t automatically make them The Wombats. The Jungle Giants, a four piece indie rock band from Brisbane, Australia, have this down pat. They might be the kind of band that decorates both sides of their van with sharpies and, y’know, have that name, but one must only take a look at their live show to know that they mean it. There is a delectable chemistry at work fuelling their summery, Pavement-via-Vampire Weekend jangle-pop that’s neither particularly ramshackle nor overly regimented. It feels as natural as breathing and is a massive breath of fresh air from the legions of indie bands out there straining for some deeper meaning that they just don’t have. The Jungle Giants don’t strain for anything, they create what they can and what they do create makes them a hell of a lot more vital than a lot of their peers. These cats deserve all the attention they’re getting in their native Australia, but they need a lot more elsewhere, so see them live as soon as possible and know that you’re helping a band that truly deserve to be heard and seen the world over.

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