The Jungle Giants

Upfront presents The Jungle Giants at The Bee, Publika! Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, this will be the indie rock quartet's first show in Kuala Lumpur.

The Jungle Giants are an Australian four-piece band, formed in 2011 in Brisbane, Queensland. Consisting of Sam Hales on vocals/guitar, Cesira Aitken on lead guitar, Andrew Dooris on Bass Guitar/Backing vocals and Keelan Bijker on drums/trombone. The four members attended the same high school and it wasn’t until university that they came together to create The Jungle Giants.

In May 2013, they released “I Am What You Want Me To Be”, the first new track off their debut album “Learn to Exist” which was released in August 2013. Learn to Exist was released on August 20, 2013 and received a positive response overall! They performed on the national Big Day Out touring festival alongside acts such as music juggernauts, Arcade Fire and Pearl Jam. The pop quartet have earned their stripes and are known for their electrifying and rousing live performances. “She’s A Riot” tackles the universal issues of love and loss with ultra-rhythmic percussive lines, chordal harmonies and pop sensibilities that will have you swooning over The Jungle Giants. They have a great sense of rhythm and nimble guitar lines which keeps the track going through the bouncy chorus with their jangly Afrobeat reminiscent of Jinja Safari or Hungry Kids of Hungary.

We asked Andrew Dooris, Bassist for The Jungle Giants a couple of questions about a typical day in The Jungle Giants’ studio, their unique sound and what sets them apart from other bands.

1) Your debut album, Learn To Exist came out in August 2013. Was the response and outcome quite what you expected?

For Learn To Exist, we were all on a bit of a high because it was our first album and we’d taken a lot of time away from touring to focus on it. Not playing shows can make you forget that people might actually be interested in your music. So, really my expectations were met the moment we started playing shows again and the response was overwhelming.

2) It was about a three-year gap between your first EP and the album, does it feel like a lot of your hard work is paying off?

It’s funny you say hard work. I look back on all the time I’ve put in to this band since 2011 and it only occurred to me about halfway through last year that we had been ‘working hard’. I think the strongest thing in our band is that we’re constantly creating new goals to work towards as a team and for us, it’s not about hard work paying off, but living how we want to live and making that possible through whatever means we can.

3) Would you imagine being where you are today and what direction would you like to head towards as a band?

I guess the next step is releasing our second record and perfecting the live show to go along with it. From there, it’s anybody’s guess.

4) Who influences or inspires your music?

Sam’s Mum.

5) If you could collaborate with any band or artist, who would it be?

It’s always changing, but through this album process we we’re listening to a lot of Caribou and Beck, especially Sam. I think he’d have a field day picking their brains.

6) What’s a typical day in the studio for The Jungle Giants?

We’ve always liked to record in rural places that have lots of space and nice views. This time around about the only consistently thing we did most days was have a fried breakfast and sit on the front deck with our morning coffee and stare out at the scenery. Oh, and we also played A LOT of FIFA.

7) The band has a unique sound. Did you look to any specific albums or artists to spark ideas or to impact your music?

Nothing specifically. We love music, so we’re always searching for new things to listen to and to get obsessed with. There’s always a new album, every time we see each other and each one has influence on us.

8) In terms of your overall sound, there are a lot of bands coming out with that indie-pop-rock sound. Do you think your effort into your song writing is a way of differentiating yourselves?

When we were first starting out, Indie-Pop/Rock was really the thing that caught our ears, but quickly we started taking a lot more interest in music from a range of different styles and cultures. So, when it came to producing new material we always had a new set of musical vocabulary to write into the song. I think it’s the progression of our songs and tastes that has set us apart.

9) Were there struggles or did things just flow naturally while you were in the recording studio?

For me, the struggles always come before we enter the studio. I get about 2 weeks of insanity around a month before we go in almost every time. By the time, I go in I’m fine, but that’s just when it hits me. We’re all different and we all have our days, but we’re quite attuned to each other, and we talk a lot about our expectations before we do anything – so there’s almost never in-fighting and morale as a group is generally high.

10) You’re renowned as a band for your live shows. How important is it to get it right? What do you do that set you apart from other bands?

It’s very important, especially in the current landscape of music. If you want to be a professional band, you cannot have a weak live show. For us, playing live was always the purpose of our band. We would write the songs for the stage, imagining the movement of the crowd. It’s only been probably the last year and a half that we’ve really learned to express ourselves in the same way in the studio. I don’t know what sets us apart, but we all genuinely love it.

11) You guys are a rather stylish bunch, what is your favourite item in your closet?

I bought this vintage 70s burnt-orange leather jacket in New York on a holiday, but I haven’t had the chance to wear it in Brisbane because it’s so hot! I can’t wait to wear it.

12) What would you like to do while you are in Malaysia?

I’m really interested by Malaysian cuisine. The fusion of Indian, Chinese and Malay food just sounds really exciting to me. So, I’m just planning on eating until I explode. I might have to buy a second seat on the way home.

13) What are your plans for the band in the near future?

In the coming months, we’ll be releasing a single, doing a South East Asian tour, then coming straight home to do a tour at home, and then rehearsing and organizing things for the album and the touring to follow it. I can’t wait.

Catch THE JUNGLE GIANTS at The Bee, Publika on the 23rd of April 2015! Tickets are on sale today.

by: Adeline Tan