The Jungle Giants are back and their sold-out stop at Eora Nation/Sydney’s Metro Theatre on Friday night was exactly like a full-blown, sweat-drenched, sun-soaked day festival condensed into a few hours – minus the overpriced bottles of water.
The Meanjin/Brisbane indie-pop heavyweights are midway through their Hold My Hand tour, and they didn’t waste a second easing into it. The second song in ‘Trippin Up’ had bodies flying overhead, and it only escalated from there. It’s the kind of chaos that feels perfectly planned: A tight, career-spanning set that gave fans everything from early hits like ‘She’s a Riot’ to new favourites like ‘Charge My Phone’ and ‘Hold My Hand’, all glued together with that signature bounce they’ve mastered over the years.
Even with a splint on his finger and fresh bandages from a recent car accident, frontman Sam Hales was all energy – leaping, dancing, and belting it all out like nothing could touch him. You’d never guess what he’s been through recently, except for the visible proof taped to his hand.
Before the band even hit the stage, the crowd was already half-feral thanks to an early DJ set from Sycco and extended family that turned the theatre into a house party. By the time the first chords of ‘On Your Way Down’ hit, the place was already simmering.
And then came the screaming. Not just any screaming – the deafening roar that shoves the walls back and you think “is hearing damage reversible?”. You know a crowd’s going hard when even your fancy-pants earplugs are feeling overwhelmed. That energy didn’t dip for a second across ‘Quiet Ferocity’, ‘Love Signs’, ‘Used to Be in Love’, ‘Feel the Way I Do’, and a wildly euphoric closer with ‘Heavy Hearted’ – a final burst of synths and sweat before we were spat back out into the city.
It’s easy to forget how great The Jungle Giants are live until you’re in the thick of it all. They’ve been nestled deep in our playlists for over a decade now and are a certified staple in the Australian music pantry. To summarise: Don’t get too comfortable ahead of a Jungle Giants show, and be prepared.
