The Jungle GiantsOne of the many great things about a mid-sized venue selling out an indie-rock show (or any variant of the genre) is that the support bands are given the opportunity to be exposed to an abundance of new fans, and that is what happened on Saturday night at Amps.
The Flower Drums kicked things off shortly before 9pm and there was already a sizable crowd in the room. The four-piece were full of momentum, having launched their new EP 28 Mansions in the two weeks leading up to this event, and used the opportunity to perform it. EP and set opener Bad Websites was an absolute banger of a track, and as the show went on, frontman Leigh Craft became more and more adventurous, bounding around the stage. The crowd reaction was strong and there will probably be plenty jumping online to get a hold of the new EP over the next few days.
Main support Grrl Pal were made for gigs like this. They thrived in front of what was by that point a packed-out room, and the crowd, filled mostly with late teens, absolutely lapped up the trio's glitchy electronic pop. Another group with a fresh EP under the belt, the set comprised mostly of tracks from that – opener Amazon warmed everyone up, and a couple of guys at the front upped the ante by jumping around like it was nobody's business when the opening bars to Nght kicked in, much to vocalist Jay LeKat's delight. Danny K was a lumbering force over his equipment, bouncing around in time with the beat, while Jacob Sawyer kept a cool and casual approach the entire set with the extra electronics. They've deservedly been given a lot of hype in recent months, and Saturday night's performance would have only boosted their profile.
A short break later and the added floodlights that had been placed on stage lit up, partially blinding the collective audience, to announce The Jungle Giants were making their way to the stage. “Fucking Perth, how are you all doing?” frontman Sam Hales said; he seemed like he was in a real cheeky mood. “Let's get this party started!” and the band launched into Come & Be Alone With Me. Despite hearing people say after the show that the band could have played and sold out a bigger venue - and they would have – Amps was the perfect place for them to be: The sound was big and full, the guitars were crunchy, and Hales' vocals soared around room. The quartet definitely brought a heavier sound to the live show, but the audience were loving every second – Anywhere Else saw crowd surfers shamelessly introducing themselves, and You've Got Something had Hales exclaiming, “Fuck, this is like a big house party, this is definitely one of the best shows we've played on this tour.” He even offered his gin to some of the front-row punters, and when he asked for it back once a few had taken sips, they actually obliged.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
She's A Riot had everyone losing their collective shit, but new single Every Kind Of Way didn't quite translate – the screechy guitar effect was a little too full-on for most. They finished on a really strong note, despite announcing there would be no encore – they got everyone to “try and snatch one of the CDs hanging from the roof,” and by the end of the song, everyone was feeling simultaneously buzzed and spent. This reviewer went to the show liking the band, but after a performance like that, they definitely have another hardcore fan.
