The Jungle Giants. Photo: Supplied.
Brisbane alternative dance act The Jungle Giants will perform at Blackflag Brewing Coolum with The Tullamarines and Tear Drive on August 21.
The band are touring in support of their fifth studio album, Experiencing Feelings of Joy. YELO editor Penny Brand caught up with frontman Sam Hales about songwriting in a jungle cafe in Thailand, a gunpoint ordeal in the Philippines, secret “monstertruck” rituals and the beer equivalent of the new record.
Q&A with Sam Hales of The Jungle Giants
YELO: What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever written a song?
Sam: So many different places, but I would say maybe in a cafe in the jungle in Thailand. I ended up singing into my phone on Voice Memos and loved the background sounds of the cafe, so I sampled them. You can hear it in the intro of “Sending Me Ur Loving”.
YELO: Which Jungle Giants song would you put on first if you were trying to win someone over to the band?
Sam: Right now I’d say “Tell Me How It Feels”. I really think it captures the intensity and simplicity I’m going for at the moment. Plus I love the lyrics.
YELO: What’s the biggest misconception people have about The Jungle Giants?
Sam: We still get the “indie rock” description, though we moved on from that around 2012, ha. We’re more in the alternative dance category, IMO!
YELO: What’s the most chaotic thing that’s happened on tour?
Sam: I was once kidnapped in the Philippines. Long story, but I agreed to go visit an illegal gun range and was very quickly mugged at gunpoint and held for a while. I got really lucky, especially thanks to our security guard Tony. We live and we learn!
YELO: Has the band developed any weird tour rituals or superstitions?
Sam: Yeah, for sure. We do something called a “monstertruck” pre-show where we listen to songs that gas us up, then we do some very specific rituals that are secret. That sounds weird. It’s not, I promise.
YELO: What’s the unofficial soundtrack of this tour?
Sam: “Poppin’ My Collar” by Three 6 Mafia.
YELO: Who in the band is the worst person to travel with?
Sam: We all have our moments but I couldn’t possibly do that. We love each other!!
YELO: What’s one thing fans would be surprised to learn about tour life?
Sam: Hmm, I’d say almost everything is as expected, to be fair haha. But we’re also really big into poker. We play a lot of games during a tour.
YELO: If Experiencing Feelings of Joy was a beer, what are we drinking?
Sam: A cold and crisp lager. So crispy it’s barely liquid. Maybe a Pure Blonde cos we like the low carb around here.
YELO: What song do you still genuinely love playing every single night?
Sam: I am loving playing “Feel The Way I Do” at the moment. I’ve always loved it. It just hits right every time.
What do you think?
Show comments / Leave a comment