There is nothing like a hometown show to deliver those high energy frequencies we so desperately need in our lives right now. And for The Jungle Giants, their return home was a milestone moment in their career which saw them headlining the Riverstage for the first ever time. With the ecstatic energy radiating throughout the venue, the drinks were pouring and the singalongs were ignited immediately. Draped in curtains and props that resembled their album cover for ‘Love Signs’, the neon lights and love heart shaped spotlights set the mood and invited the audience into the world they created within this album. With smoke filling the stage, the band walked out to kick off the show with old favourites ‘On Your Way Down’ and ‘She’s A Riot’.
“Can confirm this is an absolute mind fuck” lead vocalist Sam Hales confessed as he looked out at the sea of fans who were screaming every word back at him. Bringing local favourite SYCCO onstage for a special version of ‘Treat You Right’, the band wanted to make sure the crowd knew they were going to do everything in their power to make this a special show after all the setbacks they faced with COVID. ‘Bad Dream’ and ‘High Ferocity’ followed which saw Hales passing out disposable cameras into the crowd for the fans to take photos with the promise they had to return them to the band. But honestly, I don’t know if they ever got the cameras back.
As the band got further into the set, their new album got a spotlight with tracks like ‘Charge My Phone’, ‘Here I Come’, ‘Monstertruck’, and ‘Heartless’ being the extra sparkly moments you just knew they were going to be live. Fan favourites ‘Waiting For A Sign’, ‘Feel the Way I Do’ and ‘Used To Be In Love’ obviously made an appearance, but one of the most euphoric moments came during ‘Love Signs’ as the heavens opened up and it started raining for a hot minute. Following a cheeky exit, they returned for the official closing anthems ‘In Her Eyes’ and ‘Heavy Hearted’ which left the crowd more stoked than they already were.
Every member of the band seemed genuinely psyched to be on stage and playing shows again. Hales held back tears during the opening songs as he adjusted to seeing so many people singing back to them again after continuous show cancellations plagued their album release. It felt like a special show from the moment it began, and as you walked away all you could hear was everyone raving about how fun and electric it felt to be at a Jungle Giants show again.
Check out the full gallery captured by Max Wenke Photography BELOW;
Photos by Max Wenke