Hipsters and cool kids alike, lend me your ears! San Cisco and Jungle Giants are on the road together for their first ever national junket, the “Politely Awkward Tour”. Both of these young treasures were unearthed by Triple J and have been gracing our radios with music fit for summer, packed with light and sparkly teen spirit. The tour has boasted sold out shows for the emerging acts and the indie-pop double bill showcased their low-fi garage tunes at Alhambra in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley.
Bright young things San Cisco drew an impressive crowd, filling out the area around the small stage. Frontman Jordie James rocks some scruffy facial hair, but don’t let it fool you, the kid’s fresh outta of high school. Their age shouldn’t be a factor and considering their knack for penning lo-fi pop ditties - it generally isn’t, it’s just difficult to shake, particularly watching the diminutive Scarlett Stevens smash her drum kit like a woman possessed. The twin appeal of James and Stevens is the band’s secret weapon, trading their scrappy but endearing lines over their latest single ‘Awkward’, which came an impressive 7th on Triple J’s Hottest 100.
The pop of ‘Lover’ and ‘Girls Do Cry’ recalled a little Darwin Deez, a little Vampire Weekend, short of their collegiate references but none of their energy. All clean guitar lines, plonky keyboards with simple vocal hooks. Many of their choppy guitar riffs hang on the upper reaches of the neck, much like James’ distinctive vocals. The familiar riffs are easily accessible – two-chords, tight rolling drums, and chorus sing-a-longs (the whoop of recognition from the crowd is deafening). As a live act however, they’re still a little green, yet to match the spit and polish of their records. Perhaps its nerves or inexperience, however their seemingly effortless low-fi brand of pop was eaten up by the joyous crowd. It’s early days though, and there’s plenty of time to hone their stage antics.
Local young guns Jungle Giants closed the show which by at this point allowed about 20 centimetres squared of breathing room. Highlights of their tight bubbling set included ‘No One Needs To Know’ and ‘You’ve Got Something’, vibrantly splattering around the intimate venue. For such a young band they have an incredibly solid stage presence, having already spent most of last year on the road, getting their chops on tours with Ball Park Music and the Medic’s. Lead singer Sam Hales’ smooth vocals have a certain gentleness to them, shades of Ben Kweller or Damien Rice’s sweetness. You can’t deny that Jungle Giants are a jovial bunch; Hales finished the set with popular track ‘Mr Polite’ to an eager audience while the bands bassist thrashed around the stage like a kid hopped up on sugar. Little indie girls around me lost their minds and I came close to wearing someone’s gin and tonic, which would’ve resulted in a death stare from me and a cowering teenager moving slowly away.
Small intimate tours like this are a unique way to showcase up and coming talent and both acts promise immense potential. Despite their obvious musical influences, both San Cisco and Jungle Giants are a fantastic example of young Australian upstarts, worth their weight in exuberance, clever songwriting and fun loving tracks that eclipse any dismissal on the notion of age. Future looks good- The kids are alright.
Martina Bailey Pitrun - AAA Backstage
