Jinja Safari, Cub Sport @ The Forum Theatre, Melbourne (27/09/2013)
After being hooked on Jinja Safari’s debut self titled album earlier this year, I was so happy to hear that they were going to play at the Forum.
Jinja Safari are renowned for their energetic live performances and I could not wait too see their African infused indie pop in one of the best venues in Melbourne.
We arrived just in time to see rising Brisbane outfit Cub Sport (formerly Cub Scouts) take the stage. If you are an avid listener of Triple J, it is most likely that you would have heard Told You So or Paradise on rotation during the year.
Their live performance wasn’t overly exciting, but the band posses a great deal of musical skill. Front man Tim Nelson’s voice was incredible and combined with the infectious pop melodies. They are definitely a band I’d like to see again.
Jinja Safari opened their set with the big bellowing organ introduction to Apple. This song was a great bold opening for their album, and translated so well into the start of their live show. There were many comments coming from the crowd on Pepa Knight’s outfit at the start of the night, my favourite being “we love you Jesus”.
In the review I did earlier in the year of their album, I named Oh Benzo as my least favourite song on the album because of heavy use of autotune. However, I really enjoyed this song on the night and yelled along to the chorus with the rest of the fans.
The band have a reputation for their live performances, and I really think this is due to their awesome stage presence. Their personalities match how they play on stage and are born entertainers on stage. At one point my favourite part of the night was when Pepa played the flute during Toothless Grin before playing his keyboard while standing on its stand.
The night really started feeling like a party when they played their cover of R Kelly’s Ignition which they played on Like a Version. Back when that song was released in the early 2000’s, I don’t think anyone thought it would be covered with an Indian Sitar.
Before ending their set, they brought out their signature acrobatic move the royal dragon. From there, the set just went crazy. They had others playing their instruments, people dancing on stage. Pepa even came into the crowd right next to where I was standing so he could watch the craziness from our perspective. It was an awesome ending to a really spectacular show.
Ryan Hyde
Jinja Safari are renowned for their energetic live performances and I could not wait too see their African infused indie pop in one of the best venues in Melbourne.
We arrived just in time to see rising Brisbane outfit Cub Sport (formerly Cub Scouts) take the stage. If you are an avid listener of Triple J, it is most likely that you would have heard Told You So or Paradise on rotation during the year.
Their live performance wasn’t overly exciting, but the band posses a great deal of musical skill. Front man Tim Nelson’s voice was incredible and combined with the infectious pop melodies. They are definitely a band I’d like to see again.
Jinja Safari opened their set with the big bellowing organ introduction to Apple. This song was a great bold opening for their album, and translated so well into the start of their live show. There were many comments coming from the crowd on Pepa Knight’s outfit at the start of the night, my favourite being “we love you Jesus”.
In the review I did earlier in the year of their album, I named Oh Benzo as my least favourite song on the album because of heavy use of autotune. However, I really enjoyed this song on the night and yelled along to the chorus with the rest of the fans.
The band have a reputation for their live performances, and I really think this is due to their awesome stage presence. Their personalities match how they play on stage and are born entertainers on stage. At one point my favourite part of the night was when Pepa played the flute during Toothless Grin before playing his keyboard while standing on its stand.
The night really started feeling like a party when they played their cover of R Kelly’s Ignition which they played on Like a Version. Back when that song was released in the early 2000’s, I don’t think anyone thought it would be covered with an Indian Sitar.
Before ending their set, they brought out their signature acrobatic move the royal dragon. From there, the set just went crazy. They had others playing their instruments, people dancing on stage. Pepa even came into the crowd right next to where I was standing so he could watch the craziness from our perspective. It was an awesome ending to a really spectacular show.
Ryan Hyde